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Is this a candidate for the great filter? The word 'filter' doesn't appear in the article, or on this page (at time of typing), but the whole argument really s
by Jedd 12y ago
Is this a candidate for the great filter?
The word 'filter' doesn't appear in the article, or on this page (at time of typing), but the whole argument really seems to lend itself to the possibility that a complicating requirement of a civilisation advanced enough to talk to (or visit) us, requires at least one long iteration of presumably CO2-rich, plant-abundant, age - followed by a sufficiently long period to turn that into what we think of as fossil fuels. And then have intelligent life pop up that can work out how to discover, obtain, and utilise that resource.
- crpatino 12y agoActually, yes. I am going to play fanboy here and recommend Star's Reach: A Novel of the Deindustrial Future. http://www.amazon.com/Stars-Reach-Novel-Deindustrial-Future/dp/098437647X/ http://www.amazon.com/Stars-Reach-Novel-Deindustrial-Future/... I don't want to spoil it for future readers, but the basic premise is: the solution to the Fermi paradox is that intelligent life is fairly common in the galaxy, but instead of nuking themselves off, most species that achieve complex technology wreak their native planet's environment and trigger a civilization collapse. Later on, some species are able to bounce back and rebuild a somewhat advanced civilization, but the mix of taboos against 'rapid growth' and lack of highly concentrated energy sources make those civilizations much more conservative, and the common memes of Scifi (e.g. the "technology indistinguishable from magic" thing) are never realized. Think a sort of cross over between Dune and the Hunger Games.