Long Post: Why is it so quiet out here?

Published February 21st, 2007

(This is the first in my series of “Long Posts” - meaning, I was bored, find the subject fascinating, and just love reading and babbling about it. And of course I encourage discussion, if any of you get down far enough to the comment box.)

Have you ever stared up into the night sky and asked “Are we alone? Is there anyone or anything with a brain out there?” Obviously the answer is - we don’t know. In all of human history, no one has ever been able to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Ever.

That said, no one has ever proven the complete lack of it either. And there’s absolutey no evidence to prove they’re out there, but again, lack of evidence is not evidence to the contrary. This question is fundamental to the human experience. And if either answer is ever proven, it will be the most important scientific discovery - especially if it’s intelligent life.

The history of humans wondering is not a short one. We tend to think, for some reason, that the modern era is the first where people have wondered about who else might be in the universe. But that isn’t so. Read the rest of this entry »

Category: Long Posts, history, science, Personal, opinion | Tags: fermi paradox, exoplanets, extraterrestrial life, unanswered questions| Be the First to Comment »