Deranged Rhino Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 I don't know with whom he was speaking at the time, but Fermi suggested that the reason we haven't ever seen a sign of extraterrestrial life is because a technologically advanced civilization would likely blow itself into extinction before it reached the point where they would be capable of interstellar travel or communication. it's not a very inspiring thought, is it? You should look into Fermi a bit more... you'd be surprised to find this is not how he truly felt. It was in fact much, much, much more alarming and depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 You should look into Fermi a bit more... you'd be surprised to find this is not how he truly felt. It was in fact much, much, much more alarming and depressing. really? worse than that? as if what I was talking about wasn't depressing enough already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 really? worse than that? as if what I was talking about wasn't depressing enough already. Fermi did not doubt the existence of sentient life elsewhere in the universe. As a man of science he knew the universe was too large and the opportunity for life too abundant to believe otherwise. Wernher von Braun, the man who got us to the moon and built the first intercontinental rockets for the Germans in WWII, used to talk about the existence of life in the universe at great length with Fermi. After these conversations with von Braun, he privately admitted the more probable scenario isn't one of constant self destruction (statistically one or two would have made it past the point of technological infancy -- if not hundreds based on how many planet we now know are actually out there) but rather that they were silenced by someone else. Someone who smites any such technologically advanced species before they can pollute the rest of the universe. Meaning, he was way more of a pessimist than his paradox implies. His fears are echoed today by the likes of Hawkins and others who say announcing our presence to the rest of the universe would be a poor decision, one that would end quite badly for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Fermi did not doubt the existence of sentient life elsewhere in the universe. As a man of science he knew the universe was too large and the opportunity for life too abundant to believe otherwise. Wernher von Braun, the man who got us to the moon and built the first intercontinental rockets for the Germans in WWII, used to talk about the existence of life in the universe at great length with Fermi. After these conversations with von Braun, he privately admitted the more probable scenario isn't one of constant self destruction (statistically one or two would have made it past the point of technological infancy -- if not hundreds based on how many planet we now know are actually out there) but rather that they were silenced by someone else. Someone who smites any such technologically advanced species before they can pollute the rest of the universe. Meaning, he was way more of a pessimist than his paradox implies. His fears are echoed today by the likes of Hawkins and others who say announcing our presence to the rest of the universe would be a poor decision, one that would end quite badly for us. German intercontinental rockets? Are those the ones they used to bomb Pearl Harbor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 German intercontinental rockets? Are those the ones they used to bomb Pearl Harbor? touche! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 German intercontinental rockets? Are those the ones they used to bomb Pearl Harbor? Yup. Every missile is intercontinental if you're close enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Didn't Sarah Palin say she could see London from Peenemunde? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 German intercontinental rockets? Are those the ones they used to bomb Pearl Harbor? Forget it, he's rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted April 22, 2014 Author Share Posted April 22, 2014 Forget it, he's rolling. Care to weigh in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Care to weigh in? Depends on a lot of things. I'd rather wait for it to happen than deal in hypotheticals. But while I doubt aliens have been visiting us, I cannot rule it out entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I think Earth would become much more peaceful if/when we are presented with absolute proof of alien life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 His fears are echoed today by the likes of Hawkins and others who say announcing our presence to the rest of the universe would be a poor decision, one that would end quite badly for us. I've not heard any of that, but it's pretty chilling to think about. on the other hand, it would have made it a more interesting story when the Vulcans discovered the warp signature from Zephram Cochrain's first trans-warp flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metal Man Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 This is a great topic. The Fermi Paradox can really be debated or discussed endlessly. For me it is hard to believe that traversing the galaxy is prohibitive based on our science seeing that what we understand about science on a universal scale has to equate to handful of sand on a ten mile beach. The idea that we wouldn't want contact because it would mean annihilation is a scary thought but based on our history when one civilization meets another it usually ends badly for one of them. That could work the other way too where first contact would be avoided because there would be no way to predict how our civilization would respond. Personally I believe that some knowledge probably does exist in our world for someone but on a large scale our development is probably too insignificant for the majority of extra terrestrial life to take any interest in us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I think Earth would become much more peaceful if/when we are presented with absolute proof of alien life. How so? Human nature is typically pretty violent and territorial. How is the proof of aliens going to change our DNA? I think you guys have been watching too many movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 I think Earth would become much more peaceful if/when we are presented with absolute proof of alien life. They are here.They're called Democrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 How so? Human nature is typically pretty violent and territorial. How is the proof of aliens going to change our DNA? I think you guys have been watching too many movies. Because the alien species could be a threat if they have the technology to be here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Because the alien species could be a threat if they have the technology to be here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 They are here.They're called Democrats. Ah, more "Progressive" voters. I wonder if the left would object to photo I.D's for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 They are here.They're called Democrats. Wait, are we talking about space aliens or illegal aliens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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