One new question that the interview with Loeb raised for me is how the confirmed existence of extraterrestrial life might reshape the foundational spiritual narratives that most of humanity (approximately 75% of humanity believes in some kind of god) relies on to make sense of their place in the universe. He notes that there are more Earth-like planets in the observable universe than grains of sand in all of Earth's beaches, which challenges that deeply rooted idea that humanity plays a central or unique position in the universe. Let's say an extraterrestrial species with far more advanced technology comes in contact with us. With sufficient advanced technology, they would be almost indistinguishable from gods. This got me thinking about how religious doctrines, many of which are anthropocentric, might adapt (or resist adapting) to the reality that there are far more intelligent creatures out there. Would faiths reinterpret sacred texts? Or would they fragment under the pressure for redefinition?
This question is hard to answer because of limitations in our own imagination and data. We are trying to predict something that has never happened in human (written) history, using a framework that is probably insufficient. We are also trying to model human behaviour, which is highly unpredictable. Basically, this question is hard to answer because we know very little, and what we do know might actually be misleading us into thinking we are prepared when we are not. In the end, maybe the greatest challenge is not even discovering extraterrestrial life but discovering how to rethink everything we thought we knew.