[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] A late comment on a talk last October

[Carl Lazarus]

I just played the recording of Howard Winkler's talk "Is There Intelligent
Life Anywhere in the Universe" and enjoyed it very much.  (I had a conflict
the day of the talk.)  It surprised me, however, that nobody brought up a
probability factor of how long intelligent technological civilizations last.
We've only had the technology to transmit radio waves for 120 years or so,
and even a little shorter for the ability to transmit powerful signals.  How
long will our technologically-capable civilization last.  One hopes a long
time, but perhaps we will end it before long by climate change or by nuclear
war.

 

If such civilizations arise randomly after billions of years of evolution,
and they wipe themselves out within a few hundred years, there might not be
any others around now.

 

Sorry for this depressing thought, but I'm not the first one to mention it.

 

Carl Lazarus

 <mailto:carllazarus at comcast.net> carllazarus at comcast.net

617-964-7241 (H)

 

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