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theedgeofthefreud t1_j96g3bs wrote

Reply to comment by just-a-dreamer- in AI - Artificial Intelligence by FreshAirCoolWater

Even if an alien civilization did inhabit all of its own solar system, we would be currently unable to detect them. We can't actually observe any of the world's they would inhabit. Also, what makes you think that we would inhabit half the galaxy? A quick Google search informs me that currently a trip to proxima centauri would take 80,000 years. 80,000 years is a long time. Consider how humans lived 80,000 years ago, and try to envision how they will live 80,000 years in the future. It's pretty close minded to be so sure that there is nothing alive in such a vast place as this universe. Perhaps you've seen that picture describing the reach of our radio transmissions? https://www.planetary.org/space-images/extent-of-human-radio-broadcasts

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just-a-dreamer- t1_j96hyta wrote

We will settle the galaxy for the same reason we ventured out of Africa. It is who we are. For the same reason the Greeks build city states at every location their ships could reach.

80.000 years, if it even takes that long with technology to come, is not that much.

Automated machines can prepare new star systems for settlements. While humans might be born out of stored DNA upon arrival. Or whatever we will look like at that point in time.

An alien civilization that follows the laws of evolution would have been detected by us already, at least in our galaxy. 1 million years is little in cosmic time, but gigantic in exponential growth what we will accomplish.

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