I believe that aliens exist in reality. As Tim McCree has said, real aliens won't be like the ones on Star Trek or Doctor Who and no, they won't be returning Amelia Earhart and Glenn Miller.

There aliens would be so different than us, that communications will probably not be possible.

Do they exist somewhere? I'd be surprised if they didn't. Will we ever cross paths with them? Who knows? Have they been visiting Earth? Highly doubtful.

Unless you believe the guy with the funny hair on Ancient Aliens, of course. He seems to think that this planet was a literal pit stop for aliens in ancient times.

That show belongs on the Sci-Fi Channel, not the History Channel, IMO.

The Fermi paradox states that given the age of the universe and what we know about astronomy, evolution and technology, intelligent life, if it exists, had plenty of time to completely colonize our galaxy and transforming it in ways that would be obvious even to the naked eye. We don't observe such a colonized galaxy, so where ARE all the aliens that SHOULD be there? This is NOT and easy question to answer.

Here is a video that discusses the Fermi Paradox if some depth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDPj5zI66LA&list=PLIIOUpOge0LulClL2dHXh8TTOnCgRkLdU

intelligent life, if it exists, had plenty of time to completely colonize our galaxy

Why the hell would they want to do a thing like that for?

Even amongst STUPID APE humans, the better-educated you are, the fewer children you tend to have.

A TRULY intelligent alien race would realise the MIND-BOGGLING STUPIDITY of producing offspring and wouldn't NEED to overrun the rest of the galaxy for lebensraum.

Emily, overpopulation would not be the only reason to colonize the galaxy. Spreading out to other worlds insures that your race survives, if something should happen to your home world. Staying on one world when you have the means to colonize others makes no sense.

Someday Earth will be destroyed. If we haven't left it by the time that happens, we're toast.

And that is a good reason to colonize other worlds.

Spreading out to other worlds insures that your race survives, if something should happen to your home world. Staying on one world when you have the means to colonize others makes no sense.

That's very true, so maybe colonise two or three uninhabited worlds to be on the safe side, but why would you overrun the entire galaxy?

Why the hell would they want to do a thing like that for?

Well, because if THEY don't, someone ELSE might and push them way down at the bottom of the pecking order.

It's not a bad thing to expand your population. It's a bad thing to expand it past what the environment can sustain. The solar system can easily support a billion times Earth's current population, and there are billions of solar systems in the Milky Way alone, so there is a STRONG incentive to colonize all that space. And don't forget, species always tend to occupy all of the territory available to them. So the question remains, why have no alien species already done that? WHERE are they?

We're intelligent life and we haven't invented interstellar travel?

We've only been working on it for less than a century, give it time, it's not an easy thing to do.

Well, because if THEY don't, someone ELSE might and push them way down at the bottom of the pecking order.

I'm VERY suspicious of the alleged superiority of a race which would PRE-EMPTIVELY conquer the galaxy.

And don't forget, species always tend to occupy all of the territory available to them.

Alright, oochies have the most AMAZING ability to spread their little selves out over an entire bed, leaving you uncomfortably contorted in the corner but are you SURE you're not extrapolating too much from this...?

So the question remains, why have no alien species already done that? WHERE are they?

Space is big, really, really big...

Maybe that’s why we’ve never met any aliens, they only need to colonise a few solar systems and they’re set. Not to mention we won’t know the state of the galaxy, it might well have been ‘civilised’ by now and as a pre contact planet there are rules about talking to us. We may well not have the technology to detect their transmissions too, I mean things like WiFi would be invisible to us until 100 years ago or so, whatever the aliens use may just be outside of our detection range

That's very true, so maybe colonise two or three uninhabited worlds to be on the safe side, but why would you overrun the entire galaxy?


Because of what's sometimes known as the reproductive orientation in Marxism. In gernal, people need to reproduce cultural artifacts in order for their culture to be validated. If you open a branch of your business in Laos, it's taken as a sign of validity; your business is so good that people in other countries want it. It's not just the financial capital; it's the smugness. You feel your culture is justified by being reproduced.

Same here. The more planets a race 'colonises,' the more important they believe themselves to be.

I know you already know this.

it might well have been ‘civilised’ by now and as a pre contact planet there are rules about talking to us

Kind of like Star Trek's Prime Directive, in which they're not allowed to make contact with a planet until said planet achieves warp drive.

Yeah there is no reason to assume that any potential aliens don’t have a version of the prime directive. Hopefully one that they use their brains when enforcing.

If an alien population about 2200 light-years away from here could observe the Earth now by a powerful telescope, they would see the ancient Romans fighting Hannibal in the Second Punic War.

Every day thousands of television stations all over the world are sending out their programs.

Since television signals go in almost straight lines and do not follow the curvature of the Earth, they travel on into space possibly forever.

This lets it be known to beings on other planets that Earth must be inhabited by intelligent creatures.

Alien 1: We've translated the signals from Earth.

Alien 2: What are they?

Alien 1: Television programs called The Jersey Shore, Big Brother, and Two Broke Girls.

Alien 2: *sigh* No intelligent life there.

Not to mention if said aliens picks up one of Orange Hitler's Presidential Addresses.

They'd think it was a hilarious, if unsubtle, parody, SURELY.

And imagine if they realize it is'nt and go attack Earth to kill him.

I have no problem with this scenario.

That could result in a lot of colateral damage and casualties.

You remember that moment in World War Three when Blon Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen said 'Bargain'...?

Those being casualtied might object. Starting with you I reckon.

And NOW I'm thinking of Capaldi-in-Time-Heist saying 'Well, only very, very briefly.'