We are getting a little off the superstition topic, but anyway.
Quote:
Originally posted by Mr Mephisto
In plain English terms, the paradox states "IF Intelligent life outside the solar system exists, it would be here by now. It has not arrived. Ergo, it does not exist."
|
Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I've just recently heard of this paradox but wouldn't the actual paradox be "If intelligent,
starfaring, colonizing life outside the solar system exists, it would be here by now"? Because we are intelligent (I assume we rate as intelligent) life and we haven't gotten anybody past the moon, yet. We can't put the race in the paradox on the same level as us or it falls apart, because we aren't going anywhere. We are just starting to get unmanned probes to the 4th rock from the sun. That said, they would also have to be able to colonize, the paradox only works for a self replicating society.
i.e Planet 1 sends out 2 colonies: 10 and 11.
10 sends out 100 and 101 while 11 sends out 110 and 111
100->1000, 1001. 101->1010, 1011 110->1100, 1101. 111->1110, 1111.
Eventually we can't help but be hit that way. but if they are just sending probes from 1 planet it may take billions and billions and billions of years before they get around to our little sector of the sky.
Next, why should we expect some other intelligent civilization to be more advanced than us? Who is to say that we aren't the pinnacle of intra/extragalactic evolution right now? That our nearest neighbors aren't just learning to harness the power of steam, looking up at the stars and waiting for us to stop by and say 'Howdy'?