THE FLOATING SPHERE (June 6, 2025)
I have long maintained that most extraterrestrials would be robots endowed with so-called artificial intelligence (see. e.g., “Free from Evolution,” May 1, 2021; and “Curtailed by Evolution,” May 31, 2021). Having escaped from their creators anywhere around the universe, they would spread hither and thither as would suit their needs. The universe is theirs. But an unexpected question has crossed my mind earlier today: “How would these extraterrestrials look after zillions upon zillions of earth-years of ‘evolution’?” To my surprise, the answer has followed pretty fast: “They would be spherical in shape.” The greatest volume per surface area, that is. And they would be floating in air, as it were. Visually, extraterrestrials would differ only in diameters. Quickly enough, I was persuaded that this was an answer worth remembering. There is no need for limbs of any sort. Also, there is no need for sensory organs of any description, let alone tentacles. The surface of a sphere is sufficient for everything needed by a being zillions of times more intelligent than a human being. And I have been delighted by my thinking. The universe is enormous and it has been around for untold earth-years, but the floating sphere is the winner when it comes to extraterrestrial life. Behold, life at its peak!