The Great Filter Hypothesis With Neil deGrasse Tyson - The Solution to The Fermi Paradox

Is there life beyond Earth?

No one knows for sure.

Beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson makes a compelling case for why if even intelligent alien life exists elsewhere in the Universe, it is extremely rare. Neil Tyson mentions the fact that the evolutionary tree of life on Earth suggests intelligence is not that important when it comes for survival.

Neil deGrasse Tyson also talks about the Hawking argument that basically says extraterrestrial visits on Earth would not be in our best interests.

Debate about the probability of finding signals of advanced life varies widely. In 1961, astronomer Frank Drake created a formula (which became known as the Drake Equation) for estimating the number of potential intelligent civilizations in the galaxy. He calculated there should be at least 10,000 technology producing civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy alone.

Most of the variables in the equation continue to be rough estimates and subject to uncertainties. But an interesting conundrum to Drake's speculative answer for the number of intelligent civilizations in the galaxy is the Fermi paradox. Posited by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, it asserts that if another intelligent life form was indeed out there, why have we not seen it by now?

While it might seem as extreme hubris to expect humans to see evidence for the existence of intelligent alien life, considering how many star systems there are in our galaxy alone, and if indeed intelligent life is prevalent, we should expect to see some sort of data from alien origin.

Another hypothesis that explains the Fermi problem is the "Great Filter". Which basically poses that something leads to the destruction of civilizations before they manage to master intragalactic communication and interstellar travel.

Even if we knew for certain the Great Filter is a correct theory, we still wouldn't know when or at what stage of life it emerges. For example a great filter could be acting to prevent non living matter to undergo Abiogenesis. Which is the first stage of life. Or a great filter could show up in later stages of life. Such as our stage where intelligent beings begin to create technology and hope to one day colonize the galaxy.

#greatfilter #neiltyson #aliens

"Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson Visits NASA Goddard" by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC BY 2.0

[raydavison]

I like Tyson's talent for explaining science to the average person without talking down to his audience.

[WildSkyMtn]

Basically, there may be lots of planets with fish and ferns and bacteria, but the odds of a spacefaring species finding us at the same time that we are also spacefaring is too tiny

[molochsorcery]

I think the most important question to any alien intelligence above our own should be is to ask them how their race/species managed to set aside personal/political differences, come together to work & advance their race/species into space travel. Because then, we may learn something really useful.

[mysterymeat]

1. Radio signals emanating from Earth are too feeble to be picked up at Proxima Centauri.  The power falls off by an inverse square of the distance.  2. Interstellar space is just too damn cold for any life form to survive. 3. Time limits.  Forget light speed travel.  Even at half the speed of light if a spaceship hit a particle of dust it would obliterate the spaceship.

[danm]

The presumption that alien contact would be negative for humanity is not just based on an assessment of human behaviour. It’s based on an understanding of evolutionary theory. Anything that has been through the process of evolution, will instinctively prioritise its own kind over others, even if they consciously delude themselves otherwise.

[prophetofthesingularity]

There could be a filter or it could just be that we are a rarity. One thing that does not seem to get addressed very often and something that should be troubling to us, at least somewhat, is the astonishing rate that our population has increased over the last 100 years or so. The human race reached a population of 1 billion in 1804. Modern humans arrived on the scene around 200, 000 years ago, so not even counting all the pre history it has taken us 200, 000 years to get to 1 billion. It has taken us around 200 years to multiply that number by 7 and approach the 8 billion mark. The people alive right now, today represent almost 10% of all the humans that have ever lived.
It seems very apparent to me that it is in our DNA to simply grow and grow and consume. I do not think we understand very well what kind of effects our explosive, exponential population growth is going to have on the other creatures we have shared this planet with and just for the the ecosystem of the world in general.
We might already be extinct.

[paulford]

The Fermi Paradox is based on a huge assumption - that interstellar travel is possible. There could be any number of intelligent species out there that have found that interstellar travel is either impossible or impractical.

[waltercurtis]

Radio waves decrease in amplitude by the square of the distance, to see human signals 10 or so light years away you need an antenna the size of the moon to provide enough gain.

[SoliMartini]

What is the movie at the beginning of the video?

[S.A.N.]

I think it comes down to time, and distance. Life has been on Earth for billions of years. But our radio signal sphere is only 120 light-years. So any evidence of us being "intelligent" is only 120 years old at most. Now consider the various extinction events that have occurred. And cataclysmic events. Intelligent life could suffer multiple setbacks along the way. Or only have one or two, or even zero. How many civilizations became intelligent up to our current level, but then experienced a cataclysm? How many times could that have happened over the past 13 billion years? The odds of multiple civilizations existing at the same time is probably pretty unlikely. Now throw in distance. Let's say there's a civilization that is 150 light-years away, that is beyond our capabilities. They won't become aware of us for another 30 years. Or, what if there's a civilization that had the exact evolutionary time scale as us, meaning they're leaving their planet and visiting their moon, and sending probes to a nearby planet, they have computers, and everything else we do, but their solar system is 10, 000 light-years from us? Or 1 million light-years? There could be an incredibly advanced civilization that is 100, 000 years ahead of us, but are 1 million light-years away, and are traveling to us right now, and they left 100, 000 years ago. They won't get here for another 900, 000 years. We probably won't even be here anymore once they arrive.
In conclusion, I think it comes down to time and distance. I absolutely believe that there's intelligent life in the universe. I'm just very skeptical of the idea that we'll ever communicate with each other. I would LOVE to find out though!! Lol.

[PatchedBandit]

"no-one knows for sure" .. yeah as we can't even study our own solarsystem at the moment. Thinking that we have the only planet with 'life' is a thought out of ignorance to comprehend the vastness of space. There are about 100 thousand million of stars just in our galaxy and there are roughly 200 billion galaxies (2×1011) in the observable universe. Life is absolutely certain. Intelligent life (like humans) is a way more interesting conversation.

[jxxnmatt]

The "dart throwing" analysis was my favorite!

[timmo]

I love that term “should be taken with a grain of salt” yeah, and lime and tequila.

[robsmith]

I have a reasonably sound idea that Hawking thought a great deal about the consequences of an alien contact. I don't think he would bring his thoughts to light otherwise.

[marveloussoftware]

One possible solution to the fermi paradox is that faster than light travel is impossible.

[redneckhippiefreak]

lol Contact..When folks ask me "Are you ready?" I always shake a little and say "Im OK to Go"!".. No one ever gets it...

[poeticjustice]

Another solution is that we are in fact alone. That we're simply the first species to evolve to this point. Maybe the universe only became hospitable enough for life to begin relatively recently

[metasamsara]

I have this theory about the great filter. it's not about distance, it's about plane. it's not about communicating, it's about synchronizing. it's not about technological progress, but spiritual awakening. That's why it is already documented in many cultures and religion, for instance as Nirvana. That's why psychedelics give us a peek and let us broaden our understanding of reality, and why scientists are stuck. That's why fungi were the first sign of life on Earth. It's all connected on a plane we do not accept as real yet, at least scientists don't. But it's all connected to quantum entanglement somehow.

[luker]

I don't agree with Hawkins' argument against reaching out on the basis of "look what happened when columbus landed in america". For starters, our societies have (to a large degree) evolved to be far more ethical than we were back then. Secondly, for an advanced civilisation to reach such a high level of technological advancement, they would have to have also reached a high level of ethics, otherwise they would have destroyed each other. Third - why would an advanced civilisation want to harm us anyway? We have nothing they want or need. What motive would they have other than sheer sadistic malice to do us harm?

[Exen]

Another thought : if Aliens becomes so powerful and technologically advance, where manipulation of the fabric of space time is at their finger tips, than maybe it’s possible that they created their own dimension/universe/pocket of space where they actually moved in to live and they can zoom in and out of it from time to time as freely as they want.

Why live in the default location for whence you were born into when you can live in your own creation?