[ExI] fermi paradox

[BillK]

On Dec 8, 2007 5:51 PM, John K Clark wrote:
> My two choices were that we are the first or there is something waiting in
> the wings to sabotage mind when it gets too big for its britches, probably
> drug addiction.
>

I have to mostly go along with John's choices.

1) We are either the first, or space-faring minds are incredibly rare.
Given the huge size and age of the visible universe, there could be
other minds that we can't see, during the tiny time we have been
looking around. There has been plenty of time for many civs to have
come and gone in past aeons, but they have left no evidence of their
presence.

2) There could be many reasons for minds not going into space and
reshaping the visible universe. Obviously, they haven't in past
millennia. Nothing we see seems unnatural. John's suggestion of
'Second Life' (but much, much more) addiction is reasonable. Maybe
minds do destroy themselves when they get too clever for their own
good. (We seem to be on track to put more and more power in the hands
of those who want to cause destruction).
But there is no need for just one reason. There are probably many
reasons which combine together to make minds stop short of rebuilding
the universe.  Maybe they don't have any need to do that. Maybe they
think it is a silly idea. Maybe it is too difficult and not worth the
effort. Maybe they destroy themselves in the attempt. Whatever.....
No space-faring civs is the picture we see at present, anyway.

3) There is a third alternative, that minds keep growing and transcend
to somewhere else, leaving our universe unchanged. We can always hope.


BillK