See:
Non-Fiction
Is There Life On Other Worlds?
STL Interstellar Warfare
A Populated Galaxy?
Is this argument valid? - The universe is so big that it must contain more than one intelligent species.
The universe is expanding so its size is a function of its age. It had to reach quite an advanced age, with a lot of Population II stars and their planetary systems, before any life could commence and evolve. Then it is hit-and-miss whether and how quickly life becomes intelligent, let alone civilized and industrialized.
Therefore, it is possible that we are the first - or, alternatively, that intelligent species are so widely separated in space and time that they will never encounter each other. So far, the evidence is consistent with either of these propositions.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Besides Anderson's IS THERE LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS? (which I'm thinking of rereading), there's also Michael A.G. Michaud's book CONTACT WITH ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS (Copernicus Books: 2010), a much more recent on the same topic. A work I might reread as well after Anderson's book. I am sorry Michaud makes no mention of Anderson earlier, pioneering work, not even to listing it in the bibliography.
And I'm skeptical of notions like the "brotherhood of beings." Notions that we see in the Technic stories as well. MY view is far more what Commander Max Abrams said to the youthful Flandry in Chapter 5 of ENSIGN FLANDRY: "Not exactly? You know better'n that. Not even all men are [brothers]. Never have been. Sure, war is degrading. But there are worse degradations. Sure, peace is wonderful. But you can't always have peace, except in death, and you most definitely can't have a peace that isn't grounded on hard common interest, that doesn't pay off for everybody concerned."
And I agree with what Abrams said about how, for practical purposes, loyalties have to be limited if they are to be effective: "Sure, the Empire is sick. But she is ours. She's all we've got. Son, the height of irresponsibility is to spread your love and loyalty so thin that you haven't got enough left for the few beings and the few institutions which rate it from you."
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
If a Warhoon attacked me, I would shoot him dead while recognizing that he had been a self-conscious thinking being. (As a matter of fact, he would be content to die fighting.)
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree! And I hope I would do the same if attacked like that. While not taking pleasure in it. A Merseian might well feel the same way about dying in combat.
Ad astra! Sean
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