The other side of the Fermi paradox

The Space Review ^ | 02/19/07 | Michael Huang

[KevinDavis]

The Fermi paradox—the estimation that extraterrestrial civilizations are common and would naturally expand into space, contradicting the lack of evidence that they exist anywhere—is the subject of fascinating speculation and guesswork. Every possible fate of extraterrestrial intelligence is proposed and explored. These thought experiments are not only interesting in their own right, but may help evaluate the state of a more terrestrial civilization. What will happen to humankind in the future? By examining the possible futures of extraterrestrial civilizations, we are simultaneously examining the possible futures of our own civilization. Put in another way, if an alien civilization somewhere had their own version of the Fermi paradox, they would be speculating on our future in the same way that we speculate on theirs.

[KevinDavis]

[BenLurkin]

"Artist’s depiction of the Milky Way Galaxy. The relatively short time it would take to colonize the galaxy forms the basis of the Fermi paradox." (credit: NASA)

"Relatively short"?

?

[concentric circles]

A volume I have been reading posits a series of cascading errors by galactic administrators resulting in the temporary absence on earth of all visible signs of universe administration.

Until affairs can be rectified, the planet is quarantined from all verifiable contact with the rest of the populated cosmos to prevent the spread of confusion from here to those worlds where the normal progression of civilization continues unencumbered.

An interesting thesis that opens the door to many fascinating possibilities.

[NonValueAdded]

Can you imagine the glo-ball warming in the center of that swirl!!!

[BenLurkin]

Those stars are fairly close together. Interstellar travel might be a "easy" as going to the far planets of our solar system.

On the other hand, think of how much radiation there would be -- almost like a microwave.

[BenLurkin]

Ping.

[SunkenCiv]

Fermi's Paradox II:
What's Blocking Galactic Civilization? Or Are We Just Blind To It?
Space.com | November 8, 2001 | By Seth Shostak, Astronomer, Project Phoenix, SPACE.com
Posted on 11/08/2001 10:52:53 AM EST by MeekOneGOP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/566578/posts

The Fermi Paradox - Are We Alone in the Universe
Posted on 05/19/2004 3:46:40 PM EDT by Conservomax
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1138670/posts

Refuting Fermi: No Evidence for Extraterrestrial Life?
National Institute for Discovery Science ^ | John B. Alexander, Ph.D
Posted on 01/02/2005 7:43:04 AM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1312384/posts

[Quix]

THANKS.

Interesting.

[JenB]

That does sound like an interesting premise. What's the book/ author?

[Balding_Eagle]

I remember the excitment I felt when I saw the first formula (for me) estimating how many planets with life are out there.

I think it was in Sky and Telescope back in the early 60's.

Everyone knew it was nothing more than a wild a$$ guess, but it was exciting anyway.

[Eastbound]

"I remember the excitment I felt when I saw the first formula (for me) estimating how many planets with life are out there."

' . . . bullions and bullions and bullions! -- Carl Sagan

[sig226]

Relatively silly is more like it. Suppose the space people lived in a system relatively close by and they had faster than light travel. Where would they go? They would go to places that offered them something they wanted.

Does our system have something they want?

Who knows what they want? Perhaps some other system has more of what they want, so it is more profitable for them to go there than to go here. I can't imagine that interstellar travel would be cheap. It's a major failing of Star Trek - where did the Federation get the money to pay for all of that stuff?

Besides that, the ability to travel faster than light implies the ability to control light. If Captain Korg of the Klingon Empire was tooling around Venus and Juputer, we would never know about it.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure.

[concentric circles]

It's called The Urantia Book, though I'm somewhat partial to John Reed's designation, The Tarantula Book.

[jmcenanly]

Who knows what they want? Perhaps some other system has more of what they want, so it is more profitable for them to go there than to go here. I can't imagine that interstellar travel would be cheap. It's a major failing of Star Trek - where did the Federation get the money to pay for all of that stuff?

It is assumed but rarely shown, that there must be a larger, commercial infrastructure supporting the Federation. However, except on rare occasions, Captain Kirk and whoever might be the equivalent of Bill Gates don't travel in the same circles. He usuually runs into the smaller operators.

[sig226]

Which one of them runs with small time operators, Kirk or Gates? The notion of using a transporter to smack Bill Gates in the face with a cream pie suggests that Gates would never be able to leave his house. :)

[jmcenanly]

Which one of them runs with small time operators, Kirk or Gates? The notion of using a transporter to smack Bill Gates in the face with a cream pie suggests that Gates would never be able to leave his house. :)

Unless Gates developes some sort of 'bozo filter'or incoming transporter activity.