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We’re alone in the universe…and here’s why
Oh ET, ET, wherefore art thou, ET
“Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” ― Sir Arthur C. Clarke
I’m sure we can all agree that the title of this article is pretty provocative, clickbaity even. However, I DO in fact believe we are alone in the universe, and, while I doubt I’ll convince you of it, I hope I can at least show that I have a somewhat valid reason for holding such a belief.
Perhaps ‘belief’ is the wrong word to use. For me, ‘reasonable expectation’ is a better way to put it. Of course, we will probably disagree on what is ‘reasonable’ when it comes to arguments and evidence for-or-against intelligent life in the universe, but in this article, I will try to lay down a foundation for why I think we will never meet our alien peers.
“It’s highly improbable in the limitless vastness of the Universe that we humans stand alone.” — Charles Bolden
The Fermi Paradox is the idea that if life is so easy to get started, and intelligent life is the inevitable result, then why oh why, when listening to the great cosmos, all we can hear is deafening silence? For me there is no paradox. The cosmos is silent because there are no others out there calling to us. They don’t exist. It’s that simple.
“The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” ― Carl Sagan
“If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe, then I’d have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.” — George Carlin
A lot of famous science promoters like Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Brian Cox have all suggested there are almost certainly many other instances of intelligent life out there because of the sheer number of stars, and they all say it’s arrogant to think otherwise. I’d like to offer that my view…
