The Dark Forest Theory
We've spent many posts discussing the potential of life outside of our solar system and the odds and the distribution of intelligent life across the greater universe. But what if the possibility of life is as high as we think it is? Why don't we see any other intelligent spacefaring civilizations? A possible solution to this conundrum is the Dark Forest theory, which is as dark as it sounds.
The Dark Forest is a viable solution to the Fermi Paradox, where there are filters that societies must pass through that do not guarantee their survival in the greater universe. These filters result in a decreased amount of intelligent life as these intelligent life forms end up perishing due to events or "filters" that obstruct their continued existence. An example of a filter is the creation of nuclear technology. This technology is necessary for the production of energy but has a high chance of leading to the obliteration of the species through the introduction of nuclear weapons. There are many other filters such as global warming, asteroid impact, and other freak accidents that would wipe out all intelligent life and in some cases, the possibility for life evolving at all.
The Dark Forest focuses more on the interaction between intelligent civilizations making the universe as quiet as it is. In particular, the malicious behavior that we have seen on our own planet. Throughout history, humans have displayed unrelenting hatred and have been continuously fighting for millennia. Many would say that this cruel trait is unique to humanity. But I'm afraid to say that this trait has been seen throughout the animal kingdom and has even been proven beneficial through game theory. It is more beneficial to start off aggressively instead of starting peacefully and wishing for cordial relations. If the other party decides to be aggressive then you being passive would lead to a disadvantage while starting aggressive might provide some benefit.
This part of human behavior can be applied to other species. We can assume that the most successful species will follow two postulates. First, they behave in a way that benefits themselves and secondly, species must compete for limited resources. With these two postulates, it would be most beneficial for any intelligent species to destroy any possible competition before they even become a threat. That way they are guaranteeing their long-term survival without losing much.
The Dark Forest uses this idea of every species for themselves to deduce that the universe is so quiet because nobody wants to be heard. If the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by a species is detected they run the risk of being destroyed as the other species would benefit from having one less competitor and possible threat.
The unfortunate part of this is that humans have already been transmitting electromagnetic radiation for the past century without preparing for a situation where intelligent life in the universe may be hostile. There is nothing we can do at this point but hope that the distance between us would make hostilities infeasible.
What we can learn from this theory is the necessity for humans to cooperate with each other. Humanity is one group and trivial rivalries within the human race stunt our growth as a species and simply make us vulnerable. Not just to the dangers of other intelligent beings but also to the dangers of not expanding or advancing at a rate that we should weather it by simple land or by war. The most important characteristic of humankind is our ability to stand with each other and act as one unit in the cold, dark, expanse of the universe. Be kind to your fellow man and expect the same in return.
