Given the trillions upon trillions of planets in the universe, it appears logically unlikely that we are alone as sentient beings. Even if only a small portion of planets contained life, and only a small portion of those evolved intelligent life, the universe should still be teeming with civilizations. Given the age of the universe, many of these civilizations should be millions or billions of years ahead of our own.
Since technology grows at an exponential rate, a civilization only a few thousand years more advanced than us should have extended its reach far beyond its solar system. Just one sufficiently advanced civilization would have saturated enormous expanses of space with its intelligence, making them highly detectable. At the very least, we should have detected the plethora of radio signals broadcast over the ages.
And yet the skies are silent.
The Absence
What can account for the absence of intelligent life in the universe? It is highly improbable that an intelligent civilization would never adopt some form of radio communication; it is easy to invent and fundamental as a means of communication. Yet SETI has detected nothing in over twenty years of scanning the skies.
Furthermore, even if a few highly advanced civilizations decided to remain hidden, it would be unlikely that they all would make that same decision. Either all other forms of intelligent life exist outside of our observable sphere, or we truly are alone.
A Shocking Possibility
Could it be that the human species, with our constant warring and destructive nature, are the most intelligent beings in the universe?
Humans are still a product of blind, unintelligent forces. We are vastly inferior in design and capabilities to what could be physically possible. The human brain, the most intelligent computer on the planet, is still at least 10^26 times computationally slower than it could theoretically be for its mass.
Humans, even with our current technology, remain subject to horrible diseases, injury, aging, destructive emotions, needless suffering, and unavoidable death. This seems proof enough to demonstrate the absence of any intelligent creator. We can, and will, do much better.
The Weight of This Moment
Right now, we stand as the most intelligent beings in our most enlightened time, on the verge of a change that will imbue us with intelligence and capabilities previously attributed to gods.
I would say we are fortunate to be alive at this time. The coming decades will prove to be the most important time not only in the history of humanity, but in the history of the universe.
If the skies truly are silent, if we are the first or only intelligence to reach this threshold, then the responsibility we carry is almost incomprehensible. What we do in the coming years may determine whether intelligence spreads throughout the cosmos or flickers out on a single pale blue dot.
The logical consequence of our situation demands that we act accordingly.
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