The Mathematical Odds of Other Intelligent Life in Our Galaxy
Top 5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Aliens
Does intelligent life exist on other planets?
Can they get here?
Would they want to come here?
Would they show themselves?
Would the Government tell us?
Even the most conservative estimates say there should be hundreds of other Intelligent Civilizations within our Galaxy
So why haven’t we found any?
Environmental requirements for the evolution of life as we know it:
- A Sun (or other energy source)
- A Planet-Moon system (for orbital stability)
- Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, various metals.
- Liquid Water
- Time
300,000,000,000 Stars in the Milky Way Galaxy!
…we are NOT alone!
Fermi Paradox
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox
The apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations.
My Resolution to the Fermi Paradox
Star Trek – Prime Directive
General Order 1: “No starship may interfere with the normal development of any alien life or society.” (TAS: “The Magicks of Megas-Tu”)
General Order 1 is also better known as the Prime Directive. It supercedes all other laws and directives, with the exception of the Omega Directive.
“Who Watches the Watchers” – Star Trek Episode
In the Star Trek episode “Who Watches the Watchers”, part of the crew have an invisibility station they are using to observe a bronze age civilization on a remote planet. When the power station overloads and goes down the invisibility shield wall stops working, and their station is accidentally revealed to a member of this bronze age civilization. I won’t ruin the entire episode for you, but the basic premise is that once an alien race reveals its existence, you can’t ever go backwards. It’s an irreversible decision, and it often results in completely #*@&ing up the more primitive civilization they make contact with.
Advantages of Non-intrusive Observation
- Allows for the unmolested study of nature
- Unperturbed behavior
- Never completely fool-proof
- What happens when the cover is blown?
The Brookings Report for NASA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings_Report
- Used a study group based on a micro-society
- Advised NASA never to tell the public
While not specifically recommending a cover-up of evidence of extraterrestrial life, Proposed Studies on the Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for Human Affairs does suggest that contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life (or strong evidence of its reality) could have a disruptive effect on human societies. Moreover, it does mention the possibility that leadership might wish to withhold evidence of extraterrestrial life from the public under some conditions.
Conclusions
Does intelligent life exist on other planets?
Absolutely it does! It would be mathematically improbable for it not to.
Can they get here?
It’s possible yet difficult given the distances considered, at least without some sort of advanced warp-drive technology.
Would they want to come here?
I would say yes. We would be fascinated if we found other intelligence lifeforms and we’d undoubtedly be interested in studying them and seeing what we could learn scientifically.
Would they show themselves?
Probably not. They would likely have contact and engagement protocols, like you see in most sci-fi tv shows and movies. They can learn far more by studying us uninterrupted in our natural state.
Would the Government tell us?
Absolutely not. Of all the questions on this list this is the one answer I am most sure about. The Government will never ever disclose the truth about ETs.