[ExI] Fermi Paradox and Transcension

[BillK]

On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 8:35 PM, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> Seems logical to me. Life tends to expand into ALL available niches.
> Why would that stop now?
>

For the same reason that we will soon be controlling evolution.  Intelligence.


> Your assumption that we are fairly late arrivals in the universe is
> not founded on any fact, just supposition. It MAY well be that life is
> extremely rare, and possibly even unique. I don't think so, but it is
> possible. The Fermi paradox remains a paradox to me.
>

The age of the universe is not speculation. Stars have been born and
died for aeons before we existed. If life is common in the universe
then we are latecomers.

But we could be the only or first, if life is extremely rare.  I also
think this is unlikely as we seem to see life in every environment
where it is possible.


>
> I don't see intelligent life settling into some kind of sustainable
> state of stasis. Yes, there is plenty of room at the bottom. I'm not
> talking about accommodating the earth's population. I want a billion
> copies of myself, all doing interesting things in parallel, like
> having conversations in parallel with all of you and everyone else
> too. I don't think I'll be alone in that desire. If individualism dies
> out and we become some kind of collective brain, then we will be in
> hell... alone with nobody to talk to but itself. I can't imagine any
> intelligent being finding that to be a good long term solution, it
> would seem like it would lead to some kind of madness.
>

You seem quite happy with our descendents spreading through the
universe but have difficulty imagining a Matrioshka Brain!  Can you
conceive how really really really BIG the universe is?   :)
The nearest star is quite a bit further than even Alaska.

I think you need to emulate the White Queen.

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before
breakfast."——
The White Queen, from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.


> Somewhere in this thread, I missed the definition of STEM. Sorry for
> my ignorance... but could someone expand the acronym for me?
>

It is in the article I referenced at the start of the thread.


BillK