Yeah, I don't really disagree. I'm somewhat splitting philosophical hairs here, but "if we didn't have to support metabolisms" etc those lifeforms/artifacts wou

Yeah, I don't really disagree. I'm somewhat splitting philosophical hairs here, but "if we didn't have to support metabolisms" etc those lifeforms/artifacts would not be "us". In that sense, our biology isn't a "stepping stone" en route to something else, at least not in any way that's meaningful for humanity. We are our biology. "Pure compute" may come after us, but it won't be us. But sure, I don't see any reason why any search for meaningful contact should be limited to biological forms, other than practical issues around budget and our own imaginations. Why limit it to biology + compute? That still seems anthropocentric to me. I'm sure theoretical physicists who take the occasional snort of DMT would have some wild ideas about other options :) Edit: formatting.