What About Aliens? - Members +3

"Aliens are having a moment: UAP hearings, renewed SETI funding, interstellar objects in the news. Much less discussed is the question underneath all of it. If the galaxy should be full of civilizations, why does it look empty, and what does each possible answer imply for what we do next? The candidate solutions point in very different directions. If expansion is self-limiting, the "sustainability solution," then civilizations may be common, quiet, and no threat to us. If the dark forest hypothesis holds, broadcasting our location is one of the worst ideas in history. If the Great Filter lies ahead of us rather than behind us, then every lifeless exoplanet is good news and every microbe on Mars is potentially bad news. If we're simply early, the "grabby aliens" scenario, then decisions humanity makes about space expansion and governance in the next century or two could be among the most consequential ever made, which is why groups like Forethought are already treating space governance as an AGI-preparedness problem. Hosted by the Other Minds Lab, join us at Frontier Tower on the 15th floor for a salon-style discussion of the leading Fermi solutions, how we might tell them apart, and what each would mean for existential risk, SETI/METI policy, and space governance. No astronomy background required, just a willingness to reason carefully about very weird questions. Other Minds is a lab at Frontier Tower that investigates the nature of intelligence from two different perspectives: what is it fundamentally and how we detect in an unfamiliar context. The lab combines neuroscience and cognitive science research with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) using the tools of planetary science and astrophysics." This event is hosted at the Frontier Tower: We are transforming a 16-floor tower in San Francisco into a self-governed vertical village—a hub for frontier technologies and creative arts. Tier-one labs presenting AI, Ethereum, biotech, neuroscience, longevity, robotics, makerspace, human flourishing, and arts & music. These floors will house innovators and creators pushing the boundaries of human potential in a post-AI-singularity world. Apply here for founding citizenship: frontiertower.io/apply Why should I become a citizen? Be part of creating the first self-governed vertical villageConnect with the most creative people in the cityGet access to all floors, free event space & movement floor Website: frontiertower.io/ Need more reading? Visit frontiertower.notion.site/