The fact of the matter is that we wouldn't even be able to detect radio signals from the closest star Alpha Centauri 4 ly away, so this "ruling out" is pretty m

The fact of the matter is that we wouldn't even be able to detect radio signals from the closest star Alpha Centauri 4 ly away, so this "ruling out" is pretty much made up - we haven't ruled out anything. The Great Filters, "there is nothing out there", this article, etc all make it seem like we did rule something out, but re-read the first sentence - it really puts into perspective how little we know.