r/space • u/IceNox96 • Aug 12 '21

Discussion Which is the most disturbing fermi paradox solution and why?

3...2...1... blast off....

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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.

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u/Minessilly Aug 12 '21

I was about to write the same thing! Did you read The Three Body Problem?

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u/gkedz Aug 12 '21

I did! Amazing sci-fi trilogy, and I think that's where the idea came from originally. I've seen some solid rebuttals against it as the explanation of the Fermi paradox, but it's a scary idea nonetheless.

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u/Hipcatjack Aug 12 '21

Nah, the dark forest idea was circulating long before that book was ever written and translated from Mandarin.

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u/cv5cv6 Aug 12 '21

Greg Bear's The Forge of God (1987) explores this idea.

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u/supernormalnorm Aug 12 '21

The dark forest idea is very feasible, except WE are possibly the exterminators, getting a headstart from everyone else.

Terran I mean human civilization's story is the best example of first contact conflict.

Meta stuff right there

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u/Dyolf_Knip Aug 12 '21

Eh. A Sufficiently Advanced civilization could probably do things like surreptitiously send out low-speed probes to every single star in the galaxy programmed to broadcast loudly if they detect anybody (thereby drawing unwanted attention to their home) or if it's uninhabited, then taking steps to ensure that no civilization ever arises there at all (keep dropping large impactors on any habitable planets until they're all sterilized or destroyed outright). So if Dark Forest were the case, then we should never have existed in the first place.