What if there is a filter that destroys civilizations before they can become interstellar civilizations and that's why...

What if there is a filter that destroys civilizations before they can become interstellar civilizations and that's why we can't find aliens?

>What if there is a filter that destroys civilizations before they can become interstellar civilizations and that's why we can't find aliens?

I'm gonna guess that filter is resource scarcity, followed by internecine war, and topped off with the vast distances between stars.

There would be physical evidence of it.

I mean, that's basically the Great Filter solution to the Fermi Paradox. It's theoretically possible, and there's very little we could do to precisely predict it. We can look at our recent history and notice several past or ongoing things which could end an intelligent civilisation before they leave their home system, but if there's anything like that waiting ahead of us we have no real way of knowing, we can just make guesses.

It's honestly not worth worrying about. There's nothing meaningful we can do to stop it until we get there, so why waste time stressing over it?

...

What if said race were OURSELVES, returning from the future because our stellar trip doomed all reality? And now future-us roams the universe, killing anything trying to leave their own planet as to avoid the universe destruction.

I'd be more worried about Saberhaugen's Berserkers.

I can't wait to try the coffee.

What if we're the first sapient species to achieve FTL in the Milky Way galaxy, and WE'RE the progenitors that leave impossibly advanced ruins everywhere, causing future alien species to worship us as their creators?

That would be cool, but boring

which means, chances are, that that is exactly what is happening right now.

it's possible that civilizations simply discover mind uploading and AI then fuck off to VR where they can hold hands with their perfect waifus 24/7. wouldn't you, if you had the chance? what's so great about space anyway? everything you could ever want or need can be provided in VR. and before you say "it's not real" remember that to beings existing as infolife that is their reality.

How likely is it that we're just living in a secluded and isolated place?

almost zero. as far as we can tell we are not special in any way. the milky way is an ordinary galaxy, the sun is an ordinary star, and earth is an ordinary planet. it is hard to tell how common life is in the universe. it could be that life will arise wherever the conditions allow it. how often multicellular life evolves is another question but again it seems to be inevitable if the environment allows it. when we can study the atmospheres of exoplanets we will know more.

I like this setting

I think that this is actually legit. I remember reading something about how on a universal scale, we're actually pretty early to the space age.
How having Jupiter as a meteor magnet has deterred numerous extinction events or some shit.

What if we're the interstellar douchebags who go around exterminating and colonizing aliens who we find at lower tech levels than us?

The hell is wrong with "ethnic food"?

Some variants of white people feel inferior when reminded of how bland their particular white-subgroup's cuisine is

Humanity will be extinct long before extended space exploration will he possible.

The great filter is the space is fucking pointless, resources are finite for a given volume of space, and it's easier to wipe out 99% of humanity and be served by like a god by AI servants than to attempt to colonize the galaxy which you wouldn't be doing anyways your AI would be doing it so what's the fucking point that doesn't appease your instinct to breed and spread which is the source of "colonize the galaxy" wank to begin with.

What if it's crippling depression?

If you would know anything about physics and astronomy you would understand that contact is completely pointless. The time it would take to send a message to each other would be so long as to be useless. This also applies to interstellar empires. What use would you have from a colony that you are unable to travel or communicate with in a meaningful way?

Nobody would bother.

me too, thanks

Quantum entanglement could allow for instantaneous communications. Chinese launched a satellite last year specifically to try.

Nukes fill that roll. As does the soup of terrorism, tribalism and partisanism. We are living in the filter age, user. Your fear is justified but keep your finger off of that panic button... for now.

It comes along with ethnic people.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the great filter of the Fermi Paradox. We had less than a 50/50 chance of making it out alive and we did.

science fiction. information can not be retrieved from entangled particles.

Relatively recent (2016, I think) research suggests the Jupiter as a shield idea isn't very well supported and it might actually be more meaningful as a device that basically threw comets at Earth. It'll be interesting to see where the consensus develops.

I remember there was a quest that did this.

Even if something should be impossible, it's worth giving it a go every now and then, just in case.

Nothing, it's good, but it's not a good justification for for making a society that's incapable of critical thinking.

t. Pajeet

what's it like living in a fantasy world that is completely divorced from reality? you are one of those EM Drive guys, aren't you?

If the galaxy were the size of the earth then our little solar system would be your backyard.

Look out the window into your backyard now. And I don't mean go outside and look at your back yard, because we sure as well haven't taken a good look around our own solar system yet, just look out the damn window.

Do you see any giraffes in your backyard? I doubt it. So by merely looking out of your backyard you have not seen any evidence that giraffes exist. Even though you know they do.

That's your answer. We just haven't looked thoroughly enough yet.

Does this mean I can probe an alien in the butt?

...

>What if ...
What do you mean by "IF"?

We’re discovering more and more planets every year. Our instruments are finally getting good enough to detect earth-sized objects, and they’re apparentally all over the place!

He’s not wrong. We gave up space travel around the same time we embraced immigration-based population replacement for “infinite” economic growth.

We also decided to have a little tea party in south east asia as well but little details am i right?