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"In the Search for Aliens, We’ve Only Analyzed a Small Pool in the Cosmic Ocean A new study estimates how much of outer space we’ve scoured for other life and finds we haven’t exactly taken a deep dive" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne ... 180970447/

So it seems the Fermi Paradox is nonsense. I am confident that scientists are going to find evidence of intelligent alien life soon.

Yeah, the Fermi Paradox makes some unwarranted assumptions. So far, we've got a sample of one to go off of. And we have no idea how long the typical intelligent species would typically last.

Res Ipsa wrote:And we have no idea how long the typical intelligent species would typically last.

I'm guessing right around 200,000 - 400,000 years.

The Fermi Paradox isn't a proof that intelligent doesn't exist though. It's an observation that spurs solutions about why we haven't seen it if it does. It would take a small amount of geological time for humans with present technology to colonize most of of the galaxy. So why can't we detect such a civilization? There are lots of possible solutions ranging from intelligent life having a tendency to quickly destroy itself to being extremely rare to not leaving traces we can understand.

EAllusion wrote:The Fermi Paradox isn't a proof that intelligent doesn't exist though. It's an observation that spurs solutions about why we haven't seen it if it does. It would take a small amount of geological time for humans with present technology to colonize most of of the galaxy. So why can't we detect such a civilization? There are lots of possible solutions ranging from intelligent life having a tendency to quickly destroy itself to being extremely rare to not leaving traces we can understand.

They thought about calling it the "Fermi Really Good Question With lots of Possible Answers," but it just didn't have that ring to it.

EAllusion wrote:There are lots of possible solutions ranging from intelligent life having a tendency to quickly destroy itself to being extremely rare to not leaving traces we can understand.

We humans are probably less than a century away from colonizing Mars. I doubt most intelligent civilizations destroy themselves.

Res Ipsa wrote:They thought about calling it the "Fermi Really Good Question With lots of Possible Answers," but it just didn't have that ring to it.

Right. A paradox is a contradiction.

DoubtingThomas wrote:

EAllusion wrote:There are lots of possible solutions ranging from intelligent life having a tendency to quickly destroy itself to being extremely rare to not leaving traces we can understand.

We humans are probably less than a century away from colonizing Mars. I doubt most intelligent civilizations destroy themselves.

Why do you doubt that?

DoubtingThomas wrote:

EAllusion wrote:There are lots of possible solutions ranging from intelligent life having a tendency to quickly destroy itself to being extremely rare to not leaving traces we can understand.

We humans are probably less than a century away from colonizing Mars. I doubt most intelligent civilizations destroy themselves.

Well, going off history, ALL species on this planet either find a way to destroy themselves or are subject to externalities that limit their progress to whatever degree. I suspect that whatever constraints we face due to our natural makeup will be the very thing that limits us to this solar system. I don't know. It's sci-fi when speculating about our prospects to colonize anything beyond Mars (and even then I think that is probably beyond our reach unless we figure out how to change our nature).

I watched a neat breakdown of a show called The Expanse by Alt Shift X:

https://youtu.be/VNjrI0YvZYA?t=2

and was struck with two thoughts:

1) If we can envision something we have the ability to potentially do it. That's our greatest asset as human beings. We always reach beyond our natural man, so to speak.

2) We are not suited for anything beyond living on this earth.

I imagine we can ultimately explore the stars if we figure out how to imbue our nature, our intelligence, ourselves into, I guess, avatars of what we are OR we figure out how to preserve ourselves in a stasis to make 100,000 year+ journeys to distant planets.

Who knows!

- Doc

Res Ipsa wrote:Why do you doubt that?

To become an advanced technological civilization the aliens have to work together.