“Strangely enough, the scientific establishment is more tolerant of people who believe that extraterrestrial beings guided the course of evolution on this planet.”
Well that too is a form of intelligent design.
Some other beings much more intelligent, powerful and advanced than us able to design and create life.
I often use the analogy of us vs an amoeba.
An amoeba has no awareness of our existence or our powers, yet we exist. What if there are beings out there who, when compared to them, we are what an amoeba is to us?
We like to think of ourselves as the pinnacle of creation, maybe an amoeba in its own way does, too.
Good post—also note that humans get to define what “intelligent” is.
Homo Sapiens has rigged the rulebook.
Nature does not care about our rigged rulebook.