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Until we have just one datapoint from another civilization or planet (just one!) every single statement surrounding Fermi paradox stuff can't be proven, for ex
by fullstackchris 4y ago
Until we have just one datapoint from another civilization or planet (just one!) every single statement surrounding Fermi paradox stuff can't be proven, for example:
- Life has to go through "hard steps" to get to civilization
- (I really hate this one at a personal level for multiple reasons) assuming alien civilizations will use Dyson spheres
- There exists some sort of 'great filter' that prevents civilizations from expanding
For each of these, we have absolutely no data to compare to in order to support or refute these statesments.
- ramblerman 4y agoTo be fair the fermi paradox itself doesn't make any conclusions and only relies on the drake equation. Saying "if the drake equation holds up, then why is it so quiet in the universe?" As soon as we have one data point from another civilization, the paradox automatically disappears. It's only in the absence that we can ask the question, and speculate.
- bayesian_horse 4y agoThere's no data but to the best of our scientific knowledge, this is how the universe works. Life is hard. We know that because it took billions of years from the first self-replicating molecules to us. We also know there are things happening in our solar system that wiped us out. We know we could have wiped our species out ourselves. The "great filter" is one theory to explain why on the one hand we should be observing other civilizations, but we don't. Also they don't need to use Dyson Spheres exactly. But before they start expanding in earnest, they would have a measurable effect on the emissions coming from their star, as perceived from other stars.
- bayesian_horse 4y agoI should have written "could have wiped us out"...