re: #99 Belafon

I’m part of the “no we’re not ready for ftl travel yet, but take me with you” crowd.

Until proven that we can, I assume FTL is not a possibility. So what would a planetary-system spanning, intelligent species do? Perhaps send lots of autonomous units to observe other planetary systems and recruit other species to exchange ideas. Complex problems do not get solved when everyone thinks the same way. That way is the path to collapse. Wise solutions arise from diverse viewpoints.

I think this might be universal for intelligent species. Diversity of thought is needed to be adaptive enough to survive, control planetary resources and span the entire system. (Yes, I know this is all a bunch of conjecture but lets have some fun)

A species that has figured out a way beyond its waste problems will also know this and yearn for even greater ideas to solve its problems. So it sends out autonomous devices to keep an eye on other’s systems and the emergence of intelligent life. Because of their nature, they can survive huge acceleration rates and likely get to other systems quite rapidly.

Since the observations will likely take place over centuries, the lag time for radio waves to get back may not be a big problem. ANyone looking at us would have had well over 50,000 years since our creation of culture and trade wo watch.They are looking for new partners in the galactic exchange of information and possible economies that are derived from them. (How do we build a Stanford Torus?)

But the aliens will not waste time on intelligent species unless they have shown themselves to be sustainable and past the point of collapse due to resource management. Dealing with climate change is one of these milestones.

And as a species passes the needed milestones, new and more specialized autonomus devices can be sent, ones with a greater ability to make complex decisions about contact (the greater resources needed for such a complex AI would likely keep them from being used every time. Save it for the few important civilizations.)

So,we have not heard from others because at the moment we would just be a waste of their time. But if we solve climate change and become a solar-system spanning civilization, we might hear from them. That would be fun.

Maybe our unique insights and approaches would actually produce FTL. (And yes, if you want to write a novel about this, please just mention me.) (Of course, anyone who has read Gordon Dickson’s Dangert-Human knows of another possibility.)