To be, or not to be? Is that really the question? According to the Fermi Paradox, it’s a perfectly valid one.
The Fermi Paradox, coined after Enrico Fermi, is a theory that addresses life elsewhere in the universe as a probable reality. The only issue is, however, that no other forms of life (that we know of) have visited or even communicated with us (again, that we know of).
The paradox also addresses the issue of space–that is, just how vast and, well, empty, it is. If life were out there, shouldn’t we already know about it by now? If the universe is so unbelievably large, there’s no way we could find other life if it existed … right?
Such questions bring us to an important aspect of the Fermi Paradox, known as the Great Filter. This theory is that, even if the right conditions are present for life to form, it’s only a matter of time before some greater force wipes out that life. How reassuring.
The Fermi Paradox isn’t always so depressing, however, and one aspect is actually quite exciting. The Drake Equation is a formal way to calculate the probability of life existing elsewhere in the universe, and many believe it actually proves that (though probabilities may be small and time may have been of the essence) life exist(ed) somewhere amongst the stars.
If there is life out there, then why haven’t we communicated with it yet? Well, we’ve tried! In 1974, we tried to send radio waves into space to communicate a message, visualized below:
If the Fermi Paradox turns out to be a positive one (and the life-seeking optimists are happy), perhaps life elsewhere in the universe will get back with us soon. It may very well be the case, however, that other life forms may not be intelligent enough to communicate with us – or we may not be intelligent enough to communicate with them. There are endless possibilities to the Fermi Paradox, and the Drake Equation is only a venue for us to explore such possibilities. Maybe we missed communications with other life forms by millions of years. Maybe they’ve yet to come. Until then, the optimists and pessimists of the life-seeking niche will get to argue over probability (likely for a long time to come).
