Posted on 12/21/2024 8:53:00 AM PST by EBH
Is there some evidence suggesting that humans are the Galaxy’s only intelligent species? Enrico Fermi thought so – and he was a pretty smart guy. Could he be right?
In 1950, the famous physicist made a seemingly innocuous lunchtime remark that has caught and held the attention of every SETI researcher since. The utterance came while Fermi was discussing with his mealtime mates the reasonable possibility that many sophisticated societies populate the Galaxy. But somewhere between one sentence and the next, Fermi’s supple brain realized that if this was true, it implied something profound. If there are really a lot of alien societies, then some of them might have spread out.
Fermi grasped that any civilization with a modest amount of rocket technology and an immodest amount of imperial incentive could rapidly colonize the entire Galaxy. Within a few tens of millions of years, every star system could be brought under the wing of empire. Tens of millions of years may sound like a long project, but in fact it’s quite short compared to the age of the Galaxy, which is roughly a thousand times more.
So what Fermi immediately recognized was that the aliens have had more than enough time to pepper the Galaxy with their presence. But looking around, we don’t see any clear indication that they’re out and about. We don’t see any obvious evidence of a galactic empire or a United Federation of Planets.
This prompted Fermi to ask what was (to him) an obvious question: “where is everybody?”
(Excerpt) Read more at seti.org ...
LOL!
That's similar to what I told my girlfriend: Interesting bigtit!
Her book looks like it sucks. My book is amazingballs.
Thank you!
Space, matter, and time relate to that question.
Where is everybody in location and time? One body could be at a location today that a different body occupied yesterday, the same location but at a different time, and a different body. One body could be at a location today that a different body occupied one million years ago, the same location but at a different time and a different body.
This observation caused me to conclude that the odds favor the notion of other life somewhere in the vastness of all space, matter, and time but the odds that different life forms would cross paths at the same location and in time to recognize each other are not favored.
That sends you Directly ‘To the Couch!’
but that may be a better deal.
Pure conjecture. Valid with certain presuppositions...but....we need rock solid foundation of accepted axioms..
Pure conjecture could lead us to idea that we are living in a simulation. How could anyone prove that? All “empiric” evidence that is used could be part of the simulation....net effect....proof that there is no proof...a philosophical dead end...
I always tell the ufo-ers...when the aliens show up... Invite them to dinner at my house...(hopefully I won’t be the main course)
Klaatu Nicktoe Barata y’all...
Since the only yellow star we know has planets and one with life, it’s only logical to assume that there are others. Or is today’s science establishment little different than the priests who imprisoned Galileo?
Other stars are incredibly far away. If our sun was the size of a green pea the nearest star would be 125 miles away. No one can hear our radio and TV transmissions even a few light years away much less thousands of light years because of the inverse square law. And we couldn’t hear theirs.
This is good. Attracting attention from a competing civilization would likely not end well.
His raw power is not the point. The point is what He _has_ told us and His character as taught in Scripture.
He didn’t tell us anything about “out there”. Therefore, anything could be in play. The Bible is NOT a technical manual for the Universe, nor was it intended to be. Besides, God didn’t write the Bible.
We need to stop looking for life on Mars. No, seriously.
If we DO find life there, every envirowacko in the world will demand that we NEVER go there, so as to not risk the existence of that life.
So we need to stop looking. Now. We’ll find out when we get there.
Rocks and water paths are boring. A hint of life sells video ads and ink.
Here's my most recent T shirt
Yes, he did. "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (Romans 8:22)
Therefore, anything could be in play.
Nothing that contradicts His will and His qualities as expressed in Scripture is possible.
The Bible is NOT a technical manual for the Universe, nor was it intended to be. Besides, God didn’t write the Bible.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
If you fence out Scripture, of course it says nothing to you.
But, alas, not written by God. It was subject to the level of understanding of the men who did write it. But, that doesn't pose a problem because there isn't any technical or scientific material in the Bible.
If you fence out Scripture, of course it says nothing to you.
Scripture prescribes the basis for living a God-pleasing life, and then demonstrates that we are quite incapable of living to those necessary standards. Next it details Hope for reconciling with God. Finally, we are provided Salvation by Grace alone through Faith in Jesus Christ as our savior. Even that Faith is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is not a physics, chemistry, biology, geology, or astronomy textbook. It was not intended to be any of those. Anyone who pretends to glean those topics from the Bible is guilty of heresy.
Tell me what that tells you about "out there". It seems totally irrelevant to the discussion. Flesh out its relevancy for me.
Did you recently purchase that shirt, design it, or are you Elon Musk?
I bought the shirt with that design as a gesture of support for his efforts
There is also the question of the centrality of man in His creation (Hebrews 2:7, 9, Psalms 8 and so forth), and that God became man to undo the Curse on all creation. These passages would be inconsistent with a notion that we are one sentient species among many of equal status.
I disagree. I don't think what is applicable to people on Earth is necessarily applicable to others. God Created the whole shebang under His rules, not ours. It is just plain foolish to assume that God has any sort of limits confined to our scope of understanding.
I believe the same thing, that any intelligent race quickly figures out how to eradicate their enemies, then they get caught up in the destruction themselves.
Doesn’t bode well for us.
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