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Note however they also say that there is only one intelligent species in the history of earth. Now lumpers v splitters aside there are plenty of tool using, pr
by Avshalom 9y ago
Note however they also say that there is only one intelligent species in the history of earth.
Now lumpers v splitters aside there are plenty of tool using, problem solving, communicating species on the planet right now. And they cover the spread too: Octopuses, apes, birds; ants individually are of course dumb as a brick but colonies have actually invented agriculture.
Yeah, ants probably will never make it into space and birds lack fine dexterity to build a rocket ship even if there is a parrot Newton/Ramanajun but that doesn't mean we won't find something to have a conversation with if we can go to them.
- mikeash 9y agoI think in this case "intelligent" is used as a shorthand for "capable of creating a technological civilization capable of colonizing the stars." Smart birds which can't build spaceships are intelligent the way we normally consider the word, but not "intelligent" for the purposes of the Fermi Paradox.
- Avshalom 9y agoI mean it doesn't really matter because you just end up balancing one against the other but the wikipedia form of the drake equation and the slides form both use fi = the fraction of planets with life that actually go on to develop intelligent life (civilizations) fc = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
- iamcurious 9y ago>I think in this case "intelligent" is used as a shorthand for "capable of creating a technological civilization capable of colonizing the stars." Then humanity has a long way to go before proving its intelligence.