What do you think would finally be their, “Enough, we gotta say something!” situation?
Edit:
Put another way, what might serve as a cosmic icebreaker?
I suppose it depends on why they’re being quiet. If other civilizations view each other as competitors for rare resources like worlds that would be inhabitable with out large scale terraforming, then being loud may get your planet targeted. That’s the basis for the “Dark Forest” theory. I think that theory is interesting, but it’s a bit pessimistic in my opinion. What’s way more likely is, if there are other civilizations out there, the odds of them existing during the same time frame that we’re here, AND being close enough to receive radio waves in a timely fashion, AND are at a technology level to send and receive those radio waves… it’s all very very very unlikely.
For me, what’s way scarier is, it isn’t that everyone is being quiet, it’s that there isn’t any one else out there, and we’re one of the first civilizations to develop. If there were other highly advanced civilizations out there, there’d be signs of them, signs of their technology. Shit, I read that large ships moving at close to the speed light would generate detectable gravity waves. But so far, nothing.
For me, what’s way scarier is, it isn’t that everyone is being quiet, it’s that there isn’t any one else out there, and we’re one of the first civilizations to develop.
Why would you find that scary?
Is it because of the ‘great filter’ stuff, that there must therefore be something ahead of us in time that wipes us out (like self-inflicted climate change)? Or is it something like humans being awfully flawed to go down in universal history as the “first” intelligent and technologically advanced species? Or something else?
maybe if we’re the only and first one, our odds of ‘success’ are much lower, and aint nobody gonna show up to guide us. if millions of previous had already ‘succeeded’ then its likely smooth sailing with a well tread path.
That’s fine though, 10,000 Years of unguided human history got us here. We relatively just got started in science. It would be more scary if we saw derelict super structures.
I find the idea that life is insanely rare, and that 99.99999999999999999999 of every planet and moon is lifeless. Even if we some how find a way to explore the cosmos, we’ll be searching empty dead rocks for the rest of our species lives. That’s scary to me.
Transmit math equations into space, but make them all just a little wrong. If someone’s out there, they’ll come by to correct us.
Invent a warp drive.
Cue the T’Plana Hath landing.
Share with them generated videos of us hanging out with other alien species, having a good time, etc. and make it seem like they’re missing out.
“Wait, that earth video is AI-generated-- their hands only have five fingers!”
Well I’m pretty sure as soon as those 179 episodes of The Apprentice that we broadcast in all directions for 11 years reaches an alien civilization it’s going to provoke an attack that destroys the entire solar system.
What happened to Single Female Lawyer?!?
Say ‘Marco’ out really loud
This is one answer to the fermi paradox that makes no sense to me. If we did live in a dark forest universe where everyone was hiding from some oppressive existential threat, how would any of the civilisations learn about it?
They would need to be in contact with one another to discover that other civilisations were being wiped out, but for that to happen, the wiping out civilisation would have to be able to find them as well. If they destroyed civ A, they’d definitely be able to find references to civ B in their ruins, somewhere. I see no mechanism by which a civilisation could observe this enemy in action without being detected.
Unless someone has come up with an answer to this issue, in which case I’d like to see it.
Also, if you can detect them, just telling them that you’ve detected them should change their strategy, because if a basic civilsation like ours can do it then they’re not actually that safe by hiding. The dark forest seems like a really fragile arrangement.
Broadcast that we’ve discovered a cheap and hilariously effective FTL but to kick it off requires us to collapse the vacuum decay. We’re willing to do it and relocate to the other side of the universe, but we don’t want to destroy everything if anyone is around. Answer quick, we’re packing
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If I were trying to get quiet aliens to communicate, I would try to get earthlings to clean up their own mess. I can’t imagine an advanced civilization wanting to bother with the sad tragedy of humanity’s self-destruction. There isn’t a day where some random human isn’t killing another, and there’s usually some government that has organized some mass-kill army operation against another country – or, worse, it’s own people. Even omitting the bloodthirsty, power-hungry, greedy, and liars, the general population can’t get together to work for the common good.
Maybe we could start by fixing the climate catastrophe, getting the trash out of the ocean, and then getting food and housing to everyone. If I was an alien that’d been avoiding Earth, that’s the sort of thing that would get my attention.
Funny how you doomers somehow always expect that other advanced civilisations are somehow better in that regard.
Genuine question: do you think most intelligent life outside of Earth, of existent, is equal to or less advanced than Earth? Or at the same level in issues?
Because in that case, you’d become the doomer, cuz that’s depressing.
Which is the perfect premises for a Colonial Invasion by a “superioristic” neighbor. Like the Belgians bringing Civilization to Congo, or France shining the lights of the Republic to North Africa (and S-E Asia). Or the Spanish, saving South America through Religion.
Please, Lizards Overlords, make haste; I have a feeling it is a matter of emergency right now.
Yeah, only the “enlightenment” comes at the price of getting your hands chopped of if you produce insufficient precious materials. No thanks.
Drop a couple nukes on planets in a predictable order with a predictable time in between. They’ll reach out sooner or later once we get close enough.
Certainly not destroying ourselves or our own planet. We’re already doing that.
I wouldn’t. If you determine that other life is intentionally staying quiet, why would you not also theorize on why they stay* silent?
I like to imagine a sort of awkward strangers reasoning for it, personally, where it’s not a matter of anything untoward involved, so much as nobody able to decide how to break the ice. Supposing that, I wonder what the cosmic icebreaker might be?
I don’t think that there is likely such a thing that would produce a direct response. If you wanted to not be noticed, why would you change your behavior based on what something else transmits?
Lure them with Reece’s Pieces.
Your so gnarp gnarp
Start launching nukes into space in all directions. Don’t stop until someone outside Earth complains.
Or maybe just transmit a radio signal that says “Marco.”
