Time travel is the best way to find alien civilizations | David Kipping and Lex Fridman

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GUEST BIO:
David Kipping is an astronomer at Columbia University, director of the Cool Worlds Lab, and host of the Cool Worlds YouTube channel.

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[tonyphillips]

I like the idea that we just haven't been in existence long in a cosmic scale. Like for anyone to even see us, or us to see anyone. People far away would look to earth and see it as it was long long ago. The scale of the universe is so vast we leave that part out really often. We are a literal flash of life thus far. Hope we stay bright.

[LexClips]

Guest bio: David Kipping is an astronomer at Columbia University, director of the Cool Worlds Lab, and host of the Cool Worlds YouTube channel.

[bobspurloc]

The earth is 4, 500, 000, 000 years old yet the mindset is to only focus on 4, 000 years of that life. The same goes for the universe except its age being greater but still we focus on only 4, 000 of it and ponder where everyone is... never mind the light we see is the past so we are ignorant of the actual present of that which we see...

[davidvernon]

I've always imagined we could build something out of stone. Maybe in a shape that could be detected like a pyramid, maybe three pyramids in the shape of a star.system.
The only problem is the next civilisation may think they built them.

[michaelleffler]

David Kepping, one of the best. Well done.

[Spaceadventure]

I think this very conversation should be put on a golden record.

[percilenis]

“Guys! I figured out how to live forever! Just clone yourself!”

[Seannyskillz]

Makes me think of the star trek episode where Picard lives a whole life to honor the extinct civilization

[bryanricketts]

if Time travel is ever possible in the future then it is possible now🤔

[nozrep]

the thumbnail had a screenshot from the movie Contact with Jodie Foster, a 1990s movie. I frikkin’ that movie. Even though I had already watched the 1970’s Star Wars by that age, I still really didn’t know what was meant by the words “science fiction movie”. Star Wars was just a really awesome movie to me at that age. But when I saw Contact, it was really the first time in my nascent adolescent life where I understood what was meant by the phrase, “science fiction”. But I also loved the story of the movie Contact on its own.

[IamCartaphilus]

As we go on together we remember all the good times we had together. Niel Armstrong

[borz]

these poor scientists keep theorizing while Bob Lazar worked inside an alien ship lol

[michaelsalmon]

The humility of acceptance isn’t building time machines, it’s just living.

[davidwolfe]

Let's face it. We still have no flipping clue if ET exists. On the other hand that condition could change in an instant.

[anandkishor]

This podcast reminds me of my childhood, when we where high on sugar and use to talk about getting on moon and flying like bird but don't know how !!

[paulrosa]

Doesn't any civilization that may be out there and can actually respond have to be a more advanced civilization? If it isn't more advanced it would be like dropping pebbles in a well but without even the echo of the pebble hitting some kind of bottom. A less advanced civilization than our own would have no way to respond or possibly even see any message. And yet there could be relatively advanced life on that planet.

Human history doesn't seem to be a constant progression of achievement but shows ups and downs. The messages might not arrive at the right time. Like the last scene of Romeo and Juliette, the message(s) are tragically mistimed.

Or the message could be like fishing for a carp but you find you snag a whale. Yippee maybe? Or would it drag you right in after it? It might be a case of be careful what you ask for but I think I'd still want to ask for it. Not that this issue is really something one could expect to see as a referendum.

BTW - When the Egyptians built the pyramids in the new kingdom would you call that the peak of their civilization? I think it comes later and the pyramids were a somewhat stupid use of stone and human labor. They never worked for the intended purpose and the Egyptians gave up on building them. They built much more sophisticated things later - so much of which still remains. But all the time the culture had alternating periods of accomplishment and disorderly collapse. The pyramids may be the early beacon to history but the real story is actually out of sight and mostly derived from the places for the dead. They couldn't find the living. The living had to find them.

[RobertHorovitzND]

The moon is also a great idea because we can upload our information relatively easily and timely should something happen.

[diarheaclown]

Since most of the universe doesn't interact with light it could be far more likely to encounter an interdimensional alien than an extraterrestrial alien. I bet the constants are more real than waves they're coupled to. There's probably endless other abstract objects besides pi, e, i, etc., that carry meaning to the physical realm as well. IDK somehow something is being passed. If the abstract is more real or more common than the physical, the idea of "tech" "out there" nobody can explain is far more plausible. Like objects defying physics or elves embedding themselves inside you in order to stream their realm in this realm, for example.

[JohnJohnson-rlvz]

Well that settles it, we’re never finding alien civilizations

[E_l_l_i_e]

The aliens in the movie Arrival sprung to mind. Philanthropic communication.