Burst 10 - Nick Nielsen on the Wilderness Hypothesis - a podcast by Paul Carr
from 2015-12-04T03:48:45
Released: 3 December 2015
Duration: 13 minutes, 43 seconds
Is the cosmos a trackless wilderness in which apex predators, in the form of advanced extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs), roam at will, and vulnerable civilizations (like ours) learn to maintain a low profile? Nick Nielsen considers some variations on the theme of the 'zoo hypothesis' of John Ball, each being a response to the Fermi paradox, and how we might prefer to 'play dead' as a civilization given the potential dangers of the cosmos primeval.
Links
The Zoo Hypothesis by John Ball (PDF)
The Wilderness Hypothesis post at the Grand Strategy Annex
Another Astrobiological Thought Experiment and a Comment Response
If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens, Where is Everybody?
Observational Signatures of Self Destructive Civilizations
Credits
Writer and Presenter: Nick Nielsen
Producer: Paul Carr
Music: Jason Robinson
Further episodes of The Wow! Signal Podcast
Further podcasts by Paul Carr
Website of Paul Carr