This is highly unlikely. The universe is a big place with an unfathomable number of habitable planets and full of materials necessary for life. The real sci-fi scenario is that our sector of the universe has been firewalled by more advanced civilizations until we figure out how not to kill each other.
I'm not sure if someone has discussed the firewall scenario before but I'm pretty sure I lifted it from somewhere, just can't remember where exactly. So someone out there has considered it seriously and if I was gonna bet on anything then I'd bet on the firewall scenario. The other options are a little too self-centered and are basically replacements for the geocentric model of the universe before people wised up and discovered that they were in fact not the center of the universe.
It's somewhat childish and conceited to think that in the entire universe humanity is the only civilization that has managed to set its sights on the stars.
It is a known hypothetical scenario I believe, and not too unrealistic, as far as I am concerned.
Still, the dark forest theory, which I first encountered through the book by the same name, is by far the most convincing I have ever read. I don't want to spoil anything in case you want to read the trilogy by Liu Cixin, which I can highly recommend. It might be the best work of science fiction since the culture series by Ian M. Banks imho.
Space is huge. Even if we are the first one in the galaxy and we manage to spread. It's going to be tremendously difficult to do, certainly doable even at today's technology but with consequence of time. There's likely a habitable planet 4 lightyears away. But we are hundreds of years away if we leave today.
Flipside, I won't name names. They are utterly crazy and yet routinely correct. His assertion is aliens are on earth today, they don't use spaceship but are multidimensional. I'm biting on this one. I believe it.
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[ 5.6 ms ] story [ 43.5 ms ] threadIt's somewhat childish and conceited to think that in the entire universe humanity is the only civilization that has managed to set its sights on the stars.
Still, the dark forest theory, which I first encountered through the book by the same name, is by far the most convincing I have ever read. I don't want to spoil anything in case you want to read the trilogy by Liu Cixin, which I can highly recommend. It might be the best work of science fiction since the culture series by Ian M. Banks imho.
Flipside, I won't name names. They are utterly crazy and yet routinely correct. His assertion is aliens are on earth today, they don't use spaceship but are multidimensional. I'm biting on this one. I believe it.