I was super excited when I saw the prompt for this blog assignment (not just because it was the last blog assignment)! Sometime last semester I was talking to one of my fellow physics major about Artificial Intelligence and at somehow we ended up talking about the Fermi Paradox (which I had recently read this cool article on).
Basically, Enrico Fermi (read the article though, guy was a physics boss) was like hey guys, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. In the galaxy, there are billions of stars like our Sun that are way older and they should have Earth like planets with intelligent life and even if they move at a snail’s pace, they should be able to cross the entire Milky Way in a million years. So why haven’t we seen them?
There are many offered solutions to this paradox, but one of my favorites is the Zoo Hypothesis, which says that other lifeforms exist and they know of us, but we haven’t reached some milestone they deem necessary before they contact us (for reasons of not wanting to throw our development off kilter). This is very similar to the Prime Directive on Star Trek. I also think it’s one of the lesser frightening alternatives. As it makes other civilizations seem benevolent.
Other possible solutions argue that other lifeforms know that it is unsafe to make contact for all sorts of different reasons. Who knows? Personally, as frustrating as it is, I kind of like the mystery and I’ll feel sorry for those who don’t experience it, as I think it adds to the sense of wonder of the universe. People in olden days would have been amazed by the concept of traveling cross country in a manner of days or even hours yet we don’t even think about any more today. The idea that the same could become of the universe itself is sad.
“But you don’t have to take my word for it.” Read some of the hyperlinked articles or watch these brief summaries!
