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If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... WHERE IS EVERYBODY?: Fifty Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life
In a 1950 conversation at Los Alamos, four world-class scientists generally agreed, given the size of the Universe, that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations must be present. But one of the four, Enrico Fermi, asked, "If these civilizations do exist, where is everybody?"
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Stephen Webb
18 books26 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Since gaining a BSc in physics from the University of Bristol and a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester, Stephen Webb has worked in a variety of universities in the UK. He is a regular contributor to the Yearbook of Astronomy series and has published an undergraduate textbook on distance determination in astronomy and cosmology as well as several popular science books. His interest in the Fermi paradox combines lifelong interests in both science and science fiction.
Since gaining a BSc in physics from the University of Bristol and a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester, Stephen Webb has worked in a variety of universities in the UK. He is a regular contributor to the Yearbook of Astronomy series and has published an undergraduate textbook on distance determination in astronomy and cosmology as well as several popular science books. His interest in the Fermi paradox combines lifelong interests in both science and science fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
December 22, 2011
Very very fun. All the science-based speculations that I love about science fiction, without the misogynist plots.
August 23, 2022
Point a decent-sized radio antenna at any part of the sky, or just look up at it all on a cloudless night: not a trace of aliens - doesn't that strike you as odd?
It struck physicist Enrico Fermi as very odd: if the laws of nature are universal, working in the same way all over the galaxy, and have produced the Earth, life (and us) here, then they should have produced Earths (and 'us') everywhere. Worse, our solar system may be more than four billion years old, but the Universe itself is more than thirteen billion - so there should have been Earths out there with their versions of us for aeons already. Yet here we are, apparently alone. This has become known as the Fermi Paradox - in Fermi's own words, 'Where is everybody?' - and the more we learn, the more mystifying it becomes: the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence programme has been running for decades now, without detecting even a single stray signal, while at the same time the latest space probes are discovering new planets by the truck-load.
In fact, this isn't a full-blown paradox at all, just a flat contradiction between what, on the one hand, we believe to be the way the Universe works (its laws of nature, science as a rationale, reason itself for that matter) and, on the other, the Universe we seem to be living in. One of these must be incomplete or even wrong in some way. Perhaps the former; to give just one example, perhaps there are unknown phenomena at work, vast cataclysms which periodically sterilize the entire cosmos and set the clock of life back to zero each time - if that were the case then we would, in a sense, be the first. Or maybe it's the latter: Fermi's 'everybody' are all out there, but for some reason don't want us to know that.
This book is a compendium of fifty possible explanations of that sort, from the stolidly scientific to the wildly speculative - and flawed: many contain assumptions about alien psychology for instance (just one alien civilization behaving differently from the rest would flood the galaxy with radio transmissions or speeding spaceships). It's a thorough round-up which also reminded me just how odd all this is; any way you look at it, that silent sky may be the single most important fact our civilization has.
It struck physicist Enrico Fermi as very odd: if the laws of nature are universal, working in the same way all over the galaxy, and have produced the Earth, life (and us) here, then they should have produced Earths (and 'us') everywhere. Worse, our solar system may be more than four billion years old, but the Universe itself is more than thirteen billion - so there should have been Earths out there with their versions of us for aeons already. Yet here we are, apparently alone. This has become known as the Fermi Paradox - in Fermi's own words, 'Where is everybody?' - and the more we learn, the more mystifying it becomes: the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence programme has been running for decades now, without detecting even a single stray signal, while at the same time the latest space probes are discovering new planets by the truck-load.
In fact, this isn't a full-blown paradox at all, just a flat contradiction between what, on the one hand, we believe to be the way the Universe works (its laws of nature, science as a rationale, reason itself for that matter) and, on the other, the Universe we seem to be living in. One of these must be incomplete or even wrong in some way. Perhaps the former; to give just one example, perhaps there are unknown phenomena at work, vast cataclysms which periodically sterilize the entire cosmos and set the clock of life back to zero each time - if that were the case then we would, in a sense, be the first. Or maybe it's the latter: Fermi's 'everybody' are all out there, but for some reason don't want us to know that.
This book is a compendium of fifty possible explanations of that sort, from the stolidly scientific to the wildly speculative - and flawed: many contain assumptions about alien psychology for instance (just one alien civilization behaving differently from the rest would flood the galaxy with radio transmissions or speeding spaceships). It's a thorough round-up which also reminded me just how odd all this is; any way you look at it, that silent sky may be the single most important fact our civilization has.
September 2, 2019
Examining their navels?
This is the most up-to-date and thorough discussion of the Fermi Paradox that I have read. Stephen Webb examines all the popular solutions as well as some esoteric ones, giving us considerable background on each along with the benefit of his knowledge on a wide range of relevant subjects including microbiology, plate tectonics, evolution, intelligence, language, philosophy, as well as astronomy and cosmology. And then he gives his solution: we are alone.
That was Fermi's solution of course, and it is a popular one; however I don't think that Webb comes anywhere near to making a convincing case; and at any rate he is somewhat equivocal about whether his answer applies to the entire universe or to just the galaxy. It is clear that his answer applies only to life as we know it, having a carbon based biochemistry and a cellular structure. My feeling is that intelligent life forms may evolve from some other chemical basis or even from some use of energy and matter we know nothing about.
On pages 237 to 239 Webb presents his argument that we are the only extraterrestrial civilization (ETC) in the galaxy by a process of elimination, i.e., life must be on a planet within both a galactic habitable zone (GHZ) and a solar continuously habitable zone (CHZ) around the right kind of star; must avoid cosmic disasters like supernovae; must have the right kind of moon, Jupiter, and plate tectonics; must evolve beyond single cells; must develop tool use and language, etc. He ends up sifting out everything except us, and the only reason he doesn't sift us out is that he has set us aside since we actually exist!
This is close to sophistry, perhaps, but it has been argued before. I might call it the Fallacy of Elimination by Unknown Probabilities about Matters that May or May Not Be Essential. Putting that aside, consider this: If we extrapolate from what we know (as opposed to any speculation) about the existence of life in just our own galaxy, we should expect on average--at the very least--one ETC per galaxy. Wow. Far from being alone, this suggests more than 100 billion other ETCs are out there, although we are not likely to ever communicate with them.
One of the things this book demonstrates, as others have before (see especially, Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee's Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe [2000:], which Webb acknowledges as influential), is that when you're dealing with so little concrete information in such a vastness, it is impossible to be entirely convincing one way or the other. The conclusion in Rare Earth, with which Webb concurs, is that life is common in the universe, but intelligent life is rare. I agree substantially with this, but my "rare" is perhaps larger than their "rare."
Some of the familiar but crucial questions considered here were addressed in the excellent Extraterrestrials: Where Are They? (1995) edited by Ben Zuckerman and Michael H. Hart. For example, How long do ETCs exist before they go extinct? Is space travel enormously difficult and expensive or is it just very difficult? Do ETCs have a psychology similar enough to ours to make them want to communicate? How would they communicate, using what sort of medium?--even: would we recognize a communication from an ETC if we received one?
The answer to these questions and many others is, we don't know. But it's fun to speculate; and in speculating at least we can eliminate many conceptual and logical errors that might crop up. Furthermore such speculations expand the mind and allow the imagination a greater range. In direct contrast to Webb I think there's only the smallest chance that we are alone. Amazing how people can come to such divergent conclusions from the same evidence!
For such answers as, They are so advanced that they have no interest in communicating with us, and They are so into their own self-constructed pleasure-enhancing virtual existence that they care not to look outward, etc., Webb has a ready response. For such answers to solve the Fermi paradox, he says, they have to apply to every single ETC. Surely, he posits, not all ETCs would have such a psychology. But, by taking all such solutions and playing an elimination game similar to the one Webb plays on pages 237-239, we can reverse his conclusion and eliminate all existing ETCs as non-communicative for one reason or another, arriving at the grand conclusion that we are not alone and that there are indeed a whole bunch of ETCs out there.
I wish I had the space to address some other Stephen Webb arguments that I think are faulty, but perhaps just one more will be suggestive. On page 229, while arguing that only humans have symbolic language, he relates an experiment in which a dolphin learns to operate an apparatus to release food. The dolphin is timed. Then the scientists close that dolphin off and release a second dolphin into the pool with the apparatus. The first dolphin can send signals to the second dolphin. The scientists then time how long it takes for the second dolphin to learn to work the apparatus. They discover that it takes the second dolphin on average just as long as it did the first. Webb writes: "We can conclude from this that the first dolphin was unable to tell the second dolphin how the apparatus worked."
Well, maybe. But replace the dolphins with humans, and the reward of food with hundred dollar bills, and perhaps we might conclude that humans are also unable to communicate how the apparatus worked!
Bottom line: for SETI enthusiasts and anyone interested in the prospect of extraterrestrial life, this is a book, despite its flaws, not to be missed.
--Dennis Littrell, author of "The World Is Not as We Think It Is"
This is the most up-to-date and thorough discussion of the Fermi Paradox that I have read. Stephen Webb examines all the popular solutions as well as some esoteric ones, giving us considerable background on each along with the benefit of his knowledge on a wide range of relevant subjects including microbiology, plate tectonics, evolution, intelligence, language, philosophy, as well as astronomy and cosmology. And then he gives his solution: we are alone.
That was Fermi's solution of course, and it is a popular one; however I don't think that Webb comes anywhere near to making a convincing case; and at any rate he is somewhat equivocal about whether his answer applies to the entire universe or to just the galaxy. It is clear that his answer applies only to life as we know it, having a carbon based biochemistry and a cellular structure. My feeling is that intelligent life forms may evolve from some other chemical basis or even from some use of energy and matter we know nothing about.
On pages 237 to 239 Webb presents his argument that we are the only extraterrestrial civilization (ETC) in the galaxy by a process of elimination, i.e., life must be on a planet within both a galactic habitable zone (GHZ) and a solar continuously habitable zone (CHZ) around the right kind of star; must avoid cosmic disasters like supernovae; must have the right kind of moon, Jupiter, and plate tectonics; must evolve beyond single cells; must develop tool use and language, etc. He ends up sifting out everything except us, and the only reason he doesn't sift us out is that he has set us aside since we actually exist!
This is close to sophistry, perhaps, but it has been argued before. I might call it the Fallacy of Elimination by Unknown Probabilities about Matters that May or May Not Be Essential. Putting that aside, consider this: If we extrapolate from what we know (as opposed to any speculation) about the existence of life in just our own galaxy, we should expect on average--at the very least--one ETC per galaxy. Wow. Far from being alone, this suggests more than 100 billion other ETCs are out there, although we are not likely to ever communicate with them.
One of the things this book demonstrates, as others have before (see especially, Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee's Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe [2000:], which Webb acknowledges as influential), is that when you're dealing with so little concrete information in such a vastness, it is impossible to be entirely convincing one way or the other. The conclusion in Rare Earth, with which Webb concurs, is that life is common in the universe, but intelligent life is rare. I agree substantially with this, but my "rare" is perhaps larger than their "rare."
Some of the familiar but crucial questions considered here were addressed in the excellent Extraterrestrials: Where Are They? (1995) edited by Ben Zuckerman and Michael H. Hart. For example, How long do ETCs exist before they go extinct? Is space travel enormously difficult and expensive or is it just very difficult? Do ETCs have a psychology similar enough to ours to make them want to communicate? How would they communicate, using what sort of medium?--even: would we recognize a communication from an ETC if we received one?
The answer to these questions and many others is, we don't know. But it's fun to speculate; and in speculating at least we can eliminate many conceptual and logical errors that might crop up. Furthermore such speculations expand the mind and allow the imagination a greater range. In direct contrast to Webb I think there's only the smallest chance that we are alone. Amazing how people can come to such divergent conclusions from the same evidence!
For such answers as, They are so advanced that they have no interest in communicating with us, and They are so into their own self-constructed pleasure-enhancing virtual existence that they care not to look outward, etc., Webb has a ready response. For such answers to solve the Fermi paradox, he says, they have to apply to every single ETC. Surely, he posits, not all ETCs would have such a psychology. But, by taking all such solutions and playing an elimination game similar to the one Webb plays on pages 237-239, we can reverse his conclusion and eliminate all existing ETCs as non-communicative for one reason or another, arriving at the grand conclusion that we are not alone and that there are indeed a whole bunch of ETCs out there.
I wish I had the space to address some other Stephen Webb arguments that I think are faulty, but perhaps just one more will be suggestive. On page 229, while arguing that only humans have symbolic language, he relates an experiment in which a dolphin learns to operate an apparatus to release food. The dolphin is timed. Then the scientists close that dolphin off and release a second dolphin into the pool with the apparatus. The first dolphin can send signals to the second dolphin. The scientists then time how long it takes for the second dolphin to learn to work the apparatus. They discover that it takes the second dolphin on average just as long as it did the first. Webb writes: "We can conclude from this that the first dolphin was unable to tell the second dolphin how the apparatus worked."
Well, maybe. But replace the dolphins with humans, and the reward of food with hundred dollar bills, and perhaps we might conclude that humans are also unable to communicate how the apparatus worked!
Bottom line: for SETI enthusiasts and anyone interested in the prospect of extraterrestrial life, this is a book, despite its flaws, not to be missed.
--Dennis Littrell, author of "The World Is Not as We Think It Is"
October 28, 2020
Webb je sve potkrepio naukom i dao moguca resenja Fermijevog paradoksa, ukljucujuci i svoje vidjenje. Izuzetno zanimljiva i pitka knjiga...
February 8, 2016
I started this book with a sense of foreboding. The subtitle is 'Seventy-five solutions to the Fermi paradox and the problem of extraterrestrial life'. Any premise based on giving 75 different answers to the same question - in this case, effectively 'Where are the aliens?' - sounds like a trainspotter of a book. A title that is obsessed with collecting every possible viewpoint, over and above any value that can be gained from reading it. However, the first proper chapter, giving some background to the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, and the 'where is everybody' paradox that it is named after him, reassured me hugely, as it was entertaining and well written.
I can honestly say that if Stephen Webb had continued in this vein and had written a book about the Fermi paradox and its possible solutions in the same narrative style as his chapter on Fermi and the origins of the paradox, I would have given this book four to five stars. That chapter demonstrated just how well Webb can write. But the format of 75 'different' solutions lets him down. By about the 12 mark, the whole thing was getting a trifle samey. And by solution 20, I was skip reading, searching for interesting bits.
The book has a lovely range and covers many fascinating topics - for example, it went from Bayes' theorem to stone axe manufacturing in a few pages - but the constant return to yet another solution to the Fermi paradox gets, frankly, boring. Structured as a continuous narrative, the content of this book would have been excellent, but as 75 bitty 'solutions' it just doesn't work very well.
This proved particularly irritating when Webb goes through all the different reasons why life could be rare in the universe, and says at the end of each, over and over variants on 'but of itself, this is probably not enough to justify the conclusion.' I found myself wanting to throw the book against the wall and scream 'But why should it be taken by itself? Why not combine the solutions?' .... And then Webb cheats and does exactly that in his own 'solution', number 75.
This was so near an excellent piece of popular science (I'm not really sure why it's part of Springer's 'Science and Fiction' series, as it merely references ideas from SF, but the majority of popular science books do that), just let down by the structure. I'd also say that the publisher is making a mistake pricing the book as if it were an academic title: it's more expensive than any normal hardback popular science title, let alone a paperback.
I can honestly say that if Stephen Webb had continued in this vein and had written a book about the Fermi paradox and its possible solutions in the same narrative style as his chapter on Fermi and the origins of the paradox, I would have given this book four to five stars. That chapter demonstrated just how well Webb can write. But the format of 75 'different' solutions lets him down. By about the 12 mark, the whole thing was getting a trifle samey. And by solution 20, I was skip reading, searching for interesting bits.
The book has a lovely range and covers many fascinating topics - for example, it went from Bayes' theorem to stone axe manufacturing in a few pages - but the constant return to yet another solution to the Fermi paradox gets, frankly, boring. Structured as a continuous narrative, the content of this book would have been excellent, but as 75 bitty 'solutions' it just doesn't work very well.
This proved particularly irritating when Webb goes through all the different reasons why life could be rare in the universe, and says at the end of each, over and over variants on 'but of itself, this is probably not enough to justify the conclusion.' I found myself wanting to throw the book against the wall and scream 'But why should it be taken by itself? Why not combine the solutions?' .... And then Webb cheats and does exactly that in his own 'solution', number 75.
This was so near an excellent piece of popular science (I'm not really sure why it's part of Springer's 'Science and Fiction' series, as it merely references ideas from SF, but the majority of popular science books do that), just let down by the structure. I'd also say that the publisher is making a mistake pricing the book as if it were an academic title: it's more expensive than any normal hardback popular science title, let alone a paperback.
November 22, 2019
If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens…Where is Everybody?: Seventy-Five Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life [2015] – ★★★★1/2
I am continuing with my Non-Fiction November Reading Challenge with this curious book on the Fermi paradox. This paradox states that, if there are billions of stars out there in galaxies, and they are similar to and much older than our Sun, there is a high probability that those distant systems have planets that resemble our planet Earth. In turn, the typical nature of our planet means life must have developed and accelerated on other planets too, and, if beings there developed interstellar travel, they should have visited Earth already (or at least sent their probes). The paradox is that we do not see/perceive any extraterrestrial activity. Dr Stephen Webb is a theoretical physicist who proposes and discusses seventy-five solutions to the Fermi paradox in this book, solutions which he divides into three sections: (i) Alien Are (or Were) Here; (ii) Aliens Exist, but We Have Yet to See or Hear from Them; and (iii) Aliens Do Not Exist. This is an enjoyable, mentally-stimulating book that impresses with the number and diversity of different solutions and theories that may explain the Fermi Paradox.
It is important to note from the outset that, although the book indulges in speculations on science, the topic of this book is not some kind of easily dismissible pseudo-science, but a perfectly scientific question that have been posed by serious scientists, including by Stephen Hawking. The paradox itself is named after Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist and a Nobel Prize Winner, who came up with the proposition after a series of laborious calculations that left him to conclude that we should have been visited by extraterrestrials a long time ago. I will obviously not describe each of the seventy-five solutions proposed, but will comment and share my thoughts on some of the more convincing or interesting ones under each heading of the book.
I. Extraterrestrials Are or Were Here
In this section of the book, Stephen Webb provides ten solutions and most of them border fantasy, such as theories that aliens are watching us from UFOs or that we are aliens. It is true that there was much publicity in the past about Kenneth Arnold’s sighing of an UFO in 1947 or about the Roswell UFO incident, but there is no hard evidence so far to substantiate these claims or prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Given this, the belief that God exists is probably the most convincing argument in this section of the book.
II. Extraterrestrials Exist, but We Have Yet to See or Hear from Them
This line of reasoning is the most convincing one in the book and it is the most popular theory among scientists. In this section, Webb explores solutions to the Fermi paradox that revolve around the idea that aliens are signalling, but we are not receiving their signal for some reason. He also explores theories that stars may be too far away or intelligence is not permanent. One of the convincing solutions in this section is that advanced civilisations have simply become too inward-looking, rather than driven by exploration and a colonist mentality. That is why we do not see their presence in our solar system. I think that, given that human beings already “live in the Internet”, it is not too far-fetched to suggest that advanced civilisations on other planets are information-driven, and may be living in an artificial reality. They may have different values than us, having moved beyond exploitive and colonist worldviews.
Another hint on a solution that I found convincing in this section is that, galaxies may be swarming with alien civilisations, but “differences in age, abilities, physicality, etc. might lead to a qualitative difference between our minds and theirs…[resulting in] communication being impossible” [Webb, 2015: 196]. Clement Vidal, a Belgian physicist, also proposed that aliens might have already learnt now to manipulate energy from stars and space-time, not to mention them having different mathematics or being capable of manipulating molecules and atoms [2015: 197]. They may know the secrets of the universe and have a perfect control over the mind, space and time. This means that they may be simply too advanced or different from us to make any contact. I also believe that we may be simply too different to even recognise what they are – us understanding or imagining them is like a cat being able to understand all the concepts in a philosophy book or a prehistoric man imagining a game played on an iPad. Humans are also confined to their senses and consciousness, and we cannot see the world through another apparatus than a human brain. Also, given that the universe is thirteen billion years old, humans may simply have not listened long enough for any signals since, given the universe time-frame, the intelligent life has only been on the planet some seconds out of one hundred years universal time.
III. Extraterrestrials Do Not Exist
This section of the book also has some convincing arguments because we still do not know how special our planet is and how unique is life. Moreover, questions remain as to how unique consciousness and intelligence development are. It will only be possible to say for certain that extraterrestrials do not exist if we first answer this question – how precisely life started on Earth? There is still no definite answer to this question. Thus, in this section of the book, the author talks about such solutions to the paradox as “planetary systems are rare”, “planetary systems are too dangerous to live in”, “life’s genesis is rare”, “our moon is unique” and “high technology is not inevitable”. Exoplanets that have conditions that are similar to Earth are already said to exist, even though another argument is that “conditions on Earth have simply been too right” [Webb, 2015: 291]. Perhaps, there are conditions on other planets that make it possible for other life forms to emerge, life forms that do not need perfect-for-life-on-Earth conditions.
The unfortunate aspect of If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens is that it goes for breadth, rather than depth; the author is quick to dismiss theories that he personally finds ludicrous; and all the quotations that begin each solution come off as more unnecessarily pretentious, rather than insightful or helpful. Webb’s own solution at the end of the book is odd. It is like the author is trying to say: “I wrote a book on the Fermi paradox, proposing all these solutions, but I don’t believe in the paradox in the first place and do not think it should even exist”.
It is clear from reading this book that we still know very little to answer seriously such a big question as – do extraterrestrials exist? As Stephen Webb put it: “we have little idea about the nature of dark matter…and dark energy is a complete mystery….and we are still to reconcile gravity with quantum theory” [2015: 186]. If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens provides both more or less serious and science-fiction solutions to the paradox, and is really one mind-boggling journey into one of the mysteries of the universe that echoes the mystery of our own planetary existence.
I am continuing with my Non-Fiction November Reading Challenge with this curious book on the Fermi paradox. This paradox states that, if there are billions of stars out there in galaxies, and they are similar to and much older than our Sun, there is a high probability that those distant systems have planets that resemble our planet Earth. In turn, the typical nature of our planet means life must have developed and accelerated on other planets too, and, if beings there developed interstellar travel, they should have visited Earth already (or at least sent their probes). The paradox is that we do not see/perceive any extraterrestrial activity. Dr Stephen Webb is a theoretical physicist who proposes and discusses seventy-five solutions to the Fermi paradox in this book, solutions which he divides into three sections: (i) Alien Are (or Were) Here; (ii) Aliens Exist, but We Have Yet to See or Hear from Them; and (iii) Aliens Do Not Exist. This is an enjoyable, mentally-stimulating book that impresses with the number and diversity of different solutions and theories that may explain the Fermi Paradox.
It is important to note from the outset that, although the book indulges in speculations on science, the topic of this book is not some kind of easily dismissible pseudo-science, but a perfectly scientific question that have been posed by serious scientists, including by Stephen Hawking. The paradox itself is named after Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist and a Nobel Prize Winner, who came up with the proposition after a series of laborious calculations that left him to conclude that we should have been visited by extraterrestrials a long time ago. I will obviously not describe each of the seventy-five solutions proposed, but will comment and share my thoughts on some of the more convincing or interesting ones under each heading of the book.
I. Extraterrestrials Are or Were Here
In this section of the book, Stephen Webb provides ten solutions and most of them border fantasy, such as theories that aliens are watching us from UFOs or that we are aliens. It is true that there was much publicity in the past about Kenneth Arnold’s sighing of an UFO in 1947 or about the Roswell UFO incident, but there is no hard evidence so far to substantiate these claims or prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Given this, the belief that God exists is probably the most convincing argument in this section of the book.
II. Extraterrestrials Exist, but We Have Yet to See or Hear from Them
This line of reasoning is the most convincing one in the book and it is the most popular theory among scientists. In this section, Webb explores solutions to the Fermi paradox that revolve around the idea that aliens are signalling, but we are not receiving their signal for some reason. He also explores theories that stars may be too far away or intelligence is not permanent. One of the convincing solutions in this section is that advanced civilisations have simply become too inward-looking, rather than driven by exploration and a colonist mentality. That is why we do not see their presence in our solar system. I think that, given that human beings already “live in the Internet”, it is not too far-fetched to suggest that advanced civilisations on other planets are information-driven, and may be living in an artificial reality. They may have different values than us, having moved beyond exploitive and colonist worldviews.
Another hint on a solution that I found convincing in this section is that, galaxies may be swarming with alien civilisations, but “differences in age, abilities, physicality, etc. might lead to a qualitative difference between our minds and theirs…[resulting in] communication being impossible” [Webb, 2015: 196]. Clement Vidal, a Belgian physicist, also proposed that aliens might have already learnt now to manipulate energy from stars and space-time, not to mention them having different mathematics or being capable of manipulating molecules and atoms [2015: 197]. They may know the secrets of the universe and have a perfect control over the mind, space and time. This means that they may be simply too advanced or different from us to make any contact. I also believe that we may be simply too different to even recognise what they are – us understanding or imagining them is like a cat being able to understand all the concepts in a philosophy book or a prehistoric man imagining a game played on an iPad. Humans are also confined to their senses and consciousness, and we cannot see the world through another apparatus than a human brain. Also, given that the universe is thirteen billion years old, humans may simply have not listened long enough for any signals since, given the universe time-frame, the intelligent life has only been on the planet some seconds out of one hundred years universal time.
III. Extraterrestrials Do Not Exist
This section of the book also has some convincing arguments because we still do not know how special our planet is and how unique is life. Moreover, questions remain as to how unique consciousness and intelligence development are. It will only be possible to say for certain that extraterrestrials do not exist if we first answer this question – how precisely life started on Earth? There is still no definite answer to this question. Thus, in this section of the book, the author talks about such solutions to the paradox as “planetary systems are rare”, “planetary systems are too dangerous to live in”, “life’s genesis is rare”, “our moon is unique” and “high technology is not inevitable”. Exoplanets that have conditions that are similar to Earth are already said to exist, even though another argument is that “conditions on Earth have simply been too right” [Webb, 2015: 291]. Perhaps, there are conditions on other planets that make it possible for other life forms to emerge, life forms that do not need perfect-for-life-on-Earth conditions.
The unfortunate aspect of If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens is that it goes for breadth, rather than depth; the author is quick to dismiss theories that he personally finds ludicrous; and all the quotations that begin each solution come off as more unnecessarily pretentious, rather than insightful or helpful. Webb’s own solution at the end of the book is odd. It is like the author is trying to say: “I wrote a book on the Fermi paradox, proposing all these solutions, but I don’t believe in the paradox in the first place and do not think it should even exist”.
It is clear from reading this book that we still know very little to answer seriously such a big question as – do extraterrestrials exist? As Stephen Webb put it: “we have little idea about the nature of dark matter…and dark energy is a complete mystery….and we are still to reconcile gravity with quantum theory” [2015: 186]. If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens provides both more or less serious and science-fiction solutions to the paradox, and is really one mind-boggling journey into one of the mysteries of the universe that echoes the mystery of our own planetary existence.
February 27, 2020
Not really my sort of thing.
May 17, 2022
If there are billions of stars in the universe and many of those stars have habitable planets with liquid water in the "Goldilocks Zone" and if life naturally springs from organic processes and becomes advanced and technologically advanced like life on Earth, Enrico Fermi asked, "Where is everybody?" Are we alone in the universe? Where is the intelligent life out there and why haven't we seen them? Physicist Stephen Webb seeks to find answers to the question in three groups: 1. They are here and we don't know it, or 2. They exist but have not yet communicated with us, or 3. They do not exist.
I love this guy. In his musings he refers to two of my favorite science fiction books: "The Star my Destination" by Alfred Bester and "A Canticle for Lebowitz" by Walter Miller. Then he refers to a novel length story by Isaac Asimov that can't remember if I have ever read, "Nightfall" which I immediately ordered from my local library. In addition to being a science fiction buff, he writes with great clarity and obvious preparation and research about many areas of science, including an extended review of biology and the processes of life, such as how DNA and RNA work in cells to produce proteins from amino acids. Is the development of life inevitable under the right conditions? What are the chances that a planet, even in the right zone, can support life long enough to develop technology?
This book was published in 2002, and many of Webb's ideas have already been incorporated into public awareness for a long time. I was certainly familiar with many of the arguments he proposes. Apparently, he has written an update with 75 solutions to the Fermi Paradox, but I started with this version (which I supplemented with a recent TED talk by the author).
The author's conclusion is a bit surprising, but he goes through his own analysis as solution number 50. It is worth reading through the first 49, then make up your own mind. Are we alone in the universe, or are aliens out there who are either not able or interested in contacting us? Good question.
I love this guy. In his musings he refers to two of my favorite science fiction books: "The Star my Destination" by Alfred Bester and "A Canticle for Lebowitz" by Walter Miller. Then he refers to a novel length story by Isaac Asimov that can't remember if I have ever read, "Nightfall" which I immediately ordered from my local library. In addition to being a science fiction buff, he writes with great clarity and obvious preparation and research about many areas of science, including an extended review of biology and the processes of life, such as how DNA and RNA work in cells to produce proteins from amino acids. Is the development of life inevitable under the right conditions? What are the chances that a planet, even in the right zone, can support life long enough to develop technology?
This book was published in 2002, and many of Webb's ideas have already been incorporated into public awareness for a long time. I was certainly familiar with many of the arguments he proposes. Apparently, he has written an update with 75 solutions to the Fermi Paradox, but I started with this version (which I supplemented with a recent TED talk by the author).
The author's conclusion is a bit surprising, but he goes through his own analysis as solution number 50. It is worth reading through the first 49, then make up your own mind. Are we alone in the universe, or are aliens out there who are either not able or interested in contacting us? Good question.
March 3, 2021
Fun casual science read. Its interesting because solutions to the fermi paradox range from things relating to astrophysics, sociology, biology, and statistics, and he gives a good 0verview of the context for any given explanation he's dealing with. So it ends up being a little about how stars are formed, a little about amino acids, a little bit about baynesian inferences,, etc. Nice variety.
Anyways I think the most plausible explanations are the ones in a the general bucket of aliens have no desire to expand into the cosmos in general (there are multiple varieties of this-- they flee to another universe, they become computerized and miniaturized and go dark, they dive into black holes or into deep space for multiple reasons, whatever), or that life itself, or complex life is just extremely rare and fragile and we are truly alone.
One of the more disturbing possibilities he mentions (aside from the apocalyptic ones) is that even if complex intelligent life is fairly common, consciousness might be rare. In which case we might eventually run into some kind of drone or zombie esque race which we haven't detected because they don't communicate much and possibly don't expand much or advance technologically at a slower rate.
Anyways I think the most plausible explanations are the ones in a the general bucket of aliens have no desire to expand into the cosmos in general (there are multiple varieties of this-- they flee to another universe, they become computerized and miniaturized and go dark, they dive into black holes or into deep space for multiple reasons, whatever), or that life itself, or complex life is just extremely rare and fragile and we are truly alone.
One of the more disturbing possibilities he mentions (aside from the apocalyptic ones) is that even if complex intelligent life is fairly common, consciousness might be rare. In which case we might eventually run into some kind of drone or zombie esque race which we haven't detected because they don't communicate much and possibly don't expand much or advance technologically at a slower rate.
October 2, 2014
I loved the premise of this book so much, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.
Why? I think it was just because the author takes a sort of detached and tedious elaboration of all the different possibilities so that it fills a whole book. I would have preferred something with more pop and pizazz. Give the big picture summary, then break out the key parts, wrestle with the parts and try to really engage with the arguments to highlight the strengths and weaknesses. Instead, it seemed kind of dry and passive. The whole "50 solutions" is a bit misleading too.
The premise is still great though and no one else thought to write a book on this topic so the author deserves credit for being the first to address the topic. I just felt like he didn't really tackle it in a satisfying or definitive way and perhaps someone can still come along later and do just that. And to be fair it's a sort of slippery problem where we don't exact have definitive data yet so there's probably only so much that we can expect.
Why? I think it was just because the author takes a sort of detached and tedious elaboration of all the different possibilities so that it fills a whole book. I would have preferred something with more pop and pizazz. Give the big picture summary, then break out the key parts, wrestle with the parts and try to really engage with the arguments to highlight the strengths and weaknesses. Instead, it seemed kind of dry and passive. The whole "50 solutions" is a bit misleading too.
The premise is still great though and no one else thought to write a book on this topic so the author deserves credit for being the first to address the topic. I just felt like he didn't really tackle it in a satisfying or definitive way and perhaps someone can still come along later and do just that. And to be fair it's a sort of slippery problem where we don't exact have definitive data yet so there's probably only so much that we can expect.
November 3, 2019
5
I had never heard of the Fermi Paradox prior to reading this book, but by the end it really puts a lot of the UFO conspiracies and evolutionary idea's into perspective. This is not an Alien book. I will get this out there as soon as possible to ensure everybody looking at this book knows that. This is an interesting look into the idea that just maybe, we are very lonely in this universe. Who honestly knows. Stephen Webb has created a great book that asks all the questions and answers most of them as well.
The book is split into various number structures so at one point you use these as chapter points. The book is full of investigations and if you're a believer of Alien life, this book will fit nicely into your world. I had once thought that maybe the universe is full of life and that one day mankind would reach the stars and join into the scheme of things. Sadly this book gives you a solid gut punch and the realities of just how likely or unlikely life outside Earth will be. How often have you heard about UFO sightings? A lot yeah. The one thing that is puzzling is the fact they haven't bothered to make contact. These are the types of questions that you should be asking.
Stephen Webb should take another look back into this book and setup a sequel of sorts with what it is like now. It would be a shorter book to say the least, but a lot is happening in the world of science since the publication of this book. This is why reading science books from the last 10 to 20 years is a tough act, so much has now changed. Technology is going to be the key to reversing the devastation mankind has caused on this Earth, mainly the raising of CO2 levels to dangerously crazy levels. Consider it has now been 10000 years since the last ice age and that the Earth was riddled with Dinosaurs for millions of years. What if, and this is a huge what if, Aliens visited and noticed that there was no intelligent life. Why would they come back?
Why the 5?
The concluding chapter is incredible, it is a must read for everyone. If you check out the hash tag on Instagram in a few weeks I'll be writing the very last paragraph. When I suggest Webb should write a sequel, it is based on the whole evolution of man that has now been linked to the 150000 year mark of the y chromosome. So much has now been discovered. The next 100 years will be insane. There is going to be discovery and the colonisation of Mars. We now have the capabilities to alter our own DNA, that will ensure safe space travel, something that was a huge risk. Webb covers so much in this book and it is worth reading, just to learn what have been our errors for attempting first contact and what other books you should be reading. Fermi is a name I came across with Cosmos, and now I understand so much more. In a modern world of corporations and capitalism, we tend to forget our bigger purpose in life is exploration. I enjoyed how the book hits on points about our humanity and lack of it. Take the gamble and check it out, well worth the read and very relevant.
I had never heard of the Fermi Paradox prior to reading this book, but by the end it really puts a lot of the UFO conspiracies and evolutionary idea's into perspective. This is not an Alien book. I will get this out there as soon as possible to ensure everybody looking at this book knows that. This is an interesting look into the idea that just maybe, we are very lonely in this universe. Who honestly knows. Stephen Webb has created a great book that asks all the questions and answers most of them as well.
The book is split into various number structures so at one point you use these as chapter points. The book is full of investigations and if you're a believer of Alien life, this book will fit nicely into your world. I had once thought that maybe the universe is full of life and that one day mankind would reach the stars and join into the scheme of things. Sadly this book gives you a solid gut punch and the realities of just how likely or unlikely life outside Earth will be. How often have you heard about UFO sightings? A lot yeah. The one thing that is puzzling is the fact they haven't bothered to make contact. These are the types of questions that you should be asking.
Stephen Webb should take another look back into this book and setup a sequel of sorts with what it is like now. It would be a shorter book to say the least, but a lot is happening in the world of science since the publication of this book. This is why reading science books from the last 10 to 20 years is a tough act, so much has now changed. Technology is going to be the key to reversing the devastation mankind has caused on this Earth, mainly the raising of CO2 levels to dangerously crazy levels. Consider it has now been 10000 years since the last ice age and that the Earth was riddled with Dinosaurs for millions of years. What if, and this is a huge what if, Aliens visited and noticed that there was no intelligent life. Why would they come back?
Why the 5?
The concluding chapter is incredible, it is a must read for everyone. If you check out the hash tag on Instagram in a few weeks I'll be writing the very last paragraph. When I suggest Webb should write a sequel, it is based on the whole evolution of man that has now been linked to the 150000 year mark of the y chromosome. So much has now been discovered. The next 100 years will be insane. There is going to be discovery and the colonisation of Mars. We now have the capabilities to alter our own DNA, that will ensure safe space travel, something that was a huge risk. Webb covers so much in this book and it is worth reading, just to learn what have been our errors for attempting first contact and what other books you should be reading. Fermi is a name I came across with Cosmos, and now I understand so much more. In a modern world of corporations and capitalism, we tend to forget our bigger purpose in life is exploration. I enjoyed how the book hits on points about our humanity and lack of it. Take the gamble and check it out, well worth the read and very relevant.
January 25, 2022
vjerujem da je ova knjiga vrednija nego što to mogu percipirati. pitanjima izvanzemaljaca nisam se nikada bavila niti su mi bila osobito intrigantna; čak nemam niti neko jasno formulirano mišljenje o njihovoj egzistenciji (da ga imam, vjerujem da bi mi i knjiga bila interesantnija). ne poričem webbovu vještinu i posvećenost temi: odabrao je 50 odgovora na pitanje "postoje li izvanzemaljci?" (npr. "oni su tu i nazivaju se mađarima", "nisu imali dovoljno vremena da nas dosegnu", "šalju signale, ali mi ih ne znamo primiti", ne žele uspostaviti kontakt" itd...) i njih iscrpno objasnio. neke teorije su intrigantne, neke duhovite i smiješne, neke začuđujuće, neke znanstveno utemeljene - ima svega.. kako god, ukoliko te zanima ta tema, ovo će ti biti zabavno štivo, možda te poljuljati u dosadašnjim uvjerenjima i otvoriti vratašca za neke nove misli i pretpostavke.
October 23, 2022
Мощная книга, которая глубоко разбирает вопрос - где инопланетяне? Множество теорий, в которых рассматривается почему мы их еще не встретили или встретили, но… В процессе поднимаются и физика, и биология, и фантастика, и все на свете. Если вы готовы так глубоко копнуть, то это удовольствие. Маск рекомендует
July 18, 2018
Absolutely fascinating read. The author compiled an enormous amount of special knowledge into this book for the general reader. The solutions are intriguing and I've learned about a ton of new things: canonical artefact, waterhole, genetics, ramjet, panspermia and a lot more. The explanations are quite clear and I was able to follow along.
My only issue with the book was that, by his own admission, the author did the typesetting which is quite lame, as special characters, equations and such are images - consequently don't show up in my highlights. I can live with this though.
Highly-highly recommended for any thinker.
My only issue with the book was that, by his own admission, the author did the typesetting which is quite lame, as special characters, equations and such are images - consequently don't show up in my highlights. I can live with this though.
Highly-highly recommended for any thinker.
May 7, 2022
Though certain elements grow dated with the scientific progress of each passing year, Where is Everybody? remains a highly enjoyable and thought-provoking exploration of potential solutions to the "Fermi Paradox", which questions why humanity has not yet detected any evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations. Fifty different possibilities are presented in detail, with the descriptions given in a manner that is accessible to a general audience. The last solution presented in the book is the author's own preferred explanation, and it stands as a rather compelling answer to the paradox.
A generous amount of interesting information is given in the "Notes and Further Reading" section, while the bibliography offers an extensive list of related materials.
A generous amount of interesting information is given in the "Notes and Further Reading" section, while the bibliography offers an extensive list of related materials.
February 9, 2021
The Fermi Paradox is the subject of this comprehensive analysis by Webb. The paradox is named after Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist who, when working in the US in the 1950’s posed the question ‘Where is everybody?’. He wasn't some loner, but was in fact referring to the lack of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. If there are billions of stars in the galaxy, and some of these stars have Earth like planets that develop life, and some of this life becomes intelligent and travels in to the cosmos, then, assuming modest probabilities for each of these steps, the galaxy should have been comprehensively conquered by intelligent beings by now, and we perhaps should have seen some evidence of this.
The book takes the form of 75 solutions to the paradox, ranging from the comedic (they are here, and they’re called politicians!) through to the latest astrobiological predictions for how common the emergence of life from pre-biotic materials is. Webb is a light hearted narrator, and each solution comes with his personal take. The format might not be for everyone, but I found it enjoyable and stimulating, and expect to return to it often in the future.
The book takes the form of 75 solutions to the paradox, ranging from the comedic (they are here, and they’re called politicians!) through to the latest astrobiological predictions for how common the emergence of life from pre-biotic materials is. Webb is a light hearted narrator, and each solution comes with his personal take. The format might not be for everyone, but I found it enjoyable and stimulating, and expect to return to it often in the future.
The planetarium hypothesis taken to extreme is similar to solipsism. The true solipsist believes that everything he experiences.. is part of the content of his consciousness, rather than an external reality in which we all share… The true solipsist when defending his philosophy presumably has to inform his opponents that they don’t exist, which seems a rather ludicrous thing to do
February 16, 2019
What I loved most about this book was the breadth of material in it and all the various references to sci-fi stories, papers, biographies, and textbooks. It is a popular science book, so it doesn’t go too deep into the details of most things. Dr Webb tries his best to explain things plainly, which sometimes can feel kind of cringy if you’re knowledgeable about the topic. But for the most part, it’s quite enjoyable, even if you knew the theories and facts before. I guess this makes it well-written.
Personally, I think the parts to do with biology were quite a bit more involved than anything else in this book, but everything was still understandable (intuitively, at least). Although maybe it’s just me not having enough experience with these topics.
The author goes a little in-depth on every solution (explaining certain things that a casual reader wouldn’t know) and in doing so, he provides all the references to the source materials, historic context, the names and so on. Makes it feel a lot more sciency! While reading I made a bunch of notes - just things and people to look up later and filled my goodreads' "Want to read" section with quite a few books. Of course, you're bound to disagree with some of the proposed solutions, so from time to time I just found myself low-key thinking "just get on with it!".
This book can be really inspiring. I haven’t read a popular science book in a while, and this one really managed to boost my curiosity and excitement about science and ~~SPACE~~! This is why I’m giving this book... 4⭐
Personally, I think the parts to do with biology were quite a bit more involved than anything else in this book, but everything was still understandable (intuitively, at least). Although maybe it’s just me not having enough experience with these topics.
The author goes a little in-depth on every solution (explaining certain things that a casual reader wouldn’t know) and in doing so, he provides all the references to the source materials, historic context, the names and so on. Makes it feel a lot more sciency! While reading I made a bunch of notes - just things and people to look up later and filled my goodreads' "Want to read" section with quite a few books. Of course, you're bound to disagree with some of the proposed solutions, so from time to time I just found myself low-key thinking "just get on with it!".
This book can be really inspiring. I haven’t read a popular science book in a while, and this one really managed to boost my curiosity and excitement about science and ~~SPACE~~! This is why I’m giving this book... 4⭐
January 8, 2020
If you are interested in the Fermi's paradox, this book offers a profound and scientific take on the topic.
I really liked the authors approach to deal with complex astrophysics, biology, genetics etc. in a way that left me completely understanding the key concepts. The book is packed with relevant information, and it is put to good use. If you want to refresh your memories about the aforementioned topics, then you would not be dissapointed.
Great feature of the book is also authors take on popular science fiction and its explanations of the topic. There are several interesting books and stories mentioned that I will seek reading in the future.
I don't give this book five stars, because it is a little outdated, which is its only disadvantage - but it is not authors fault, but rather fast development of cosmic observation which allow us to see that there are probably many exoplanets (one was just found today, 100 light years from us).
I really liked the authors approach to deal with complex astrophysics, biology, genetics etc. in a way that left me completely understanding the key concepts. The book is packed with relevant information, and it is put to good use. If you want to refresh your memories about the aforementioned topics, then you would not be dissapointed.
Great feature of the book is also authors take on popular science fiction and its explanations of the topic. There are several interesting books and stories mentioned that I will seek reading in the future.
I don't give this book five stars, because it is a little outdated, which is its only disadvantage - but it is not authors fault, but rather fast development of cosmic observation which allow us to see that there are probably many exoplanets (one was just found today, 100 light years from us).
December 21, 2016
This book has a lot of good information and analysis.
My chief complaint is that Webb is tremendously biased towards technological optimism. He describes some of the arguments why interstellar travel and colonization may be so overwhelmingly difficult and expensive as to be completely infeasible... and Webb goes "nah, I'm sure we'll solve all that". I was hoping for a deeper analysis of the feasibility of interstellar travel, but Webb skirts past it.
There are many other good things in the book, though.
My chief complaint is that Webb is tremendously biased towards technological optimism. He describes some of the arguments why interstellar travel and colonization may be so overwhelmingly difficult and expensive as to be completely infeasible... and Webb goes "nah, I'm sure we'll solve all that". I was hoping for a deeper analysis of the feasibility of interstellar travel, but Webb skirts past it.
There are many other good things in the book, though.
October 23, 2023
“If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens...Where Is Everybody?” by Stephen Webb is about the Fermi paradox, one of the most intriguing and perplexing questions in science and philosophy: If the universe is so vast and old, and there are so many stars and planets, why haven't we encountered any signs of intelligent life beyond Earth? Are we alone in the cosmos, or are we missing something?
This audiobook, narrated by Dan Woren, is based on the second edition of Stephen Webb's popular book that explores 75 possible solutions to the Fermi paradox. The book is divided into three parts: The first part introduces the paradox and its history, the second part presents the solutions in a logical and systematic way, and the third part discusses the implications and challenges of the paradox.
The solutions range from the mundane to the exotic, from the optimistic to the pessimistic, from the scientific to the speculative. Some of them are well-known, such as the Drake equation, the zoo hypothesis, the rare Earth hypothesis, and the great filter. Others are less familiar, such as the aesthetic theory, the berserker hypothesis, the simulation hypothesis, and the transcension hypothesis. Each solution is explained in a clear and concise way, with references to relevant literature and research.
The narrator, Dan Woren, does a great job of delivering the content in an engaging and lively manner. He has a pleasant voice and a good pace, and he uses appropriate intonation and emphasis to convey the tone and mood of each solution. He also pronounces scientific terms and names correctly, which is not always the case with some narrators.
The audiobook is a fascinating and stimulating listen for anyone who is interested in astronomy, physics, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, or science fiction. It covers a wide range of topics and perspectives, and it invites the listener to think critically and creatively about one of the most profound mysteries of our existence. It also provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge and debate on the Fermi paradox, as well as some possible directions for future research and exploration.
The accompanying PDF to the audiobook provides a useful summary of each solution, as well as some diagrams and illustrations.
Overall, I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants to learn more about the Fermi paradox and its possible solutions. It is an informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking listen that will challenge your assumptions and expand your horizons.
This audiobook, narrated by Dan Woren, is based on the second edition of Stephen Webb's popular book that explores 75 possible solutions to the Fermi paradox. The book is divided into three parts: The first part introduces the paradox and its history, the second part presents the solutions in a logical and systematic way, and the third part discusses the implications and challenges of the paradox.
The solutions range from the mundane to the exotic, from the optimistic to the pessimistic, from the scientific to the speculative. Some of them are well-known, such as the Drake equation, the zoo hypothesis, the rare Earth hypothesis, and the great filter. Others are less familiar, such as the aesthetic theory, the berserker hypothesis, the simulation hypothesis, and the transcension hypothesis. Each solution is explained in a clear and concise way, with references to relevant literature and research.
The narrator, Dan Woren, does a great job of delivering the content in an engaging and lively manner. He has a pleasant voice and a good pace, and he uses appropriate intonation and emphasis to convey the tone and mood of each solution. He also pronounces scientific terms and names correctly, which is not always the case with some narrators.
The audiobook is a fascinating and stimulating listen for anyone who is interested in astronomy, physics, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, or science fiction. It covers a wide range of topics and perspectives, and it invites the listener to think critically and creatively about one of the most profound mysteries of our existence. It also provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge and debate on the Fermi paradox, as well as some possible directions for future research and exploration.
The accompanying PDF to the audiobook provides a useful summary of each solution, as well as some diagrams and illustrations.
Overall, I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants to learn more about the Fermi paradox and its possible solutions. It is an informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking listen that will challenge your assumptions and expand your horizons.
August 22, 2020
Very deep, very dense, very detailed. One of the best books I ever read in my whole life, it's as if you are reading a sci-fi novel. The author takes you to worlds and thoughts and possibilities you never thought of.
The author, and in 338 pages, checks 75 anwers to the question: Why haven't we heared anything from aliens, where are they..?? If the universe is immensly huge, and if the conditions that helped life to develop on earth, should also exist in some other planets, and end up with advanced technological creatures like us, the humans. So, if we assume that such conditions should have existed for a long time out there in many places of the universe, and with the fact that there are hundreds of billions of planets in our galaxy aline, and that also there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, so some people would argue that the conclusion must be, (the universe should br teaming with other creatures, just like us). But, "Where are they, why we haven't heared from them".The author in this book gives 75 answers to this question.
He takes you in a trip to a world of many many weird possibilities, and many ideas you didn't even think of. He has a vast knowledge about the latest discussions and scientific developments in this regard. And in the last few pages he gives his own thought about his own idea about this matter, which was almost a shock for me ( I will not mention it; not to spoil it).
This book is a (Must read) for every one.
The author, and in 338 pages, checks 75 anwers to the question: Why haven't we heared anything from aliens, where are they..?? If the universe is immensly huge, and if the conditions that helped life to develop on earth, should also exist in some other planets, and end up with advanced technological creatures like us, the humans. So, if we assume that such conditions should have existed for a long time out there in many places of the universe, and with the fact that there are hundreds of billions of planets in our galaxy aline, and that also there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, so some people would argue that the conclusion must be, (the universe should br teaming with other creatures, just like us). But, "Where are they, why we haven't heared from them".The author in this book gives 75 answers to this question.
He takes you in a trip to a world of many many weird possibilities, and many ideas you didn't even think of. He has a vast knowledge about the latest discussions and scientific developments in this regard. And in the last few pages he gives his own thought about his own idea about this matter, which was almost a shock for me ( I will not mention it; not to spoil it).
This book is a (Must read) for every one.
February 21, 2021
..jedna od od onih koje preskačem na policama samo zbog izgleda omota ( hrvatsko izdanje jesenski&turka je još "šarenije") . Ipak, zahvaljujući činjenici da sam je dobio na poklon i to, hvala usudu, od osobe koja ne ocjenjuje knjigu po omotu, i koja zna koje su moje neistražene strasti, dočepao sam se jako dobrog štiva koje na fin i pristupačan način daje moguća objašnjenja (50 njih) činjenice da nas još nitko iz beskrajnog svemira nije kontaktirao, posjetio, pokorio ( bar nema čvrstih dokaza..).
Topla preporuka za sve one koji su se bar jednom zapitali jesmo li doista jedinstveni (i samim tim sami u svemiru..) ili ipak ima tamo netko ili nešto.
Topla preporuka za sve one koji su se bar jednom zapitali jesmo li doista jedinstveni (i samim tim sami u svemiru..) ili ipak ima tamo netko ili nešto.
April 16, 2024
An absolutely fascinating must-read for anybody interested in the question of life in the universe, and the apparent lack thereof.
Even when dealing with particularly complex biological and chemical processes, Webb manages to break down the tougher scientific concepts into a comprehensible manner for those of us that aren't PHD-wielding physicists.
As somebody with little-to-no chance of leaving the Earth's orbit any time soon, I can imagine that the experience of reading this book is as close to the overview effect as I'll get in my lifetime.
Even when dealing with particularly complex biological and chemical processes, Webb manages to break down the tougher scientific concepts into a comprehensible manner for those of us that aren't PHD-wielding physicists.
As somebody with little-to-no chance of leaving the Earth's orbit any time soon, I can imagine that the experience of reading this book is as close to the overview effect as I'll get in my lifetime.
May 20, 2023
The book's subject matter is quite fun and it's hard to go wrong. The book is a fairly quick read and the author does a good job listing out most commonly discussed solutions to the Fermi paradox. If you are an avid sci-fi reader, you will come across many ideas which remind you of the books you have read.
My only disappointment is that the possibility of non-carbon based lifeforms only gets a passing mention and gets discarded altogether.
My only disappointment is that the possibility of non-carbon based lifeforms only gets a passing mention and gets discarded altogether.
June 3, 2017
Relatively comprehensive cross-scientific coverage of current thinking about the possible existence of "intelligent" life elsewhere. Surprisingly less human centric than popular science books from humans on average, but the question itself is quite much so...
May 28, 2017
"If we destroy ourselves, if we ruin Earth before we are ready to leave our home planet... well, it could be a long, long time before a creature from another species loos up at its planet's night sky and asks: 'where is everybody?' "
Very clear explanations to complex theory. Only took so long to finish because I got distracted often. Loved it.
Very clear explanations to complex theory. Only took so long to finish because I got distracted often. Loved it.
January 1, 2020
Well-structured, entertaining and full of interesting facts about our planet and the universe. Scientific but also deeply philosophical.
Minus one star for the lack of an audio version.
Minus one star for the lack of an audio version.
September 3, 2020
DNF @9 %, more like a 0.5 rating. Too much historical bargage for my liking. I won't be held hostage by the sunken cost fallacy 😉
March 9, 2023
I remember having my mind blown by cixin Liu's novel where I first came across the Dark forest solution to the Fermi paradox. Novel, Wikipedia, down the yt rabbit hole and here I am. A fantastic read for people who've always wondered about aliens. Accessible, intriguing and just fun to read. Best read of the year so far.
September 9, 2023
I first came across the Fermi paradox in the summer of 1984.
my favorite reading matter: Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.
It was through reading the works of Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke and Robert Heinlein and watching films like Forbidden Planet that I became enamored with science.
To save typing, I shall often refer to an extraterrestrial civilization as an ETC.
The Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev proposed a useful way of thinking about such civilizations. He argued that ETCs would possess one of three levels of technology. A Kardashev type 1 civilization, or K1 civilization, would be comparable to our own: it could employ the energy resources of a planet. A K2 civilization would be beyond our own: it could employ the energy resources of a star. A K3 civilization could employ the energy resources of an entire galaxy. According to Gillett, then, most ETCs in the Galaxy would be of a K2 or K3 type. Now, everything we know about terrestrial life tells us that life has a natural tendency to expand into all available space. Why should extraterrestrial life be any different? They should already be here!
He compared Gillett’s logic to the following argument: Lemmings breed quickly — about 3 litters per year, with each litter containing up to 8 offspring. In just a few years the total mass of lemmings will be equal to the mass of the entire terrestrial biosphere. The Earth must be swarming with lemmings. And yet, most of us see no evidence that lemmings exist.
I had been reading about cosmic wonders since I was a child. The Galaxy-spanning civilization of the Foundation trilogy, the astroengineering wonders of Ringworld, the enigma of the vessel in Rendezvous with Rama — all these were part of mymentalfurniture.
No other physicist since Fermi has switched between theory and experiment with such ease, and it is unlikely that anyone will do so again. The field has become too large to permit such crossover.
Fermi was born in Rome on 29 September 1901. he quickly outstripped his teachers.
Hisfirstmajorcontributiontophysicswasananalysisofthebehaviorof certain fundamental particles that make up matter. (These particles — such as protons, neutrons and electrons — are now called fermions in his honor.)
Soonafter, Fermi’s theory of beta decay (a type of radioactivity in which a massive nucleus emits an electron) cemented his international reputation. His theory demanded that a ghostly particle be emitted along with the electron, a particle he called the neutrino — “little neutral one.”
In 1938, Fermi won the Nobel Prize for physics. The award was partly in recognition of a technique hedevelopedtoprobetheatomicnucleus. His technique led him to the discovery of new radioactive elements; by bombarding the naturally occurring elements with neutrons, he produced more than 40 artificial radioisotopes. The award also recognized his discovery of how to make neutrons move slowly.
slow-moving neutrons are more effective than fast neutrons at inducing radioactivity. (A slow neutron spends more time in the neighborhood of a target nucleus, and so is more likely to interact with the nucleus. In a similar way, a well-aimed golf ball is more likely to sink into the hole if it is moving slowly: a fast-moving putt can roll by.) This principle is used in the operation of nuclear reactors.
The laws did not directly affect Fermi or his two children, who were considered to be Aryans, but Fermi’s wife, Laura, was Jewish. They decided to leave Italy, and Fermi accepted a position in America.
Einstein, after some prompting, wrote his historic letter to Roosevelt alerting the President to the probable consequences of nuclear fission. Roosevelt was concerned enough to fund aprogramofresearchinto the defense possibilities. Fermi was deeply involved in the program.
The reactor, or pile, consisted of slugs of purified uranium — about 6 tons in all — arranged within a matrix of graphite. The graphite slowed the neutrons, enabling them to cause further fission and maintain the chain reaction. Control rods made of cadmium (a strong neutron absorber) controlled the rate of the chain reaction. The pile went critical at 2:20P.M., and the first test was run for 28 minutes.
When he saw the flash from the immense explosion, he got to his feet and dropped small pieces of paper from his hand. In still air the pieces of paper would have fallen to his feet; but when the shock wave arrived, a few seconds after the flash, the paper moved horizontally due to the displacement of air. In typical fashion, he measured the displacement of the paper; since he knew the distance to the source, he could immediately estimate the energy of the explosion.
In 1954, however, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Fermi died on 29 November 1954, at the early age of 53.
Fermi tried to inculcate this facility in his students. Hewoulddemandofthem, without warning, answers to seemingly unanswerable questions. How many grains of sand are there on the world’s beaches? How far can a crow fly without stopping? How many atoms of Caesar’s last breath do you inhale with each lungful of air? Such “Fermi questions” (as they are now known) required students to draw upon their understandingoftheworldandtheireverydayexperienceandmakerough approximations, rather than rely on bookwork or prior knowledge.
Our word paradox comes from two Greek words: para, meaning “contrary to,” and doxa, meaning “opinion.”
If you have a cast-iron argument
A weak paradox or fallacy can often be clarified with a little thought. The contradiction usually arises because of a simple mistake in a chain of logic leading from premises to conclusion.
One explanation of the paradox is indeed that we are the only advanced civilization —butit is only one of several explanations.
We can appreciate the strength of the paradox when we realize that it has been independently discovered four times: it might more properly be called the Tsiolkovsky–Fermi–Viewing–Hart paradox.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a scientific visionary who worked out the theoretical basis of spaceflight as long ago as 1903. his famous phrase: “Earth is the cradle of intelligence, but it is impossible to live forever in the cradle.”
apocryphal
First, “physical explanations,” which are based on some difficulty that makes space travel unfeasible. Second, “sociological explanations,” which in essence suppose that extraterrestrials have chosen not to visit Earth. Third, “temporal explanations,” which suggest that ETCs have not had time to reach us. Fourth, there are explanations arguing that perhaps they have been on Earth, but we donot see them now.
The physicist Lee Smolin wrote that “the argument for the non-existence of intelligent life is one of the most curious I have ever encountered; it seems a bit like a ten-year-old child deciding that sex is a myth because he has yet to encounter it.”
I must confess that I simply don’t know howtoreact to sucharguments. I haveenoughtroublepredicting the plans and reactions of people closest to me.
When considering the type of reasoning employed with the Fermi paradox, I cannot help but think of the old joke about the engineer and the economist who are walking down a street. The engineer spots a banknote lying on the pavement, points to it, and says, “Look! There’s a hundred-dollar bill on the pavement.” The economist walks on, not bothering to look down. “You must be wrong,” he says. “If there were money there, someone would already have picked it up.” In science it is important to observe and experiment; we cannot know what is out there unless we look. All the theorizing in the world achieves nothing unless it passes the test of experiment.
Toward the end of his career he was a consultant to big business and the military, allotting time to various projects as if his brain were a time-share mainframe computer.
We can date the precise moment when a person first saw a “flying saucer.” On 24 June 1947, Kenneth Arnold was flying his private plane over the Cascade Mountain range in Washington State. From his cockpit he saw several airborne objects; when he landed he reported his sighting, describing the objects as skipping “like saucers across a pond.” The name stuck.
scientists will accept the hypothesis (and then just provisionally) only if it explains many facts with a minimum of assumptions, if it can withstand vigorous criticism, and if it does not run counter to what is already known.
Everything we see in the atmosphere is either a UFO or an IFO (an identified f lying object).
the phenomenon of ball lightning, for example, is poorly understood and not well researched
surely we should use Occam’s razor, one formulation of which is that explanations of unknown phenomena should first be sought in terms of known quantities.
If we never see 41% of the lunar surface, who knows what might be hiding on the far side of the Moon? It was not until the late 1970s, well after the many landers and orbiters had mapped the entire surface of the Moon, that “life” enthusiasts finally stopped promoting the idea of bridges and other artifacts.
These five Lagrangian points mark the positions where the gravitational pull of the two larger masses exactly balances the centripetal force required to rotate with them. NASA is already using the Lagrangian points of the Sun–Earth system as parking places for its satellites.
Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons
The idea that life originated elsewhere and was somehow transported to Earth is an old one. The notion of panspermia — literally “seeds everywhere”. it was a book by Arrhenius in 1908 that popularized the notion.
In 1973, John Ball proposed the zoo scenario. This general idea has a long history in science fiction, predating Ball’s publication. For example, Star Trek had the “Prime Directive,” which stated that the Federation should not interfere with the natural development of a planet.
solipsist
It is enough to note that a perfect simulation of a system — in other words, a simulation that cannot be distinguished from the original physical system by any conceivable test — can in theory be generated.) If an experiment highlights inconsistencies in the fabric of reality, then we might be led to postulate the existence of an “outside.”
Physicists can calculate the information and energy demands required to create a perfect simulation of any given size. It turns out that a K1 civilization could generate a perfect simulation of about 10,000km2 of Earth’s surface and to a height of about 1km.
A K3 civilization could generate a perfect simulation of a volume with a radius of about 100AU. This is a large distance. For comparison, Pluto, the outermost planet in the Solar System, lies at an average distance of 40AU from the Sun; the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the most distant man-made object, is only slightly farther away than Pluto. So it is possible that humans are creatures in the simulation of some K3 civilization.
In a few years, Voyager 1 will pass the 100-AU boundary; if it bumps into a metal wall that has been painted black —well, the game will be up for the planetarium builders!
my favorite reading matter: Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.
It was through reading the works of Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke and Robert Heinlein and watching films like Forbidden Planet that I became enamored with science.
To save typing, I shall often refer to an extraterrestrial civilization as an ETC.
The Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev proposed a useful way of thinking about such civilizations. He argued that ETCs would possess one of three levels of technology. A Kardashev type 1 civilization, or K1 civilization, would be comparable to our own: it could employ the energy resources of a planet. A K2 civilization would be beyond our own: it could employ the energy resources of a star. A K3 civilization could employ the energy resources of an entire galaxy. According to Gillett, then, most ETCs in the Galaxy would be of a K2 or K3 type. Now, everything we know about terrestrial life tells us that life has a natural tendency to expand into all available space. Why should extraterrestrial life be any different? They should already be here!
He compared Gillett’s logic to the following argument: Lemmings breed quickly — about 3 litters per year, with each litter containing up to 8 offspring. In just a few years the total mass of lemmings will be equal to the mass of the entire terrestrial biosphere. The Earth must be swarming with lemmings. And yet, most of us see no evidence that lemmings exist.
I had been reading about cosmic wonders since I was a child. The Galaxy-spanning civilization of the Foundation trilogy, the astroengineering wonders of Ringworld, the enigma of the vessel in Rendezvous with Rama — all these were part of mymentalfurniture.
No other physicist since Fermi has switched between theory and experiment with such ease, and it is unlikely that anyone will do so again. The field has become too large to permit such crossover.
Fermi was born in Rome on 29 September 1901. he quickly outstripped his teachers.
Hisfirstmajorcontributiontophysicswasananalysisofthebehaviorof certain fundamental particles that make up matter. (These particles — such as protons, neutrons and electrons — are now called fermions in his honor.)
Soonafter, Fermi’s theory of beta decay (a type of radioactivity in which a massive nucleus emits an electron) cemented his international reputation. His theory demanded that a ghostly particle be emitted along with the electron, a particle he called the neutrino — “little neutral one.”
In 1938, Fermi won the Nobel Prize for physics. The award was partly in recognition of a technique hedevelopedtoprobetheatomicnucleus. His technique led him to the discovery of new radioactive elements; by bombarding the naturally occurring elements with neutrons, he produced more than 40 artificial radioisotopes. The award also recognized his discovery of how to make neutrons move slowly.
slow-moving neutrons are more effective than fast neutrons at inducing radioactivity. (A slow neutron spends more time in the neighborhood of a target nucleus, and so is more likely to interact with the nucleus. In a similar way, a well-aimed golf ball is more likely to sink into the hole if it is moving slowly: a fast-moving putt can roll by.) This principle is used in the operation of nuclear reactors.
The laws did not directly affect Fermi or his two children, who were considered to be Aryans, but Fermi’s wife, Laura, was Jewish. They decided to leave Italy, and Fermi accepted a position in America.
Einstein, after some prompting, wrote his historic letter to Roosevelt alerting the President to the probable consequences of nuclear fission. Roosevelt was concerned enough to fund aprogramofresearchinto the defense possibilities. Fermi was deeply involved in the program.
The reactor, or pile, consisted of slugs of purified uranium — about 6 tons in all — arranged within a matrix of graphite. The graphite slowed the neutrons, enabling them to cause further fission and maintain the chain reaction. Control rods made of cadmium (a strong neutron absorber) controlled the rate of the chain reaction. The pile went critical at 2:20P.M., and the first test was run for 28 minutes.
When he saw the flash from the immense explosion, he got to his feet and dropped small pieces of paper from his hand. In still air the pieces of paper would have fallen to his feet; but when the shock wave arrived, a few seconds after the flash, the paper moved horizontally due to the displacement of air. In typical fashion, he measured the displacement of the paper; since he knew the distance to the source, he could immediately estimate the energy of the explosion.
In 1954, however, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Fermi died on 29 November 1954, at the early age of 53.
Fermi tried to inculcate this facility in his students. Hewoulddemandofthem, without warning, answers to seemingly unanswerable questions. How many grains of sand are there on the world’s beaches? How far can a crow fly without stopping? How many atoms of Caesar’s last breath do you inhale with each lungful of air? Such “Fermi questions” (as they are now known) required students to draw upon their understandingoftheworldandtheireverydayexperienceandmakerough approximations, rather than rely on bookwork or prior knowledge.
Our word paradox comes from two Greek words: para, meaning “contrary to,” and doxa, meaning “opinion.”
If you have a cast-iron argument
A weak paradox or fallacy can often be clarified with a little thought. The contradiction usually arises because of a simple mistake in a chain of logic leading from premises to conclusion.
One explanation of the paradox is indeed that we are the only advanced civilization —butit is only one of several explanations.
We can appreciate the strength of the paradox when we realize that it has been independently discovered four times: it might more properly be called the Tsiolkovsky–Fermi–Viewing–Hart paradox.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a scientific visionary who worked out the theoretical basis of spaceflight as long ago as 1903. his famous phrase: “Earth is the cradle of intelligence, but it is impossible to live forever in the cradle.”
apocryphal
First, “physical explanations,” which are based on some difficulty that makes space travel unfeasible. Second, “sociological explanations,” which in essence suppose that extraterrestrials have chosen not to visit Earth. Third, “temporal explanations,” which suggest that ETCs have not had time to reach us. Fourth, there are explanations arguing that perhaps they have been on Earth, but we donot see them now.
The physicist Lee Smolin wrote that “the argument for the non-existence of intelligent life is one of the most curious I have ever encountered; it seems a bit like a ten-year-old child deciding that sex is a myth because he has yet to encounter it.”
I must confess that I simply don’t know howtoreact to sucharguments. I haveenoughtroublepredicting the plans and reactions of people closest to me.
When considering the type of reasoning employed with the Fermi paradox, I cannot help but think of the old joke about the engineer and the economist who are walking down a street. The engineer spots a banknote lying on the pavement, points to it, and says, “Look! There’s a hundred-dollar bill on the pavement.” The economist walks on, not bothering to look down. “You must be wrong,” he says. “If there were money there, someone would already have picked it up.” In science it is important to observe and experiment; we cannot know what is out there unless we look. All the theorizing in the world achieves nothing unless it passes the test of experiment.
Toward the end of his career he was a consultant to big business and the military, allotting time to various projects as if his brain were a time-share mainframe computer.
We can date the precise moment when a person first saw a “flying saucer.” On 24 June 1947, Kenneth Arnold was flying his private plane over the Cascade Mountain range in Washington State. From his cockpit he saw several airborne objects; when he landed he reported his sighting, describing the objects as skipping “like saucers across a pond.” The name stuck.
scientists will accept the hypothesis (and then just provisionally) only if it explains many facts with a minimum of assumptions, if it can withstand vigorous criticism, and if it does not run counter to what is already known.
Everything we see in the atmosphere is either a UFO or an IFO (an identified f lying object).
the phenomenon of ball lightning, for example, is poorly understood and not well researched
surely we should use Occam’s razor, one formulation of which is that explanations of unknown phenomena should first be sought in terms of known quantities.
If we never see 41% of the lunar surface, who knows what might be hiding on the far side of the Moon? It was not until the late 1970s, well after the many landers and orbiters had mapped the entire surface of the Moon, that “life” enthusiasts finally stopped promoting the idea of bridges and other artifacts.
These five Lagrangian points mark the positions where the gravitational pull of the two larger masses exactly balances the centripetal force required to rotate with them. NASA is already using the Lagrangian points of the Sun–Earth system as parking places for its satellites.
Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons
The idea that life originated elsewhere and was somehow transported to Earth is an old one. The notion of panspermia — literally “seeds everywhere”. it was a book by Arrhenius in 1908 that popularized the notion.
In 1973, John Ball proposed the zoo scenario. This general idea has a long history in science fiction, predating Ball’s publication. For example, Star Trek had the “Prime Directive,” which stated that the Federation should not interfere with the natural development of a planet.
solipsist
It is enough to note that a perfect simulation of a system — in other words, a simulation that cannot be distinguished from the original physical system by any conceivable test — can in theory be generated.) If an experiment highlights inconsistencies in the fabric of reality, then we might be led to postulate the existence of an “outside.”
Physicists can calculate the information and energy demands required to create a perfect simulation of any given size. It turns out that a K1 civilization could generate a perfect simulation of about 10,000km2 of Earth’s surface and to a height of about 1km.
A K3 civilization could generate a perfect simulation of a volume with a radius of about 100AU. This is a large distance. For comparison, Pluto, the outermost planet in the Solar System, lies at an average distance of 40AU from the Sun; the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the most distant man-made object, is only slightly farther away than Pluto. So it is possible that humans are creatures in the simulation of some K3 civilization.
In a few years, Voyager 1 will pass the 100-AU boundary; if it bumps into a metal wall that has been painted black —well, the game will be up for the planetarium builders!
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