This week, I got back into the Fermi Paradox (“Where are all the aliens?”) to address one of my favorite proposed resolutions. Could it be that the reason humanity hasn’t heard from extraterrestrial civilizations is that they have evolved beyond anything we would recognize? This is the thrust of the Transcension Hypothesis, a proposed resolution that has had many contributors over the past century.
This includes Russian-Soviet “farther of rocketry” Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, theoretical physicist John D. Barrow (inventor of the Barrow Scale), and John M. Smart – the man who crystallized the idea as we know it today. The reason why this proposed resolution is so appealing is that it combines so many ground-breaking ideas, ranging from nanotech, neural uploading, black hole physics, evolutionary development (evo-devo), and clinical immortality.
And as always, the implications of this theory could be incredibly profound. Not only does it mean we may someday encounter beings that are so far beyond our comprehension. It also offers a glimpse of what humanity itself could become someday.
Where to Read:
Stories by Williams 