# What do you believe firmly with zero evidence? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129 "2022-02-26T00:42:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/61 "2022-02-27T19:37:10Z")
Since Covid started I feel that it’s pure luck that I haven’t been run into by a demon speeder. Is that you @Llama_Llogophile? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/62 "2022-02-27T19:53:18Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Since Covid started I feel that it’s pure luck that I haven’t been run into by a demon speeder. Is that you @Llama_Llogophile? 😉 A joke, I know. But I’ll respond as if this was serious… I drive purposefully, attentively and never aggressively (and yes, I know everyone probably thinks that). But you’ll never see me turn or change lanes without a signal, I always watch for the green light so as not to hold up the line behind me, and I understand the left lane is for passing - I don’t loiter there and will readily move over for faster traffic. What makes me crazy is all the people who drive (and walk) with complete obliviousness. Walkers can be even worse, because there are no lanes, when they do that diagonal thing. They meander in a not-quite straight line, making it even harder to get around them. Just a little attention to what we’re doing, please god. And just once, pick someone else besides me to victimize. I suspect a crossover between this conspiracy and the lizard people. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/63 "2022-02-27T20:04:08Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > SO there could be an intelligent species comparable to our own in Andromeda right NOW but we would NOT know it for another 2.5 millions years. OR they sent a message 2.5 million years ago, which means that replying would be pretty much moot. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/64 "2022-02-27T20:10:40Z")
I suspect that the reason that we haven’t been contacted by other intelligent life is because: a) the traits that make a species the dominant species on their planet and allow them to ascend to the top of their food chain are the same traits that more often then not cause that species to exterminate themselves; that right about the time a species gets to where humans are now, the whole thing collapses. b) even if a species gets past this moment in development, it is still impossible to travel the distances required. There simply isn’t any reason for the few intelligent advanced civilizations scattered across the universe to try to contact us. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/65 "2022-02-27T20:25:41Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Chemicals in the environment, particularly hormone analogs, play a large part in the obesity epidemic. I am with you on this. And I don’t think there is zero evidence, far from it. Between the endocrine disrupting plastics, and the death grip over our eating habits that the supermegaglobalfoodindustrialcomplex has, and the blobby physical inertia of almost everyone, I think we can safely dismiss “lack of willpower” as a cause. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/66 "2022-02-27T22:11:54Z")
I believe that the horrendously awful “background” music played at restaurants is deliberately selected to discourage customers from lingering so as to ensure maximal turnover and profit$, and that this trend has accelerated during the pandemic, since seating was limited to ensure social distancing, and one must ensure that diners exit as quickly as possible to make way for new ones. The almost-upscale place we ate at today was a prime offender, with high-volume wretchedness featuring breathy, over-emotive female and small balls-male vocalists. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/67 "2022-02-27T23:31:27Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I suspect that the reason that we haven’t been contacted by other intelligent life is because: > > a) the traits that make a species the dominant species on their planet and allow them to ascend to the top of their food chain are the same traits that more often then not cause that species to exterminate themselves; that right about the time a species gets to where humans are now, the whole thing collapses. > > b) even if a species gets past this moment in development, it is still impossible to travel the distances required. There simply isn’t any reason for the few intelligent advanced civilizations scattered across the universe to try to contact us. c) they’ve seen how warlike we are, and are actively avoiding us. ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/68 "2022-02-28T00:22:11Z")
I believe that many basketball players (both professional and college) lie about their height. I believe that airport gate assignments for departing flights are determined by how popular the destination is – the more popular it is, the further away the gate will be. This maximizes foot traffic passing by (and presumably stopping at) the retail places in the concourse. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/69 "2022-02-28T00:30:09Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > Do you have any opinions that are firmly held but supported by nothing? That humanity isn’t alone in the cosmos, but that intelligent life is pretty rare and precious and that we should be doing everything we can to spread our version of life and intelligent life as far and as wide as we can throughout this galaxy. There is no real evidence, one way or the other that there is other life (other than simple probability), and certainly none that there is other intelligent life, but that’s what I believe. I also believe with very little evidence that humanity is destined to do all of the above and spread humanity and earth life throughout the solar system and then throughout the galaxy, that the means and technology will be available to do so. Oh…and I think fusion power really is only 30 years away. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/70 "2022-02-28T01:19:21Z")
I believe life was _not_ spontaneously created from non-life. I believe there is something in our universe - something we don’t understand, and will probably never understand - that created life. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/71 "2022-02-28T01:59:36Z")
I believe in Murphy’s Law. I don’t believe in God or Fate or Destiny, but I do believe the Universe has a cruel sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/72 "2022-02-28T02:05:31Z")
> [@anny\_m](#): > > I believe that airport gate assignments for departing flights are determined by how popular the destination is – the more popular it is, the further away the gate will be. This maximizes foot traffic passing by (and presumably stopping at) the retail places in the concourse. When we were unfortunate enough to live in the Philadelphia area, our return flights always seemed to deplane at the gate that was the farthest from baggage claim and ground transportation. Since at that time there were practically no retail outlets along the way (unless you count a pretzel cart that was probably closed anyway), I figured that gate assignments were based on how sadistic airport management was feeling on that particular day.\* \*Philadelphia TSA agents were the worst I’ve ever encountered. I recall one who wasn’t just bitching at everyone in line, she was _screaming_. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/73 "2022-02-28T02:05:52Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > I was responding to Moriarty’s position, that there are millions of sentient species in our galaxy alone. > > That would imply that there would be very roughly one sentient species per 100 thousand stars. A cube with sides 736 light years long would contain on average one civilisation. Not quite the same as one civilisation per galaxy, and much more opportunity for contact, although still a major undertaking. Still a major undertaking is sort of an understatement, isn’t it? If our current understanding of physics holds, and anything with mass must move at less than the speed of light, then it’s functionally impossible to physically traverse from one location to the next. Especially when you must consider that this still means that there are many, many empty planets. (I suppose at this point I should add that, as part of my belief, I also believe that every star has a solar system; planets are everywhere) I mean, I don’t discount the possibility that there are some places where civilizations are close enough that there has been some form of contact between them (perhaps via sending rudimentary signals), but I think that our galaxy is really truly so large that it can accommodate both millions of sentient worlds and remote isolated civilizations. (In my mind, it’s sort of akin to ants on earth. There are anthills all over the place, but the ants living in your neighborhood have no way of encountering the ants on other continents, and could never truly comprehend the scope of antdom around the world) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/74 "2022-02-28T02:20:02Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Still a major undertaking is sort of an understatement, isn’t it? I recall someone saying once that, even at much slower speeds than the speed of light an interstellar civilization could essentially spread to encompass a galaxy the size of ours in a couple million years. You don’t need to travel at the speed of light to colonize other star systems. The fact no one appears to be doing that, especially in the case of this galaxy, probably means that there simply aren’t any civilizations in this galaxy with the technology to try, at least not ones several million years old. ETA: And, without evidence, I believe that means it’s up to us in our neck of the woods. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/75 "2022-02-28T04:11:42Z")
I heard from people who have met NBA athletes that they’re almost always shorter than they expected. As in, a guy says he’s 6’8" but when a 6’3" guy met him they were the exact same height. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/76 "2022-02-28T06:13:31Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I honestly don’t know what happened. > > But I find hard to believe Epstein managed to killed himself without outside help or without the security have been paid to look the other way. The guy who ran a modeling agency that provided underage girls to Epstein also just died from suicide by hanging while in prison, except in Paris. > **[Epstein Associate Jean-Luc Brunel Found Dead in Paris Prison Cell](https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/epstein-associate-jean-luc-brunel-dead-suicide-prison-cell-1310207/)** > > Jean-Luc Brunel, the modeling agent accused of supplying underage girls to Jeffrey Epstein, was found dead in his prison cell in Paris. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/77 "2022-02-28T06:15:22Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > As in, a guy says he’s 6’8" but when a 6’3" guy met him they were the exact same height. When he was with the Suns, Charles Barkley’s official stats were 6’4" 230 lbs. It was obvious if you met him one was higher than reality, and one was lower. JAQ, an honest 6’2". ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/78 "2022-02-28T13:36:11Z")
When Earvin Johnson played at MSU there was a place where you could stand and the players would walk by within arm’s length. He walked right next to me and towered over me and I’m 6’-1". I have a hard time believing NBA players aren’t as tall as advertised. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/79 "2022-02-28T14:17:00Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > … > I also have a personal pet theory (which is also not only without evidence, but also illogical) that our universe exists inside a black hole. The Big Bang, and the concept of an expanding universe, reflect that perspective - it actually exists inside another universe. This is just black hole cosmology, right? I don’t think there’s anything illogical about it, is there? Also, it’s not without evidence, not without zero evidence. There’s a variety of evidence that is at least consistent with it and to some degree supports it. For example, the Schwarzschild radius and the Hubble radius are the same within measurement error, for our universe. That’s distinctly supportive of this theory. It is hardly proven, and I don’t think it’s the leading theory, but there are a number of cosmologists who favor it. > **[Black hole cosmology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole_cosmology)** > > A black hole cosmology (also called Schwarzschild cosmology or black hole cosmological model) is a cosmological model in which the observable universe is the interior of a black hole. Such models were originally proposed by theoretical physicist Raj Pathria, and concurrently by mathematician I. J. Good. > Any such model requires that the Hubble radius of the observable universe be equal to its Schwarzschild radius, that is, the product of its mass and the Schwarzschild proportionality constant. Th... ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129/80 "2022-02-28T14:55:14Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > There is a worldwide conspiracy that involves people whose only purpose in life is to get in front of me and then drive or walk as slowly as possible. Somewhat related: Every traffic light in the world is equipped with a sensor calibrated to detect my approach. When the light senses that I am approaching, it turns red. Even if it just turned green, my approach will cause it to turn red again. It also remains red for me a full 30 seconds longer than it does for anyone else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-believe-firmly-with-zero-evidence/960129.md?page=5)