Great filter or why space is silent

Great filter or why space is silent

Scientists create powerful telescopes, scan each celestial region and bombard space with signals to find at least a faint hint of the presence of extraterrestrial life. We do not want to admit that we can be alone in the universe. Is there really a great filter? And is there a threat ahead?

Where is everyone?

This topic bothered the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi. He perfectly understood that in theory the infinite Universe must have a huge number of planets with life, and many of them may be nearby. But then why did we never meet anyone? How to explain the lack of response signals or even banal signs of primitive life in the native solar system?

Against this background, the famous Fermi Paradox arose, which continues to torment the researchers. In short, this is the question: “Where is everyone?”. It is deciphered by a simple paradox: “We have good reason to believe that technologically advanced civilizations should be present in outer space. However, we see nothing of the kind. Hence the paradox: either we misunderstand the nature of life, or something is wrong with our methods of observation. ”

Great filter

Great filter or why space is silent

Enrico Fermi

Many have tried to solve the Fermi paradox. One example was the idea of ​​the Great Filter. This hypothesis originated in 1996. Its creator was Robin Hanson. He considered that the development of life on the planet includes 9 important stages, each of which must be implemented in order to observe something resembling our civilization. In theory, there existed and will continue to exist a great many representatives of alien life who have reached a certain stage in their development. But here comes the Great Filter. Take it as a certain event or barrier. This is a critical moment that can arise at any stage and prevent life from moving on, which leads to its destruction.

What could be the Great Filter? For example, the planet did not originate in the habitable zone, the impossibility of the origin of multicellular organisms, the emergence of some external factor that deprived animals of the opportunity to develop the brain and move to the stage of using tools.

As you can see, the idea of ​​the Great Filter is based more on the history of mankind. Therefore, some scientists criticize the concept itself. We still do not know how life appeared on earth, therefore we cannot use it as a model superimposed on other worlds. It is also difficult to prove that all life arises in conditions acceptable to us. Perhaps there are living organisms that will be comfortable with the hellish heating of Venus. Who knows?

Is the threat still ahead?

Great filter or why space is silent

In general, the idea seems interesting if one of the conclusions did not even terrify the researchers. It can be assumed that even at an early stage of development, mankind managed to avoid the Great Filter, or even miraculously overcome it. Then everything is great. We are simply developing further (now humanity is in the eighth stage). But what if the Great Filter awaits us in the future? The ninth stage is the colonization of space by intelligent beings. However, we have not yet met a single real fact proving that this is happening.

From here three conclusions:

  • Alien life has never been able to develop into a rational form (in order to at least slightly resemble human achievements).
  • no representative of extraterrestrial life was able to reach the final stage (colonization).
  • Humanity has to go through the Great Filter in the near future.

Agree, the news is not very good. Some believe that the Great Filter has already begun in the form of climate change. Or there will be a problem with lack of resources. We will not throw off with the score and the risk of collision with a large asteroid.

But, if we never met the alien colonists, then we have no chance to move to the next stage. So mankind must be destroyed? Well, I do not want to believe in such a probability. What do you think?

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