ParanoidObsessive posted... No, it's a rational understanding that people believe in the absolute reality of aliens with literally zero proof.
Most arguments about the possibility of aliens are predicated on the idea that "space is really big, so they must exist", while ignoring questions of just how likely the odds are of "life" forming in the first place, or concepts like the Rare Earth Hypothesis, the Firstborn Hypothesis, and the Great Filter Hypothesis. Things like the Drake Equation and the Mediocrity Principle are nothing more than thought experiments that don't actually "prove" anything. At the end of the day, we can debate the probability of aliens (and come up with answers that range from "there should be quadrillions" to "we shouldn't even exist"), but we currently have zero actual tangible proof of alien existence (advanced or otherwise).
People who have absolute faith in aliens are actually basing their assumptions on less actual evidence than people who have absolute faith in Jesus. Or Bigfoot.
The correct answer isn't "aliens exist" or "aliens don't exist". The correct answer is "We don't know."
Anything else is human arrogance.
I'm a big fan of The Dark Forest theory for why it's quiet out in space.