Kent Peacock - The Fermi Paradox & Lotka’s Law

The universe should be filled with alien civilizations - so where are they? Dr. Kent Peacock discusses the "Great Filter" resolution to the Fermi Paradox, and argues that it wouldn't be a single factor, but instead the statistics of survival in an always-dangerous universe. Dr. Peacock discusses the UAP phenomenon and why astronomers typically discount it in their search for alien life. Instead of chasing UFO's, organizations like SETI look to the stars - but if Dr. Peacock's hypothesis is correct, they may be difficult to find. The frequency of species that survive multiple existential threats would likely obey a power law such as Lotka's Law, which would exponentially reduce the number of advanced civilizations. Dr. Peacock is a professor of philosophy at the University of Lethbridge, and is a philosopher of science focused on physics and ecology. He also has strong interests in the metaphysics of time, logic, environmental ethics, the nature of ingenuity and creativity, and the complex nature of challenges flowing out of humanity's current ecological crisis. LINKS & RESOURCES: Fermi and Lotka: The Long Odds of Survival in a Dangerous Universe https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.03088 https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.03088