Casibjorn asked:

In metaphysics anything can exist, beyond the human senses and mind yet all maybe subject to more
questions and doubt. Based on Aristotle's metaphysics as the reference point for my inquiry on the
subject of extraterrestrial life and intelligence, I would like to ask the question of its validity.

Adding to that, if it still OK, based on the philosophical eras from ancient to the contemporary, I would
like to know each era's point of view on the same subject.

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Metaphysical means per definition everything outside (formal) physics. Because physics is about
sensory experiences, this could indeed mean non-sensory. But in practice the common sense
meaning of metaphysical became non-rational experiences. That could mean involving senses that
are not yet accepted. It even in theory includes on earth unknown senses of extraterrestrial beings.

So the word metaphysical' got used not to indicate non-sensory experiences, but not rationally
explainable ones. This is in essence the controversy between Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn (if
you'rE interested look at my site http://huizen.daxis.nl/~henkt/popper-kuhn-controverse.html, but mind
that this difference in view is still in discussion).

Until Wittgenstein and Kuhn in THE early and mid 20th century the rational viewpoint dominated (in
fact it still does). Only coming closer to the founder of rationalism Descartes will you find more limited
views of this system of thought.

The word metaphysics' got a human-made meaning. That means that this meaning is not beyond the
mind. But if you take it as total denial of human activity, than certainly some extraterrestrial life forms
will fit this definition.

Maybe the metaphysics of Aristotle is not in this case the right point of departure. In his time the word
rational in the modern meaning didn't even exist. Or it is a very nice point of departure, because
metaphysical used to imply more than only non-rational. But I don't have an opinion about Aristotle,
because I only know him from citations.

Extraterrestrial life could in the Closed Circle Theory of Wittgenstein very well have developed an
intelligence not to be grasped by human means, and certainly outside rational intelligence.

To be more specific, we might even not notice such beings. But then, can we never understand such
forms of life? Not by ourselves, but through an intermediary it seems possible. Then this intermediary
should have some of our senses, and some of those of the researched life form.

Henk Tuten