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Why haven't aliens got in contact with us yet?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mustrum_Ridcully" data-source="post: 6864518" data-attributes="member: 710"><p>We can't send those Von Neumann probes yet, however. We can speculate that it might or should be possible - but maybe it is not. Or, once we know how it could be done, we realize that we might need to look in a direction we have not looked before. To actually get to a paradox we have to make some assumptions of what kind of technology is possible. </p><p></p><p>Nothing humanity has build so far actually lasted millions of years. We haven't even been building things long enough for that. But in fact, most of what we can build is lucky to last more than a few years without maintenance (and usually even then, it requires optimal conditions.) We have nothing that is self-sustaining/maintaining and/or autonomously self-replicating. I believe the best we have now is 3D Printers that can print themselves, but they are not collecting their own rare materials.</p><p></p><p>Maybe Von Neumann probes end up not very small, but very huge, because something very small can't be fitted with the necessary intelligence and mechanical capabilities to find stuff to make itself from and detect anything about alien life or the universe. Maybe a "real" Von Neuman would look suspiciously like a complete star system.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mustrum_Ridcully, post: 6864518, member: 710"] We can't send those Von Neumann probes yet, however. We can speculate that it might or should be possible - but maybe it is not. Or, once we know how it could be done, we realize that we might need to look in a direction we have not looked before. To actually get to a paradox we have to make some assumptions of what kind of technology is possible. Nothing humanity has build so far actually lasted millions of years. We haven't even been building things long enough for that. But in fact, most of what we can build is lucky to last more than a few years without maintenance (and usually even then, it requires optimal conditions.) We have nothing that is self-sustaining/maintaining and/or autonomously self-replicating. I believe the best we have now is 3D Printers that can print themselves, but they are not collecting their own rare materials. Maybe Von Neumann probes end up not very small, but very huge, because something very small can't be fitted with the necessary intelligence and mechanical capabilities to find stuff to make itself from and detect anything about alien life or the universe. Maybe a "real" Von Neuman would look suspiciously like a complete star system. [/QUOTE]
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