How might the principle of “radical worldliness” proposed in the Fermi Paradox explain why humans have found no evidence of extraterrestrial technological civilizations (ETCs)? This is what a recently submitted study sought to address when an individual researcher explored the prospect of searching for ETCs based on this principle. This study has the potential to help scientists and the public better understand why we have not identified intelligent life outside Earth and how we might narrow the search for it.
For the study, Dr. Robin Corbet, senior research scientist at the University of Maryland and astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the potential ETCs beyond Earth and several reasons why we haven’t heard from them or made their presence known. This included discussion of the Kardashev Scale, which divides ETCs into different civilization types, Types I, II and III, each capable of exerting power over a planet, a star and a galaxy. In addition, Dr. Corbet discusses the pros and cons of ETCs colonizing the galaxy with robotic explorers, regardless of the state of technology, including scientific knowledge or star extinction as motivation for expansion beyond their home star system.
For this reason, he suggests that the principle of “radical ordinariness” could explain the reason that ETCs have not yet been found, specifically that ETCs may not achieve significant technological breakthroughs or that there are a banal number of ETCs in the galaxy. These include limitations on technology and its implications, modest numbers of ETCs versus large or no numbers, powerful beacons, limitations on robotic galactic conquest, and technosignature detection. In the end, Dr. Corbet suggested that one or more of the following hypotheses were false: many civilizations and very high technological levels, very few civilizations and very high technological levels, many civilizations and banal technological levels, and very few civilizations with banal technological levels.
Dr. Corbet noted in his conclusion: “The Fermi Paradox could be explained if the galaxy contains a modest number of technological civilizations whose level of technology, while more advanced than today’s Earth, is nowhere near the level of ‘super science’ that could lead to easily recognizable astrotechnics. Building powerful long-term beacons would be unlikely, as would exploring the entire galaxy with robotic probes. With a modest number of technological civilizations at a slightly higher level of technology than.” Historically speaking, the discovery of one of these problems caused by leakage radiation with the SKA should not be too far away for us [Square Kilometer Array] or a generation or two of radio telescopes beyond that.”
The Fermi Paradox has become one of the most well-known arguments as to why we have not found signs of an extraterrestrial technological civilization, as suggested by Dr. Enrico Fermi was suggested when he asked the question, “Where is everyone?” These hypotheses include that life is rare (they blow themselves up or reach a technological barrier), life is common but quiet (“Dark Forest”), they exist but we haven’t noticed them (i.e. they are watching us). The Fermi Paradox has become one of the most profound driving forces behind astrobiology, SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), exoplanet science, and philosophy/sociology.
As humanity continues to search for intelligent life beyond Earth, the Fermi Paradox may continue to serve as a guide to why we have not identified intelligent life. From now on, studies like this are crucial to expanding our knowledge of why we haven’t found intelligent life, but could also prove correct considering that intelligent life could be mundane, as opposed to crowded or scarce.
How will “radical mundanity” help explain the failure to find ETCs in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and that’s why we do science!
As always, keep up the science and keep looking up!
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