Posted on 08/08/2020 2:27:32 PM PDT by MtnClimber
In 1950, Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi sat down to lunch with some of his colleagues at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he had worked five years prior as part of the Manhattan Project. According to various accounts, the conversation turned to aliens and the recent spate of UFOs. Into this, Fermi issued a statement that would go down in the annals of history: “Where is everybody?“
This became the basis of the Fermi Paradox, which refers to the high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) and the apparent lack of evidence. But despite seventy years of looking, we still haven’t been able to answer Fermi’s question, leading to multiple proposals as to why this is. Today, we look at the “Aestivation Hypothesis,” which argues that aliens are not dead (or non-existent), they’re just resting!
This theory takes its cue from nature, where certain organisms enter a state of prolonged torpor during particularly hot or dry periods. Similar to hibernation in the winter, these organisms will remain in this state until conditions become cooler and wetter. Applied to the Fermi Paradox, the Aestivation Hypothesis asserts that alien civilizations are largely dormant because they are awaiting better conditions.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
This hypothesis has many problems itself.
It sounds clever, but how do they know they need to hide?
What is the purpose of killing off other civilizations, when there is no gain from it?
I could may be see conquest. But you are hypothesizing just silly extermination.
No way aliens will come to earth to interfere with us. We’re too much fun to watch.
“Earthlings engage in the most random of activities! Op, op, op!!!”
The aliens are all around us, watching and communicating with each other in a manner we don't even know exists.
Tachyons, neutrinos, hyperspace, who knows? We don't.
And, they're making fun of us right in our faces, laughing at us, mocking us...
Oh they are out there, watching us.
Earth is a galactic reality tv show.
/southpark
Q: how do they know they need to hide?
A: observation
Q: What is the purpose of killing off other civilizations, when there is no gain from it?
A: wrong conclusion. Killing off others leaves more resources for the victor to harvest.
Q:I could may be see conquest.
A: conquest means bringing assets to bear on a particular target in such numbers that everyone else will notice
But you are hypothesizing just silly extermination.
==
Does the lion exterminate antelope (for instance) or just stalk and kill the weak who are exposed and cannot flee? One pride will drive off and kill another in competition for territory. Just use the laws of nature that animals live and die by: as above, so below and vice versa
BTW not my hypothesis - even Stephen Hawking warned of this same possibility in answer to Fermi
But like bears coming out of hibernation, watch out for that first, huge dump! It will be galactic!!
It is just another far fetched hypothesis, as is the one that any advanced civilization has to be a peaceful Kumbaya type.
Or, the idea that any advanced civilization would have to be Marxist.
Speculation is fun.
But comparing interstellar extermination to biological evolution is silly.
Can't say the civilization hunting and killing bad guys are not out there; they may be.
I suspect it is more likely they would be a techno-war machine gone bad, instead of any rational purpose of gain.
We can’t see them cause they ain’t there? What a novel idea.
Why be so self loathing? Who is to say we aren't the most advanced civilization in the universe?
Is it perpetual summer in outer space?
(aestivation is the opposite of hibernation).
Read Remembrance of Earth’s Past: The Three Body Problem; The Dark Forest; Death’s End by Cixin Liu.
The Berserker theory is one possible answer, civilizations gets so advanced and then are noticed by the galactic exterminator who points a gamma ray burst at the cockroaches. Another could be that the urge to explore is simply exceedingly rare. Another could be that so far everyone invariably falls into a virtual reality hole when their tech reaches that level.
Freegards
Lots of fun..., a better addiction than Meth, Heroine, Alcohol, or TV, but no where near as good as real history.
Intelligent life elsewhere? We don’t even have Intelligent Life here!!
We’ve only been broadcasting radio waves for 100 years. 100 light years is a pinhead on the universe scale.
Just for the sake of pre-emptive pest control maybe...In the "Killing Star" Zebrowski and Pellegrino postulate aliens who really don't care for the possibility of upstart competition and act as soon as it become obvious that humanity is sending out relativistic spacecraft.
It's also possible that the reason might be incomprehensible...because they're aliens after all...
I only recommended those particular books because they give a better explanation of the Dark Forest Theory and because of the insights into Mao’s Cultural Revolution for the real history angle
Any alien advanced enough to reach Earth from so far a distance should also be advanced enough to overcome whatever environmental factors they are dealt with.
“Hey Xyt67 - I’m cold!”
“Hold on - the signal is weak, but I’m getting most of it from Earth - a show on how to build igloos!”
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