can someone explain the great filter theory
In: Earth Science
The Great Filter is the idea that the evolution of life and technical development has great hurdles to overcome on the way to being a species capable of being detected on a galactic scale. Each of these steps is a filter that prevents some part or all from moving onto the next step. The fact that we don’t look out and see intelligent life in the universe suggests that there is/are filter(s) that are just so great that it’s either impossible to overcome them or they’re very difficult to overcome.
So the possibilities of these great filters could be:
So the development of life in the first place.
The development of multicelluar life.
The development of intelligence.
The development of civilisation.
The development of technologies that could wipe you out such as nuclear weapons.
Then there’s also ones like nearby supernovae, gamma ray bursts, asteroid strikes, massive solar flares, etc.
Then there’s also the possibility of being discovered and wiped out by another alien species.
Are these all great filters? Are we past them? Are they ahead of us? Are they all filters?
If we were to discover alien life in our solar system that was primitive it would suggest that there’s a higher possibility that the great filter isn’t just the creation of life and so is either one of the steps after that or quite possibly ahead of us. The more primitive life we find the greater the possibility that we’re going to get wiped out.
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There’s also the chance that we’ve passed the great filter. Perhaps intelligence to our degree is rare. Maybe mitochondria are a biological fluke. Maybe life just is really rare in general.
The universe is really old and really big. So there should be lots of aliens around doing things we can see. But we don’t see anything. So where is everyone?
What if, *something* kills them off before they do something we can see? That *something* is what we call the Great Filter.
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