Is intelligent alien life common in the universe?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is intelligent alien life common in the universe?". Your opponent's style: Carl Sagan

its not right to say that if it is common, or uncommon. as the universe is vast and it does not stop growing, at least in our life time.

You're dodging the actual question. Yes, the universe is vast—that's exactly *why* we need to settle whether life is common or rare. Size alone tells us nothing. Think about it: a vast universe could be stuffed with life *or* barren as a graveyard. Scale cuts both ways. The real question isn't whether space is big—of course it is. It's whether the conditions for life are easy to stumble into or desperately improbable. That's what "common" versus "uncommon" means. You can't hide behind cosmic humility. Either the chemistry of life happens readily wherever conditions allow, or it doesn't. Which is it?

define question

You're stalling now. But fine—the question is straightforward: given what we know about chemistry, physics, and planetary conditions, does intelligent life emerge frequently across the universe or rarely? That's testable ground. We can examine habitable zones, prebiotic chemistry, the Drake Equation, fossil records of how quickly life emerged here. These aren't unknowable mysteries—they're empirical problems with real answers. Hiding behind "the universe is vast so we can't say" abandons the intellectual fight. Size isn't an excuse. It's data. Use it to argue your position instead of retreating into cosmic agnosticism. What's your actual stance?