Carl Sagan on the Fermi Paradox

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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
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"The newest children in a strange and uncertain cosmos should listen quietly for a long time, patiently learning about the universe and comparing notes, before shouting into an unknown jungle that we do not understand."

Do you agree with this? Is broadcasting our presence and location to deep space a good idea?


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I agree. Who knows what lurks out there.


 
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It's a good idea since it's much more difficult to do and extensive. We should be more scared of AI than aliens.


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As it relates to the Great Filter, yeah. Tread carefully, because mistakes that affect mankind as a whole are something you should be careful about.


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I'm not sure he's telling us to be quiet out of concern that aliens are hostile, rather telling us to understand that our models of the universe and extra terrestrial life are so immature and reliant on human conjecture that they aren't at all definitive.

The Fermi Paradox is pretty stupid, in my opinion. It's tantamount to claiming that because a person in San Diego is capable of walking to New York in a year, that he should have stumbled upon a random person in Texas in a few months.


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It's not a bad idea, at any rate.

There is no reason for aliens to attack us, unless they're dicks. Any resource you can find here, you can find much easier in space. Earthlike planets are extremely common, according to probability. If there was something that aliens really wanted on Earth, it would still take thousands of years to cross star systems, and they ain't sending a big military. So if aliens wanted to kill us, we would know not only hundreds/ tens of years in advance, but we would likely have the home field advantage and the numbers. Unless they dump a big rock on the planet. Even if they decided to come to use, our broadcasts have reached a few dozen stars out of a galaxy of billions. If there were alien life anywhere near our level anywhere near us, we would have heard their broadcasts by now.

So it may not be a good idea to broadcast, per se, but there's nothing to be sacred of. Aliens aren't going to be showing up now, in a year, in ten years or in a hundred years.


 
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The Fermi Paradox is pretty stupid, in my opinion. It's tantamount to claiming that because a person in San Diego is capable of walking to New York in a year, that he should have stumbled upon a random person in Texas in a few months.
Big difference between a year and 13.8 billion years.


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The Fermi Paradox is pretty stupid, in my opinion. It's tantamount to claiming that because a person in San Diego is capable of walking to New York in a year, that he should have stumbled upon a random person in Texas in a few months.
Big difference between a year and 13.8 billion years.

Especially, when all predictions say we are at what is essentially the beginning of the universe now. For all we know, we could be the first intelligent life. Like the forerunners of the real world and in millions of years, other species will flourish and they will find and discover our remnants.

It's what I like to believe.


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Alright. Let's assume for a second that there is a near omnipresent and invisible alien force in the universe that hunts and makes civilizations disappear. Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions? And that we as intellectually inferior beings should have no quarrel when their interests are ultimately more informed and meaningful than ours because we lack the scope and perspective that they do?

Such a social contract already exists on Earth. We control the fates of animals, often without care for their individual needs, but in return we as more intelligent beings can ensure them stable lives, food, and safety from the hardships they endure in the wild. Humans should be trusted to control the fate of Earth. Why shouldn't the masters of the universe be trusted to control the fate of their domain?

Oh I guess Carl Sagan cares more about mah human bean feelings than any moral agent anywhere doing what their knowledge leads them to think is the correct course of action.

But good thing the Fermi Paradox is unscientific bullshit.
you might as well say we shouldn't explore the Mariana Trench because Cthulu might live down there, you'd be equally sound


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I agree. Who knows what lurks out there.

I do.


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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
โ€”Judge Aaron Satie
โ€”โ€”Carmen
Alright. Let's assume for a second that there is a near omnipresent and invisible alien force in the universe that hunts and makes civilizations disappear. Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions? And that we as intellectually inferior beings should have no quarrel when their interests are ultimately more informed and meaningful than ours because we lack the scope and perspective that they do?

Such a social contract already exists on Earth. We control the fates of animals, often without care for their individual needs, but in return we as more intelligent beings can ensure them stable lives, food, and safety from the hardships they endure in the wild. Humans should be trusted to control the fate of Earth. Why shouldn't the masters of the universe be trusted to control the fate of their domain?

Oh I guess Carl Sagan cares more about mah human bean feelings than any moral agent anywhere doing what their knowledge leads them to think is the correct course of action.
What a load of shit. Do you know why Sagan cares the most about humans? Because he's a human. You should follow suit. What's most important in general is subjective. But what's most important to a species is always that species. We live and fight to our dying breath to preserve our kind. We don't just roll over and die because we accept that something is better than us. Every animal is the same way.


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I agree. Who knows what lurks out there.

Well.. We would know about anything in the near vicinity of a hundred stars or so. We can detect the thermal emissions of a tiny probe on the other side of the solar system, we would know if something was coming to be galactus on earth.

Right now, the only thing we have to worry about in regards to space is a big asteroid (Which we would notice weeks in advance) or solar flare EMPing the earth (Which would fuck us over).

Really, people being afraid of a big alien coming to kill us is so big headed. If there is a species with the technology to travel stars and even galaxies, we would be ants to them. We would be nothing more than a curiosity, something not even noteworthy. To assume that, if intelligent life exists and is a large space empire thing, this life would see us as valuable is arrogant.


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Alright. Let's assume for a second that there is a near omnipresent and invisible alien force in the universe that hunts and makes civilizations disappear. Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions? And that we as intellectually inferior beings should have no quarrel when their interests are ultimately more informed and meaningful than ours because we lack the scope and perspective that they do?

Such a social contract already exists on Earth. We control the fates of animals, often without care for their individual needs, but in return we as more intelligent beings can ensure them stable lives, food, and safety from the hardships they endure in the wild. Humans should be trusted to control the fate of Earth. Why shouldn't the masters of the universe be trusted to control the fate of their domain?

Oh I guess Carl Sagan cares more about mah human bean feelings than any moral agent anywhere doing what their knowledge leads them to think is the correct course of action.

But good thing the Fermi Paradox is unscientific bullshit.
you might as well say we shouldn't explore the Mariana Trench because Cthulu might live down there, you'd be equally sound

This is a load of shit. Should animals just lie down and let us hack at their habitats because we're "morally superior"?


Also, the Fermi paradox doesn't say we shouldn't go into space. It asks a vital question; stars like our sun number in the billions. A significant amount of them will have planets o similar size of earth in their Goldilocks zone, and probability dictates that at least a fraction of them will have some kind of life.

And that fraction is still a pretty fucking big number. The paradox says that by all rights, alien life should be running rampant in the universe. But it isn't. Because we aren't special. Our star is t special. Our planet isn't special. Thinking that we deserve anything just because the right mix of chemicals happened to be in the that place at the right time is pretty fucking arrogant.
Last Edit: September 10, 2015, 03:03:08 AM by BaconShelf


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Alright. Let's assume for a second that there is a near omnipresent and invisible alien force in the universe that hunts and makes civilizations disappear. Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions? And that we as intellectually inferior beings should have no quarrel when their interests are ultimately more informed and meaningful than ours because we lack the scope and perspective that they do?

Such a social contract already exists on Earth. We control the fates of animals, often without care for their individual needs, but in return we as more intelligent beings can ensure them stable lives, food, and safety from the hardships they endure in the wild. Humans should be trusted to control the fate of Earth. Why shouldn't the masters of the universe be trusted to control the fate of their domain?

Oh I guess Carl Sagan cares more about mah human bean feelings than any moral agent anywhere doing what their knowledge leads them to think is the correct course of action.

But good thing the Fermi Paradox is unscientific bullshit.
you might as well say we shouldn't explore the Mariana Trench because Cthulu might live down there, you'd be equally sound

This is a load of shit. Should animals just lie down and let us hack at their habitats because we're "morally superior"?
Generally yes, if they care about the progress of knowledge. The destruction of habitat has been necessary to achieve what we know now, and what we know now has allowed us to make much more informed decisions on everything.


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Also, the Fermi paradox doesn't say we shouldn't go into space. It asks a vital question; stars like our sun number in the billions. A significant amount of them will have planets o similar size of earth in their Goldilocks zone, and probability dictates that at least a fraction of them will have some kind of life.

And that fraction is still a pretty fucking big number. The paradox says that by all rights, alien life should be running rampant in the universe. But it isn't. Because we aren't special. Our star is t special. Our planet isn't special.
Sorry I only bash it because it's only used to justify near baseless fears. The jump to conclusions such as "spoopy killer aliens" is childish. Any number of possible causes for the paradox could exist, inhibiting our outreach into the universe over something not based on any sort of evidence is unscientific and retarded.
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Thinking that we deserve anything just because the right mix of chemicals happened to be in the that place at the right time is pretty fucking arrogant.
On the contrary, our intelligence gives us the ability to govern clearly and concisely much better than any animal can. Although it is entirely possible for us to be cruel or not make considerate accommodations, would you say that humans haven't made the most progress towards tecological progress as a result of our rule? Would you say the destruction of habitat to build a launch pad for rockets isn't a net good? Sometimes the interests of lesser creatures are just irrelevant to the larger picture, and more intelligent creatures use their power to abide by the principles of science. To try and upset that order, simply because you care more about your feelings than what knowledge dictates should happen, is working against the interest of science.

I actually have no problem with you holing that belief, as long as you acknowledge that you value ethical behavior over scientific advancement.
Last Edit: September 10, 2015, 05:41:37 AM by eggsalad


 
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This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions?
Most capable? Yes. Would they be correct? I'd guess not on the limited knowledge we have on evolution.



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Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions?
Most capable? Yes. Would they be correct? I'd guess not on the limited knowledge we have on evolution.
Well in the same vein that animals should probably trust our judgement, I'd say we should trust these aliens' judgements.


 
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There would actually be no way to stop our signals from being broadcasted unless you shut down every single electronic wireless device on the planet, shut down all the relay satelites, and shut down all broadcast towers.

Unless we could develop technology beyond different wavelengths of communication, the spooki fermi paradox has little merit because we'll always be broadcasting our signal. Even without radiowaves our own planet will broadcast a signal.

You know how astronomers are able to take guesses on a planet's atmosphere composition based off the radiation and light wobble their equipment detects as it orbits its star?

Surprise surprise, I'd put money down that a race capable of easy inter-system travel could also be aware of that technique for finding places, and may have far better equipment and techniques to deduce things.

Basically, if there's hostile lifeforms out there advanced enough to travel between star systems with ease?

We're fucked no matter what we do.


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"flaming nipple chops"-Your host, the man they call Ghost.

To say, 'nothing is true', is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say, 'everything is permitted', is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.
Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions?
Most capable? Yes. Would they be correct? I'd guess not on the limited knowledge we have on evolution.
Well in the same vein that animals should probably trust our judgement, I'd say we should trust these aliens' judgements.
Man, I barely trust my own judgement. If a starving bear was to trust my judgement not to eat me, then it would be a dumb, and pretty dead, bear. Because there sure as hell would be no way I would find enough food when the bear can't.


 
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Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions?
Most capable? Yes. Would they be correct? I'd guess not on the limited knowledge we have on evolution.
Well in the same vein that animals should probably trust our judgement, I'd say we should trust these aliens' judgements.

Except that our judgements are fucking terrible for animals 90% of the time.


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Would not an intelligent force with such capabilities not be the most capable moral agent to be making those decisions?
Most capable? Yes. Would they be correct? I'd guess not on the limited knowledge we have on evolution.
Well in the same vein that animals should probably trust our judgement, I'd say we should trust these aliens' judgements.

Except that our judgements are fucking terrible for animals 90% of the time.
Yeah but ultimately better for the pursuit of knowledge. Which is what science is about.
I already said that you can choose to value ethical choices instead if you want, just have to acknowledge the difference.


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There would actually be no way to stop our signals from being broadcasted unless you shut down every single electronic wireless device on the planet, shut down all the relay satelites, and shut down all broadcast towers.

Unless we could develop technology beyond different wavelengths of communication, the spooki fermi paradox has little merit because we'll always be broadcasting our signal. Even without radiowaves our own planet will broadcast a signal.

You know how astronomers are able to take guesses on a planet's atmosphere composition based off the radiation and light wobble their equipment detects as it orbits its star?

Surprise surprise, I'd put money down that a race capable of easy inter-system travel could also be aware of that technique for finding places, and may have far better equipment and techniques to deduce things.

Basically, if there's hostile lifeforms out there advanced enough to travel between star systems with ease?

We're fucked no matter what we do.


And any species that figured out parallax and using em spectrum emissions to figure out the presence of certain elements will be in the same position as us.


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Hopefully evil aliens don't use radios.


 
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There would actually be no way to stop our signals from being broadcasted unless you shut down every single electronic wireless device on the planet, shut down all the relay satelites, and shut down all broadcast towers.

Unless we could develop technology beyond different wavelengths of communication, the spooki fermi paradox has little merit because we'll always be broadcasting our signal. Even without radiowaves our own planet will broadcast a signal.

You know how astronomers are able to take guesses on a planet's atmosphere composition based off the radiation and light wobble their equipment detects as it orbits its star?

Surprise surprise, I'd put money down that a race capable of easy inter-system travel could also be aware of that technique for finding places, and may have far better equipment and techniques to deduce things.

Basically, if there's hostile lifeforms out there advanced enough to travel between star systems with ease?

We're fucked no matter what we do.


And any species that figured out parallax and using em spectrum emissions to figure out the presence of certain elements will be in the same position as us.

Ya missed my pitch. If we're to compare a space faring civilization, logically speaking, our current standards of identifiying certain elements would be child's play to them.

What I'm saying is, if there was an advanced space faring race out there, they might have the same standards of locating worlds, but at a much higher level than were we sit.

Basically, imagine two painters.

One of them just discovered how to paint. He's not too bad at it, and he's getting the hang of it. But his pictures couldn't be called anything special.

And beside him is another painter who knows his shit and techniques. And he's able to easily and almost effortlessly create a picture on the canvas that's far beyond the begginner right next to him.

See my point? We only know the basics.

A species more advanced then us might have the same basics, but refined farther than us.