Fermi's Paradox Is there someone else there? About what the theory of the Great Filter has to tell us: Are we the first, exceptional or are we screwed?
1. We are exceptional (the Great Filter is behind us) One hope we have is that the Great Filter is behind us - we have managed to overcome it, which would mean that it is extremely unusual for life to reach our level of intelligence. The diagram below shows only two species getting past it, and we are one of them. This scenario would explain why there are no Type III civilizations… but it would also mean that we could be one of the few exceptions now that we've gotten this far. It would mean that there is hope. On the surface, this sounds a bit like people from 500 years ago suggesting that the Earth is the center of the universe — it implies that we are special. However, something scientists call "anthropic bias" suggests that anyone who considers their own weirdness is inherently part of an intelligent life "success story" - and whether they are truly unusual or fairly common, the thoughts that arise and the conclusions they draw will be identical. This forc...