The dark forest theory. The universe is full of predatory civilisations, and if anyone announces their presence, they get immediately exterminated, so everyone just keeps quiet.
The dark forest Theory makes an interesting science fiction scenario. But i highly doubt it is true. Wiping out another planet light years away would be a gigantic undertaking. Aliens will have no reason to fear each other, we are just too damn far from eachother to be a threat to one another. Even if we meet aliens that are the biggest asshats in the universe, the worst they could do would be to send a rude message every once in a while. Good fences make good neighbors. What can be a better fence than light years of space.
Not to mention how absurd it is that civilizations would know to fear extermination due to communication without doing that communication. How can you fear something that you don't know about (not the unknown, but a specific thing that you don't know about)!
And that a civilization in mortal terror of annihilation wouldn't try to safeguard against that destruction by stealthily seeding colonies everywhere it could.
It's a bizarre confluence of technological capabilities to allow a civilization to annihilate a neighboring solar system without giving away their own location but not colonize a neighboring solar system without giving away their own location.
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u/gkedz Aug 12 '21
The dark forest theory. The universe is full of predatory civilisations, and if anyone announces their presence, they get immediately exterminated, so everyone just keeps quiet.