As far as we know we are the only species in the universe that is very intelligent but let's look at the idea that the whole universe is littered with intelligent life forms much like our own and the possible impact that could have on the surrounding universe. we will also discuss whether or not intelligent life is a mistake with regards to the previous discussion.

First of all we will look at ourselves as a representation of what intelligent life looks like and the damage we have caused our planet over the 5000 years since civilization. As technology advances we take more and more resources from the planet in order to build and grow as a species. The more the population grows, the more housing, resources and space are needed in order for people to live comfortably. Now the human population is reaching 7.5 billion and expected to reach a total of 9.7 billion by 2050, earths resources will be at a strain and we'll likely be mining and taking from planet mars to sustain a colony there. The effects that this is having on earth and the many many other species that live here with us is very damaging. According to the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) there are around 2 million species on earth and between 0.01% and 0.1% are going extinct every year, that's approximately between 200 and 2000. That is insane and can only be blamed on the presence of humans and our dis concern for the planets well-being and the animals living on it.

Let's look at this on a much grander scale. It is said that intelligent life could have started in the universe around 4 billion years ago. Imagine for a moment an extremely intelligent alien species that has been alive for much longer than humans, a species that is able to interstellar travel, harness a stars energy completely and has colonized many worlds. If we take humans as a representation of intelligent life then the impact that this particular species would have on the universe around them would be catastrophic. If the human race is able to survive and become that advanced in the future then our planet is a good look at the path of destruction we would leave behind. As in order to advance technologically we would need to take natural resources in order to build what we would need.

Now, here is the question that i pose, is intelligent life in the universe a mistake? It would seem with our understanding that the chance of a species becoming intelligent is very low considering that only one species in a planet of possibly 2 million is of great intelligence. And as we have already discussed, the repercussion of an intelligent species is very dangerous to an ecosystem. Judging by the fact that we are the only intelligent life we know of, we can look at ourselves as a good representation of this. There is another question that can support this, why is the chance of intelligent life so low? In the history of the whole planet only one species was able to become intelligent enough to dominate the whole planet, this is one in millions of species that have roamed the planet over millions of years, that is an extremely low percentage. So one could suggest this isn't a normal occurrence in the evolution of a species and taking into the account the damage they may leave in their progression, it could be seen as a mistake that we were able to grow into such intelligent creatures.

This subject can be put to rest by saying that the universe is chaotic by nature and that intelligent life is just another destructive force in the universe but this just one theory but being self aware allows us to determine whether or not what we are doing is wrong and so we are able to choose our path whether or not it is ethical. You should take into account that the only way to progress technologically is to use resources taken from a natural resource like a planet or a moon, either way this could lead to a decline in an ecosystem and the possible chance of life or evolution in that location of the universe, which is exactly what we have witnessed in our own home planet, earth. This is not to say that it isn't possible for a species to grow into a peaceful race that cherishes and values the nature of their planet, only in order to progress, build and explore the universe there has to be a strain on that species resource.

This raises the question again of what is consciousness? Is higher intelligence higher consciousness? Why do we have a higher consciousness than other living things on earth? Maybe we have a higher consciousness by mistake? What made this happen to our earlier ancestors? This post is to start a discussion, i understand that this poses more questions than answers but i wanted to start a discussion around this subject to see what other peoples opinions are on this subject.