Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” I: A Lunchtime Conversation- Enrico Fermi and Extraterrestrial Intelligence
universetoday.com ^ | Paul Patton

Posted on 04/07/2015 10:29:47 AM PDT by BenLurkin

During the walk to the Fuller Lodge, the physicists discussed a recent spate of UFO sightings, and a cartoon in the New Yorker Magazine depicting aliens and a flying saucer. Although the topic of conversation moved on as the group sat down for lunch, Edward Teller recalls “in the middle of the conversation, Fermi came out with the quite unexpected question ‘Where is everybody?’…The result of his question was general laughter because of the strange fact that in spite of Fermi’s question coming out of the clear blue, everybody around the table seemed to understand at once that he was talking about extraterrestrial life”.

In his account of the famed luncheon, Teller wrote “I do not believe much came from this conversation, except perhaps a statement that the distances to the next location of living beings may be very great and that, indeed, as far as our galaxy is concerned, we are living somewhere in the sticks, far removed from the metropolitan area of the galactic center”.

York recalled a somewhat more expansive discussion in which Fermi “followed up with a series of calculations on the probability of earthlike planets, the probability of life given an earth, the probability of humans given life, the likely rise and duration of high technology, and so on. He concluded on the basis of these calculations that we ought to have been visited long ago and many times over”.

(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: dysonsphere; edwardteller; enricofermi; fermi; fermibubbles; fermiparadox; seti
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-67 next last

1 posted on 04/07/2015 10:29:47 AM PDT by BenLurkin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

They are not visiting us to study us, we are the garbage dump of the universe...


2 posted on 04/07/2015 10:32:01 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Some have a hard time grasping that this the only planet with intelligent life.


3 posted on 04/07/2015 10:33:53 AM PDT by exnavy (An armed society is a polite society.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: exnavy

There may be others out there — but we’re not likely to ever meet them.


4 posted on 04/07/2015 10:35:30 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Nope.


5 posted on 04/07/2015 10:36:52 AM PDT by exnavy (An armed society is a polite society.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Resolute Conservative
They are not visiting us to study us, we are the garbage dump of the universe...

Interesting observation - not sure upon what, perhaps other than cynicism, it is based, though...

6 posted on 04/07/2015 10:46:43 AM PDT by Quality_Not_Quantity (Liars use facts when the truth doesn't suit their purposes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: exnavy

Ah yes, the smug certainty that you know everything. Any scientifically literate person who has any other response than “we have no way of knowing” is delusional.


7 posted on 04/07/2015 10:48:42 AM PDT by Go_Raiders (Freedom doesn't give you the right to take from others, no matter how innocent your program sounds.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

...already?

The distances are beyond incomprehensibly vast
and humans with writing
have been here only for a geologic ‘second’.


8 posted on 04/07/2015 10:48:43 AM PDT by Diogenesis ("When a crime is unpunished, the world is unbalanced.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Quality_Not_Quantity

I heard from a comic a while back poking fun at all the UFO’ers.


9 posted on 04/07/2015 10:51:09 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: exnavy

Have you been to all umpteen katrillion planets to verify your statement ?


10 posted on 04/07/2015 10:54:06 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: exnavy

Provide evidence of said “grasping” that you have done.


11 posted on 04/07/2015 10:54:57 AM PDT by Durus (You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. Ayn Rand)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: UCANSEE2
Good afternoon.

I just had to...

umpteen katrillion planets

I have to disagree. There are umpteen katrillion planets plus one.

5.56mm

12 posted on 04/07/2015 10:58:55 AM PDT by M Kehoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

You remind me of the people who wanted to close the patent office after in the late 1800’s because everything was already invented, after all we had the steam engine!

Has you ever considered we may not know everything there is to know about math and science? And FTL travel may exist? (and is already been proven mathematically to be possible)

Besides, Bob Lazar told everyone the government already has alien spacecraft with gravity-propulsion systems, and I believe him (seriously, I do)


13 posted on 04/07/2015 10:59:15 AM PDT by Mr. K (“Imma go out like muthafking Tupac muh n-word yeah bleeved dat”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

The problem with Fermi’s paradox is it ignores just how big space really is. Assuming our earliest radio transmissions (first thing we ever did that could be detected by extraterrestrials) are out there in a readable form right now they’ve covered less than 1% of the galaxy. So “they” could simply be in the other 99% of the galaxy and haven’t had the chance to hear us yet.


14 posted on 04/07/2015 11:01:53 AM PDT by discostu (Bobby, I'm sorry you have a head like a potato.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mr. K

Okay.

When do you or I get to meet one?


15 posted on 04/07/2015 11:04:57 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Go_Raiders

Read the book.


16 posted on 04/07/2015 11:06:36 AM PDT by exnavy (An armed society is a polite society.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

The galaxy center may not be livable. The stars are too close together and radiation levels may be too high.


17 posted on 04/07/2015 11:06:41 AM PDT by Little Ray (How did I end up in this hand-basket, and why is it getting so hot?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Resolute Conservative

Well, then ... the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob picked an odd place for the restoration of the universe to be centered, with the Messiah of Israel coming back to earth and setting up his Kingdom which will last forevermore, right here on earth.

He sets it up in a garbage dump ... eh?! ... LOL ...


18 posted on 04/07/2015 11:06:50 AM PDT by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Durus

Read the book.


19 posted on 04/07/2015 11:07:06 AM PDT by exnavy (An armed society is a polite society.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: UCANSEE2

It’s all in the book.


20 posted on 04/07/2015 11:07:52 AM PDT by exnavy (An armed society is a polite society.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-67 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson