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I think it's a good assumption. If there are systems out there marginally different from our own, and the cost to send a "new civilization builder" doesn't comp

• kbutler 12y ago
  Time delay. You're long dead before any profits return. How much current consumption are you willing to give for speculative distant future profit for others?
  • kijin 12y ago
    That depends on the average lifespan of the species in question, as well as the stability of their civilization. If you only live 100 years and your society will be unrecognizable after 500 years, it's obviously foolish to embark on a project that will turn a profit 1000 years later. If you can live 1M years and your civilization has been more or less stable for 10M years, you can probably afford to wait 10K years for a shipment of unobtanium. It would be just like a 17th century European merchant who sends a ship to India and waits several months for it to return. Even if the average lifespan is short, some industries can be profitable across generations. Lumber is often harvested 30-50 years after planting, and I've heard of people investing in coastal redwood that would take 100+ years before they can be cut down.
    • darkmighty 12y ago
      Wow, that redwood 100+ years investment sounds interesting. Do you have a link? I have to show that to my economist friend... or save it to win an argument some time from now :)
      • SideburnsOfDoom 12y ago
        Given a large payoff in 100 (or more) years time for a small investment now, it doesn't seem that hard to create a financial instrument that pays out a potion of the projected profits adjusted for risk, for each year that you hold it.