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Another neat example is that 98% of the world's population lives in a country larger than the median. A more interesting deduction is that humanity is probably
by kmm 8y ago
Another neat example is that 98% of the world's population lives in a country larger than the median.
A more interesting deduction is that humanity is probably atypical, and larger than the average extraterrestrial civilization. Any sentient observer is equally likely to be any single individual, but purely on statistical grounds it is more likely to be part of a larger group. There are further corollaries (see the linked paper), like that the average inhabitated planet is probably smaller than the Earth, the average alien probably has a longer lifespan, and they are probably larger than us in size. But in my opinion, these are a bit spurious as they hinge more on the unknown distribution of life over variables like species diversity, surface area, gravity etc...
https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.07804 https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.07804
- dmix 8y agoIs there a website or book that digs into this topic, what an extraterrestrial life would likely be like - to the best of our current knowledge? Or more generally about the search and likelihood's of finding them on x timescale, and the practical implications.