[extropy-chat] The Drake Equation and Spatial Proximity.

[Robert Bradbury]

On 10/25/06, Mike Dougherty <msd001 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We may not be talking TO them, but we keep talking ABOUT them.


[snip]

Interesting set of references!

Yes, this gets into the discussion of precisely *what* civilization
development paths can be better studied by simulating them vs. simply
watching them.  That of course then leads to the discussion of when
simulating them gets too expensive and there isn't any natural example
within the local galaxy cluster that could easily be watched and so the only
solution is to setup a solar system (or many of them) from scratch and let
the experiment play itself out using "natural" computronium.

It is worth noting that it is not uncommon for scientists to participate in
experiments that can be expected to take 5-10% of their anticipated
lifespan.  A 5 billion year solar system evolution experiment would be an
even smaller fraction of time for an advanced civilization with an expected
longevity of several hundred billion years (or more).

Robert
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