January 22, 2017

The Fermi Paradox

Where are all the aliens? This big question was posed by Enrico Fermi back when Pop Punk's grandfather was walking 10 miles in the snow to get to school. Uphill. Both ways.

The idea being that, if there are so many stars in the known universe that could possibly be home to other galaxies with other planets in them, then there must possibly be another planet or planets out there that could possibly be home to intelligent life. And if this is the case, why haven't we seen any aliens?

(For more information about the Fermi's Paradox, check out the two part animated video included at the bottom of this article.)

Bill Nye (The Science Guy) poses his own solution to the question in the following video:

His answer is that we simply haven't been listening long enough. While this is certainly a valid theory, we also have a theory of our own.

We live in an age of globalization and technology which has made our lives much more connected than ever before. While this comes with advantages such as the ability to communicate with others without leaving the comfort of our local McDonald's WiFi hotspot, this also comes with the disadvantage of Ronald McDonald peeping into your collection of pokemon cosplay photos.

Humor aside, perhaps it is the inherent nature of technologically advanced societies to destroy themselves. Billie Joe of Green Day asks "What good is love and peace on Earth, if it's exclusive?" in the hit single "Troubled Times" off of their latest album Revolution Radio.

Technology is a double-edged sword. While it can provide society with a great number benefits it can also be used by the elite ruling class to control the masses. Perhaps technology grows to a point where it becomes an intolerable and/or uncontrollable force that must be destroyed at all costs.

Ok, so maybe this theory has been the basis of sci-fi movies for just about as long as sci-movies have exist. It's still an ever-growing reality.