PLANET EARTH; DESIGNED FOR LIFE

Is planet earth unique in its ability to sustain life? Having critiqued in the previous episode the claim that life must be abundant in the universe, and examined the enormous but fruitless search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), we now turn to the fact that earth is specially equipped to be the cradle of life. Reading the second half of chapter 3 in the book "What is Man? Adam, alien or ape?" we see how our planet appears uniquely capable of sustaining life and intelligence. Quoting those who insist that mankind is just an accident of nature, we discover in their own words the true motive behind SETI and related projects ... the desire to explain the origin, nature and destiny of Man in purely naturaliistic terms.