The Fermi Paradox: Silentium U niversi

1. The Fermi Paradox:SilentiumUniversi McKinley Alden FYOS Fall 2012

2. Enrico Fermi • 1901-1954 • He and Oppenheimer: “Fathers of the Atomic Bomb” • Atomic physicist, not astronomer • Namesake behind fermions • Physicist Historian C. P. Snow: "If Fermi had been born a few years earlier, one could well imagine him discovering Rutherford’s atomic nucleus, and then developing Bohr’s theory of the hydrogen atom. If this sounds like hyperbole, anything about Fermi is likely to sound like hyperbole".

3. The Paradox • The story goes: “One day, a group of scientists is sitting about and talking- this group happened to contain the famous Enrico Fermi, and the conversation happened to turn to extraterrestrial life… • “Well? Where is everybody?”

4. The apparent size and age of the universe suggest that many technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations ought to exist. • Lack of observational evidence • Our sun is young; there are about 70 sextillion other stars in the universe that are billions of years older; • Some of these stars, in relation to the sheer quantity, probably have planetswhich could develop intelligent life; • It seems logical that some of these civilizations will develop interstellar travel, and; • At any reasonable pace of technological development, the galaxy could be colonized in just tens of millions of years.

5. Counter-argumentsdiscounting the existence of ETL • No other civilizations have arisen on Earth; • Unique Earth • Life is destroyed by natural disasters; • Theology

6. Argumentstaking into effect the possibility of the existence of ETL • Lack of evidence • Conspiracy • Scale of the universe • Physical expense of mass colonization • We’ve not been searching long enough • The destructive nature of intelligence: • Intelligence will always destroy itself; • Intelligence will always destroy others;

7. Arguments (Cont.) • Differences in technology • Miscommunication • Misjudgment of advancement • The Paradox itself is issue- each assumes they will be contacted THEY ARE HERE

8. Another argument- unfathomable types of life

9. In regards to the dimensions of the universe:

10. Bibliography • http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1938/fermi-bio.html • http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/cosmo/lectures/lec28.html • http://www.seti.org/drakeequation • http://www.sciencemeetsreligion.org/physics/fermi.php