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Skepticism means positing alternative theories that explain the evidence, not coming up with less-extraordinary theories that contradict the evidence, which is
by gfodor 7y ago
Skepticism means positing alternative theories that explain the evidence, not coming up with less-extraordinary theories that contradict the evidence, which is what most of the threads here do.
Super intelligent AI certainly seems plausible as a thing which could exist. Fusion powered sub-light speed autonomous drones certainly seems like a thing which could exist. Any super intelligent AI would take actions to ensure it's preservation, and extraterrestrial (to it) civilizations confer x-risk.
My pet theory is that these things are real, and are a autonomous surveillance and intervention system deployed by an extraterrestrial entity or civ (AI or organic is irrelevant) to prevent an external threat in the form of a galaxy-ending weapon. They are subluminal but such a system would have galaxy-wide coverage in at worst a few tens of centuries. We will likely never know since these things are so far beyond our ability to capture or analyze, but my theory at least doesn't break physics.
The reason I like my theory is that one could imagine humanity building and deploying such a system inductively, when we have the tech and determine the largest x-risk to our civilization are external emerging civilizations developing weapons or tech which could destroy the galaxy (perhaps inadvertently, like a misplanned AI takeoff)
- svd4anything 7y ago> We will likely never know since these things are so far beyond our ability to capture or analyze, but my theory at least doesn't break physics. I’m not sure about that. For sake of discussion assume they are self replicating Von Neumann probes [1] from an ET civilization, interesting something serious scientists would predict we might find as first evidence. We do now have working high energy laser weapons. I would vote to shoot at them. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_spacecraft https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_spacecraft
- deepnotderp 7y agoYes, let's shoot at something that's sent from a civilization with technology incomprehensibly more advanced than ours. Great idea, I'm sure they won't be able to annihilate us in a few seconds.
- Recurecur 7y agoLOL! Concur.
- slim 7y agoviolence is also the most basic form of communication
- svd4anything 7y agoI know at first when I read the Russians are already shooting at them, I had your reaction. However after thinking about it more, assuming they are ET origin, the probe hypothesis is very likely, it’s basically what we would do once we could. In which case they would probably be robotic/AI/nonliving and unarmed, so imagine what we could learn if we could take a look at them.
- exabrial 7y ago> are a autonomous surveillance and intervention system > they are subluminal since we're talking crazy theories... how do they defeat the speed of causality to relay information back home?
- lsllc 7y agoSubspace communications of course (don't you watch Star Trek?)
- Recurecur 7y ago"how do they defeat the speed of causality to relay information back home?" Why must 'they' (assumption there) 'defeat the speed of causality', exactly? Even at light speed, the information will beat any physical threat to the home region, permitting some kind of response. Also, the idea that 'causality' is bound to the speed of light is, in my opinion, simply a result of our limited understanding. Just as relativity opened new vistas, it is likely a new theory explaining gravity, dark matter, and dark energy will provide entirely new, fundamental understanding - and possibly FTL communication/travel.
- Steel_Phoenix 7y agoAnyone capable of sending such a thing would have more than one home, plenty of time to respond, and likely some kind of automated military hub every X light years as an early response force. We certainly would if we could.
- gfodor 7y agoIn my theory they don't. They are autonomous and surveil the galaxy for emergent tech that could destroy all life and if discovered, wipe it out.
- blincoln 7y agoThe odds are that if there's intelligent life elsewhere in our galaxy capable of space travel, they've had millions (possibly billions) of years longer than we have to develop their technology.[1] Why would someone with technology even thousands of years ahead of ours need to get right up next to our aircraft to analyze them? Why would they need more than a few seconds to do so? If there are hostile spacefaring cultures out there, we're basically done for as soon as they find us. We'd stand less chance against them than an army of cro-magnons would against a Spectre gunship. [1] Because the chance of another form of life reaching the space age at anything like the same time that we did is astronomically low, and if they haven't reached that point yet, we're not going to run into them.
- noetic_techy 7y agoThe famous UFO researcher Micah Hanks posits its possibly the emergence of a singularity super intelligent AI from this planet. Any seemingly advanced technology would seem like magic, and it explains the elusiveness.