Contacting Alien Civilizations.

Gomario

27th April 2012 - 07:22 AM

Here is why I think it is impossible to contact any alien civilization.
With the increasing number of extra solar planets been confirmed, the question becomes more and more of a perplexing issue: Why can't the human species contact or at least notice any other intelligent life form out there? The answer is rather simple yet even post graduates, better qualified then I am, somehow fail to see it

While by now even Johnny Bravo, has a crude idea of how vast the universe is, not even some qualified 'scientists' realize that distance is the much lesser problem and a indirect one at that, when it comes to finding/contacting intelligence 'out there'. The biggest problem is time. I am not going to go into details. The ones whom I address with this post, should be clever enough to figure out my point either-way.
HINT:
1. If a alien civilization is 100years less or 100years more technologically developed the we are (at this time instant), a contact will be impossible, unwanted or not meaningful in terms of the returns on energy expended!
2. Although light travels at a very very fast speed by earthly standards, it is unbelievably slow moving by cosmic standards. (read with point 1)
Any thoughts?

El_Machinae

29th April 2012 - 05:51 PM

It really just might be distances. The drive to expand beyond your own starsystem just might not be worth it

Robittybob1

29th April 2012 - 07:59 PM

What about a civilization that was a billion years ahead with established bases on the Moon, Mercury and Mars already?

Krithix

29th April 2012 - 11:03 PM

I think the only way that we can every remedy this situation is if we can find a way to a, move faster than light, and b, send EM waves faster than light.

[Moderator: This post has characteristics similar to posts of a former user who was banned for denial of scientific expertise and substituting conspiracy hypotheses, confirmation bias and Dunning-Kruger overconfidence. Light is EM waves, so sending something faster than itself is a contradiction. Motion faster than light trivially allows causality violations as in the recent pop physics book: Chad Orzel, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog (2012), pp. 145-147]

El_Machinae

30th April 2012 - 01:03 PM

QUOTE (Robittybob1+Apr 29 2012, 07:59 PM)

What about a civilization that was a billion years ahead with established bases on the Moon, Mercury and Mars already?

Well, obviously we're not limited by distance with those. The reasons for lack of contact would be hypothetically different. My main guess would be that they're not there.

Gomario

1st May 2012 - 03:37 AM

QUOTE (El_Machinae+Apr 30 2012, 03:03 PM)

Well, obviously we're not limited by distance with those. The reasons for lack of contact would be hypothetically different. My main guess would be that they're not there.

1. What data did you use to arrive at that conclusion?
2. What kind of intelligence generating device did you use to analyse the data with?
What makes you think that a civilization only 1000 years older/more advanced, will want to 'colonize' other worlds? Honestly, that is so 15 century like. Again, I am not going into details but here is a hint:
There is strong evidence at this very moment that a civilization does not develop in a linear fashion. It is rather exponential ! (think Ray Kurzweil)
If that is indeed the case then it is rather obvious: In a century from now there will be no need for spaceships anymore. The nearest thing with which such a advanced civilization can be compared is God or Budda or Alah. And even that is nowhere near!
(let me know if you feel offended by me mentioning God in the above context - it was not ment to be disrespectful but rather guide the reader into thinking 'out of the box' and no, there is nothing else I could have used instead)

Robittybob1

1st May 2012 - 04:02 AM

QUOTE (Gomario+May 1 2012, 03:37 AM)

1. What data did you use to arrive at that conclusion?
2. What kind of intelligence generating device did you use to analyse the data with?
What makes you think that a civilization only 1000 years older/more advanced, will want to 'colonize' other worlds? Honestly, that is so 15 century like. Again, I am not going into details but here is a hint:
There is strong evidence at this very moment that a civilization does not develop in a linear fashion. It is rather exponential ! (think Ray Kurzweil)
If that is indeed the case then it is rather obvious: In a century from now there will be no need for spaceships anymore. The nearest thing with which such a advanced civilization can be compared is God or Budda or Alah. And even that is nowhere near!
(let me know if you feel offended by me mentioning God in the above context - it was not ment to be disrespectful but rather guide the reader into thinking 'out of the box' and no, there is nothing else I could have used instead)

Well you can say what you like about civilization 100 years from now, for I won't be here to see it.

If the world's population keeps on growing no amount of civilization will make the hungry hordes civilized.
You can see it now disorder in civilization way below the caveman, but with machine guns tucked under their armpits.

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