“Most promising signs yet” of alien life on a planet beyond our Solar System

Let’s assume there is alien life on many planets beyond our solar system. Now what? What’s the practical benefit?

Let's assume I wake up tomorrow still alive. Then what? You're basically asking what's the meaning of life.

If you wake up tomorrow still alive, you can visit HN and downvote my comments. That will impact my karma value. Not a big deal, but still. If there is alien life, you can’t do anything about it. Zero impact.

Suppose it were somehow possible to prove that alien life exists. Like, we get a radio signal saying "hey, Earth! We see you looking at us!" that's conclusive and undeniable.

That would upend a lot of religious teachings which say we're unique and that the world was given to us, as the unique creations of a creator, to consume for our own benefit.

It seems like there could be many practical benefits to showing that's not true. Hey, maybe the concept of infinite exponential growth is a bad idea. Maybe we shouldn't burn the skies and boil the seas. Maybe we should be nice to other intelligent animals, at the very least.

What's the practical benefit of Beethoven?

Beethoven’s music directly impacts human lives. It evokes emotion and inspires creativity. Its value lies in its immediate effect. In contrast, knowing that life exists millions of light-years away offers no such tangible impact. It’s a data point. An interesting one, sure, but it doesn’t feed the hungry, cure disease, change policy, or even affect your commute. So yea, Beethoven is a lived experience, whereas aliens in Andromeda are an abstract concept.

No, for me knowing certain mind-blowing scientific facts is, personally, as cool as listening to Beethoven.