Let’s start by explaining the scientific concept which started this line of thought to begin with. The Fermi Paradox. Which simply points out the contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial life and the lack of evidence of that life. As an astronomer, and as a person, i have many thoughts about it. Let’s unpack a few.
Personal Thoughts on the Matter
First, I offer a simple solution to this paradox. With everything we know of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and their cross sections, life (“intelligent” and otherwise) evolved as quickly as it possibly could have here on earth. Thus, we’re early to the party of the universe. There are a lot of reasons why, allow me to offer you one line of reasoning. We live on a world covered in water, that is where life first formed. Swiftly put it is simply easier to do the Chemistry required to create life in wet environments. Then we made the great switch to land. Where it is infinitely easier to do Chemistry in a controlled way, because you can choose when and how wet the environment is. This has allowed us to become a species capable of leaving the planet. It is hard to find planets where such a switch could have happened so readily, if at all. It was almost a fluke here by some metrics. By others, inevitable.
Our planet is small, and everything else so far away. This puts hard constraints of the supplies at our disposal and the ways we can grow. Both societally and technologically. Should we want to become a sustainably space-faring species, instead of a space curious one, it is imperative that we rethink our resource allocation. Then in rethinking our resource allocation, we must rethink the way we treat each other. It is impossible to become a spacefaring enterprise without sustainability and cooperation as core beliefs, space is big and there’s no resources in vacuum except what you bring with you.
Keeping these two thoughts in mind, i would like to point something out. It is terrifying and hopeful. As humans, as a society, as a planet, we have an opportunity that no one may ever have again. We could shape the universe in our image. Not in a god-like way; in that, whatever precedent we set for the universe will have to build on top of. But for this to happen we have to not blow ourselves up first.
Those are our two options, as a society, as a people, as individuals that make it up. Either we figure out how to set our differences aside for the common good and build a universe to be proud of. Or we blow ourselves up before we ever get the chance. I choose the path of honor and duty to my fellow human, to the ever-expanding universe, and the stars. I hope you choose the same. It would be such a shame to blow all this up for the whims of a few.
Resources; Educational & Otherwise
To be clear this is not intended to be comprehensive. I do not have the expertise for that, let this serve as jumping off point for your own understanding.
- Shortish Topical Hank Green Videos
- A good, reliable, and casual scientific exploration of the Fermi Paradox and the Jump from water to land.
- Topical Dr. Fatima video essays
- Here Dr. Fatima explores what contemporary (right now) Astrophysics think about Aliens. In the second video she briefly explores how looking for life elsewhere might be considered “Unscientific” through some logical frameworks.
- Articles
- These articles explore questions like “Are we early to the universe?” and “How early could life have started?”
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