The Fermi Paradox
Fermi Paradox is a paradox named after Italian-American Physicist Enrico Fermi. It is a subject which talks about the contrast of lack of evidence of extraterrestrial life and theories of their probability.
The scale of the universe is so large yet we haven’t stumbled upon any extraterrestrial life.
Why is Extraterrestrial Life possible?
Given that there are billions of galaxies with each having billions of stars there is a high possibility that there is existence of extraterrestrial life even though the chances are miniscule.
Another explanation states that life may exist in different forms which we didn’t yet detect because we only searched for life as we know it. Life on earth is carbon based but life could theoretically exist in say nitrogen based environments.
The lack of any evidence of any extraterrestrial life visiting earth could be a result of existence of a barrier in advancement and evolution of a species or it could be also that intelligent life is so rare that it is only us with such advanced technology and no other civilization has advanced technology to make a visit to earth.
There are some unexplained instances of UFO sightings and Radio leaks which could indicate existence of life elsewhere.
Why is Extraterrestrial Life not possible?
Assuming that Earth is the most advanced civilization and this being the reason for the lack of arrival of aliens on earth is highly arbitrary.
There is no definite evidence of UFO sightings or radio leaks indicating existence of extraterrestrial life. There is no observation of probes or satellites made by aliens blocking their parent star indicating existence of life.
There is no proven theory to state that the existence of extraterrestrial life has a good chance. We shouldn’t assume that life can exist in other forms than what we know as it is based on an unproven theory. Our existence can be a result of really rare circumstances which have not occurred more than once.
The Great Filter
Imagine life from its beginning to today as a series of steps. Each steps differs from the other in complexity. After a civilization takes control of its planet, it probably won’t stop there. There are 10 billion earth-like planets in the milky way itself. But space seems to be dead. This means there is something preventing civilizations from climbing the staircase beyond where we are now. This is the great filter. There are two situations-
1- The filter is behind us. This means one of the steps we took in the development of life is really rare. This makes us extremely lucky.
2- The filter is ahead of us. We are doomed. The filter was able to end all advanced civilizations in our galaxy over billions of years.
One hypothesis was that, when a species takes control of its home planet it creates a way to destroy itself
Conclusion
The arguments related to the Fermi Paradox are theoretical stating that this topic is highly unexplained and very vaguely researched. Conclusion to this Paradox is not expected to be given anytime soon due to the high technological and institutional development required to solve the Fermi Paradox.
What do you think?
Does extraterrestrial life exist?
