Intelligent life and the Fermi Paradox

[Jupiter60]

TL;DR

Is it possible that most intelligent life never leaves the "hunter gather" lifestyle?

Is it possible that most intelligent life never leaves the "hunter gather" lifestyle? Could this explain the Fermi Paradox?

 

[Filip Larsen]

There are written entire books enumerating and discussing the many possible resolutions. The Fermi paradox Wikipedia page lists up some of those, include a few that relates reasons why any extraterrestrial life may not "advance" to a stage where we can detect it. In the context of the Drakes equation, arguments of this type address the estimates of the Drake equation factor $f_c$.

 

[sophiecentaur]

TL;DR: Is it possible that most intelligent life never leaves the "hunter gather" lifestyle?

Is it possible that most intelligent life never leaves the "hunter gather" lifestyle? Could this explain the Fermi Paradox?

The Fermi paradox emerged from a lunchtime chat and addresses a need that many of us have for an idea of just how important we are (as individuals and as a life form). The Drake Equation attempts to state the situation in terms of timescales and probabilities but how can it yield a solution - except to indicate that the 'numbers' indicate that it's pretty well unthinkable that we can expect to bump into any aliens with whom we could expect to 'have a chat.'
We are very (=over) optimistic about whether we will survive for long as a species but can we assume we will last significantly more than a millennium or two?

I think the 'hunter gatherer' criterion may not be the relevant one. surely Radio Communication would be needed (both ends) for us and aliens to be aware of each other. That implies a window of just a few millennia.

Studies of past and present DNA seem to suggest that 'we' - meaning all life on Earth - could be evolved from just one individual. That would have a huge consequence if we were to find any alien lifeform at all. Life as we know it (Jim ) would probably not pass even that simple test. It would probably be seriously incompatible as food or even as a predator. Would we even be able to recognise it?

 

[loop quantum gravity]

For me this is not a paradox. Since we don't really know what is the potential of intelligent races other than the human race. And even to know the true mechanism by which the universe works we don't know. It doesn't mean we cannot try to postulate in our theories some postulates or axioms for how the universe works. And you know what Hawking once said about contacting alien lifeforms, it might be dangerous just like what happend to the native americans before the invasion of Europeans to North America.

 

[sophiecentaur]

It would probably be seriously incompatible as food or even as a predator.

Even down to the handedness of their glucose molecules. There are no examples of Earth life forms with left-handedness, ifaik. They would have no food value at all (nor us for them).