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Fermi’s Paradox?

[Ronin]

Fermi’s Paradox in it’s simplest form states “Where is everyone?”

If life in the universe is common, why haven’t we detected or been confronted with signs of life from other planets?

There are a number of theories, of course, and you can choose your own.

[sphinx]

Ronin stated it correctly. The only thing I'd add is that the argument rests on the observation that if intergalatic travel is possible (which it may not be), the time needed to explore and colonize the universe is trivial on the cosmic time scale.

It therefore seems probable that if there is a heepabuncha of intelligent life in the galaxy -- some of it in systems that are far older than ours -- at least some of them should have moved on to space travel, and they should be here.

One rather commonly held view is that it is easier to believe in a unique earth than to believe that we are the most advanced of billions of intelligent beings in the universe. Or that we are the only ones interested in exploration.

Or perhaps the distances are simply unbridgeable.