--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we're looking for intelligence in the…" description: "\"If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think everybody assumes that this has to start with life and so the question is: \"How likely is it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png" --- # If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think… ![“If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think everybody assumes that this has to start with life and so the question is: "How likely is it that there will be life elsewhere in the universe?"” quote by Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png) > “If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think everybody assumes that this has to start with life and so the question is: "How likely is it that there will be life elsewhere in the universe?"” [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence is presumed to arise only after life begins, prompting the question of life's likelihood elsewhere. **In simple terms:** Intelligence depends on life; we wonder how common life is. Key Takeaway Consider the probability of life beyond Earth. Themes science astrophysics philosophy Mood curious speculative Type scientific inquisitive When to use this quote - space exploration - SETI research - planetary habitability - education outreach Key Concepts probability exobiology anthropic principle Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would change our estimate of extraterrestrial life? - How does defining life affect this question? A Different Perspective Life may be rarer than expected, limiting chances for intelligence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose my interest in looking for life elsewhere in the universe really dates back to my teens. What teenager doesn't look up at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/i-suppose-my-interest-in-looking-for-life-elsewhere-in-the-universe/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [I should say we know that there are many, many other Earths out there. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think everybody assumes that this has to start with life and so the question is: \"How likely is it that there will be life elsewhere in the universe?\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Davies" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the-universe-i-think-everybody/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assuming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the-universe-i-think-everybody/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/paul-davies-3810_assuming_if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the_741901.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think everybody assumes that this has to start with life…” — Paul Davies", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paul Davies", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If we're looking for intelligence in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the-universe-i-think-everybody/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the-universe-i-think-everybody/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```