I agree that just looking at the night sky, you can tell that there's probably like somewhere else out there.
Now why haven't we seen it? Well they could be really really far away and by the same token they haven't seen us. There's technology and there's interstellar technology in science fiction. We don't have it either, so... Maybe there's a civilization forming somewhere reasonably close and by the time they're beyond burning stuff there are no more of us.
I'm not sure about the fossil fuels theory.
I don't get the longing for the contact with aliens thing. It's really fun and exciting in fiction but probably won't be so great in reality. Either we're dominating them or they're dominating us. OR: they're so so advanced that they're ultra pacifists and they come to the decision that the best thing for earth would be to exterminate most of the human race, just leaving a few vegans.
[Bonus points if anyone recognizes the series I'm referring to. It was kind of interesting, but I felt like the main character was a traitor to the human race and it made me want to be all HUMANS ARE SUPERIOR!!!]
Now why haven't we seen it? Well they could be really really far away and by the same token they haven't seen us. There's technology and there's interstellar technology in science fiction. We don't have it either, so... Maybe there's a civilization forming somewhere reasonably close and by the time they're beyond burning stuff there are no more of us.
I'm not sure about the fossil fuels theory.
I don't get the longing for the contact with aliens thing. It's really fun and exciting in fiction but probably won't be so great in reality. Either we're dominating them or they're dominating us. OR: they're so so advanced that they're ultra pacifists and they come to the decision that the best thing for earth would be to exterminate most of the human race, just leaving a few vegans.
[Bonus points if anyone recognizes the series I'm referring to. It was kind of interesting, but I felt like the main character was a traitor to the human race and it made me want to be all HUMANS ARE SUPERIOR!!!]
I just read an article where it was postulated that one third of Sun-like stars host warm, water-bearing planets. Using the Milky Way as the obvious example, a minimum estimate of 200 billion stars of which 7.6% are G-classified (our Sun is a G) yields 15 billion stars with potentially Earth-like planets. At 13 billion years old, I find it inconceivable that there isn't intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy.
Jump to Fox's new Terra Nova TV show, and more relevently the discussion on the TV/Movies board. Living on a planet without fossil fuels means that the only way to extract energy is to burn things, turn a water/wind mill, etc. until you're able to refine fissionable or create solar panels.
Taken together, I have to wonder if one reason we haven't seen other intelligent life already is because the energy available to make the transition from low-tech energy sources to anything more capable is precluded by the necessity for fossil fuels to serve as an intermediary energy source.
Think about it: how likely is heavy industry - metallurgy in particular - and the following technological society to even be possible if the best you can do is lighting a wood fire?
Jump to Fox's new Terra Nova TV show, and more relevently the discussion on the TV/Movies board. Living on a planet without fossil fuels means that the only way to extract energy is to burn things, turn a water/wind mill, etc. until you're able to refine fissionable or create solar panels.
Taken together, I have to wonder if one reason we haven't seen other intelligent life already is because the energy available to make the transition from low-tech energy sources to anything more capable is precluded by the necessity for fossil fuels to serve as an intermediary energy source.
Think about it: how likely is heavy industry - metallurgy in particular - and the following technological society to even be possible if the best you can do is lighting a wood fire?
An interesting thought I had that may be worth discussion.
- 29/09/2011 07:22:01 PM
744 Views
I definitely agree with the first part.
- 29/09/2011 08:32:33 PM
575 Views
why do you think only those options would be available?
- 29/09/2011 08:35:53 PM
426 Views
Well just look at the history of Earth. And the cultural/advancement disparity would be FAR greater. *NM*
- 29/09/2011 08:58:52 PM
159 Views
Could be cultural domination.
- 29/09/2011 09:32:18 PM
442 Views
In one particular space opera, it's a mix and probably the best situation possible for humans.
- 29/09/2011 10:21:42 PM
588 Views
Unless their advancement is so great they are VERY ethically enlightened, her fears seem valid.
- 30/09/2011 03:04:40 AM
490 Views
I think I've met a few aliens...
- 30/09/2011 01:31:55 AM
433 Views
Those know it all holier than thou all powerful vegan aliens are SO annoying.
- 30/09/2011 06:40:30 AM
410 Views
The big issue is energy density, IMHO.
- 30/09/2011 02:53:39 AM
512 Views
That's so perfect. 
- 30/09/2011 06:43:31 AM
453 Views
- 30/09/2011 06:43:31 AM
453 Views
I still agree with the view they are unlikley to intentionally punish us.
- 30/09/2011 09:35:13 AM
431 Views
We really have no idea how rare advance technologies societies are
- 30/09/2011 02:00:56 PM
552 Views
That's a really good point.
- 30/09/2011 04:34:28 PM
465 Views
The doomsdays options don't really hold up well though
- 30/09/2011 05:22:57 PM
478 Views
hmmm
- 30/09/2011 07:51:42 PM
336 Views
Yeah but that's just a variant of "Highly advanced aliens who for some reason are totally stupid"
- 30/09/2011 10:21:34 PM
558 Views
I didn't mean to imply that were not talking to us because they looked down on us
- 01/10/2011 01:07:02 AM
503 Views
Re: I didn't mean to imply that were not talking to us because they looked down on us
- 01/10/2011 02:50:42 AM
501 Views
of course I can't say, that was my point
- 30/09/2011 07:42:55 PM
428 Views
Re: If life formed, why might there not be fossil fuels equivalent to, or greater than, our own? *NM*
- 01/10/2011 03:16:23 AM
230 Views