• Mac@mander.xyz
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    1 month ago

    What if the Great Filter is explained by civilizations gradually declining in reproduction due to societal and climate factors, leading them to stagnant or collapse before they can reach interstellar exploration?
    There are already countries experiencing population decline which suggests this could be a real, observable trend.

    Let’s be honest though, the ruling class would never allow it. They would ensure reproduction by force, if necessary.

    It’s certainly a thought experiment, though.

    • De_Narm@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      That is a very human centric way to approach it. For starters, we don’t even know if other life has to be carbon based, let alone in which environments it exists. There could be an entirely different ruleset to their reproduction and of course their society. And even ignoring all these things, they could simply advance a lot faster, outpacing climate change and declining populations. Heck, we could be outpacing these problems if we never stopped puring endless ressources into space travel, but alas, capitalism deemed it unworthy.

      • Mac@mander.xyz
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        1 month ago

        Yes, as a human, i usually have human-centric thoughts.

        You are right, of course.

        Sorry for sharing my thoughts.

        • De_Narm@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Don’t apologize, I didn’t mean to invalidate your thoughts. Until we’ve found other life, everything is possible. Maybe they all are slightly different humanoids with similar problems. In fact, many theories about why haven’t found anything yet are based on the very same assumption.

          I just meant to add some additional food for thought.

          • Mac@mander.xyz
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            1 month ago

            It’s fine, I’ll just go cry.

            No, no worries. lol
            I recognize that realistically that’s not reasonable on a universal scale, even if humanity were to follow that path. It’s just an interesting thought experiment.