Fermi’s paradox, Fermi’s question, the Great Silence, and Silentium Universi are all names ascribed to one of the most fundamental questions of astronomy: “Where is everybody?” It is a question based in rationality, because in the search for extraterrestrial life the numbers just don’t seem to add up. With enough probes and some decent rocket technology, it is theorized that the Milky Way Galaxy could be explored in at least 4 million years. Sure, 4 million years seems like a long time for our young and galactically dinky civilization, but our galaxy is more than 10 billion years old and technological advancement is an exponential phenomenon.
Scientists have considered a variety of possible explanations for the paradox of Silentium Universi. The first of these solutions is that aliens are here. They came and left leaving evidence behind, or they are us and humans are actual descendants of ancient alien civilizations, or aliens are actually keeping us in a well designed zoo of sorts. The second solution is that aliens exist but we have not yet communicated. It is possible that we do not know how to communicate properly, that it is only a matter of time before we do communicate, that we are being purposely avoided, or that civilizations simply do not last long enough to ably cross-communicate. The third solution is more pessimistic, and theorizes that life simply does not exist elsewhere, or that the genesis of life is extremely rare. It is difficult to conclusively say which solution is most likely, as we have little understanding of the processes that develop intelligent life.
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