The Great Silence, Science and Philosophy of Fermi's Paradox by Ćirković, Milan M. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Dedication page epigraph Contents Introductory Note Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: The Many Faces of Fermi’s Paradox

1.1 The Famous Lunch 1.2 Different Versions of the Paradox 1.3 Spatio-Temporal Scales and the Real Strength of StrongFP 1.4 Structure (and Culture) of Fermi’s Paradox 1.5 Philosophical Assumptions 1.6 The Null Hypothesis 1.7 Why Now? 1.8 Two Is Equal to One: Fermi’s Paradox and the Success of SETI 1.9 X-Factors and Navigating Spaceship Earth

2. ‘What’s Past Is Prologue’: Cosmological and Astrophysical Background

2.1 The New Standard Cosmological Model 2.2 The Size and Age of the Galaxy 2.3 The Galactic Habitable Zone 2.4 Horizons and Temporal Scales

3. Speaking Prose: Realism, Naturalism, Copernicanism, Non-Exclusivity

3.1 Why Philosophy? 3.2 Philosophical Naturalism 3.3 Scientific Realism 3.4 Copernicanism 3.5 Gradualism (and Red Herrings) 3.6 The Non-Exclusivity Principle 3.7 The Continuity Thesis 3.8 Postbiological Evolution 3.9 The Drake Equation, for Good or Bad 3.10 Let the Games Begin!

4. L’Année dernière à Marienbad: Solipsist Solutions

4.1 Down with Realism! 4.2 Saucers, Utensils, and Other UFOs 4.3 Special Creation 4.4 Zoos, Interdicts, Dogs, and the Mind of Newton 4.5 Living in a Planetarium—or a SimCity 4.6 Directed Panspermia: Are We the Aliens? 4.7 A New Cosmogony? 4.8 A Solipsist Résumé

5. Terra Nostra‘: Rare Earth’ and Related Solutions

5.1 Down with Copernicanism! 5.2 Modern Rare-Earth Hypotheses 5.3 Gaia or Bust? 5.4 An Adaptationist Solution? 5.5 Unphysical Ceteris Paribus, and Other Problems 5.6 A Rare-Earthist Résumé

6. At the Mountains of Madness: Neocatastrophic Solutions

6.1 Down with Gradualism! 6.2 Natural Hazards I: Random Delays 6.3 Natural Hazards II: Synchronized Delays 6.4 Intentional Hazards I: Self-Destruction 6.5 Intentional Hazards II: Self-Limitation 6.6 Intentional Hazards III: Deadly Probes and Unstable Equilibria 6.7 Transcendence, Transcension, and Related Scenarios 6.8 A Neocatastrophist Résumé

7. The Cities of the Red Night: Logistic Solutions

7.1 Down with ‘-Ism’! 7.2 Wrong Tree? 7.3 Persistence 7.4 Migrations: To the Galactic Rim and Beyond 7.5 Sustainability 7.6 Metabolic Problems and Digital Indulgence 7.7 A Logistic Résumé

8. The Tournament: How To Rate Solutions and Avoid Exclusivity

8.1 A Table Too Large? 8.2 Manifestations, Artefacts, and Detectability 8.3 No Small Prices To Pay? 8.4 The ‘Great Filter’ Redux

9: The Last Challenge For Copernicanism?

Endnotes

Introductory Note Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

References Index