Independent-Cod3150 t1_ixbo65z wrote
Reply to comment by simcoder in Artemis is cool, but there really isn't a good reason we're going back to the Moon (or to Mars and beyond). by [deleted]
That is a lot of speculation to base on a sample of 1.
The area of our search for extraterrestrial life extends only a few lightyears, while just our galaxy is 100k to 200k ly across and 1,000 ly deep. If the universe were a city it would be somewhere truly expansive like Beijing, and our search for advanced civilizations would be the equivalent of shining a flashlight into one dark corner of one small closet in one old apartment tower on the outskirts, and then declaring that nobody else lives in the whole city.
simcoder t1_ixboj1u wrote
I've already pretty much talked it all out down below. Feel free to counter anything I've said there.
Edit(just saw your edit)
I agree that we shouldn't make any judgements about the number of civilizations based on our observational capabilities. But you can look to past history of life here on Earth and reach the same basic conclusions. Which I explored in more detail down below.
Independent-Cod3150 t1_ixdk3xz wrote
We have a very limited understanding of the first 3.5bn years of life on Earth. Nearly everything that can be studied is from the most recent 500 million years. There is insufficient data to extrapolate from.
It’s fun to speculate about the wider universe, but its all meaningless outside of fantasy. At the moment the question of life and civilizations beyond Earth is a black box that we’ve hung a mirror on.
simcoder t1_ixdt7qp wrote
Well if there is a great filter out there, it's probably worth thinking about for our own sake if nothing else.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments