From Jeremy Greenwood
I wonder whether the solution to the Fermi paradox – that if there are intelligent aliens, why are there no signs of them – might be that a civilisation capable of colonising the stars may consider it, on the whole, wiser not to do so (5 February, p 40).
After all, the global population of Earth itself is incredibly diverse: colonies light years removed from their mother world might be expected to mutate even more dramatically. In only a few centuries we could find ourselves confronted with cousins akin to warmongering Klingons – a scenario perhaps best avoided.
Seeding the universe with bacteria is another question entirely and is, of course, not without risk. Though nothing would be likely to evolve for billions of years, an advanced, stay-at-home civilisation might be quick to change its ways if it found us sending waves of pestilence its way.
From Bryn Glover
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I wondered whether your piece about sending life to other planets may have been an early April Fool, so shocked was I by the underlying arrogance of the suggested idea. The assumption that life on Earth is unique flies in the face of a large and growing body of understanding.
Such a position seems to rely on the assumption that the only source of “value” in the universe is life, and it occurs to me that this entire concept may be suffused with an element of religious fervour. Are some of those who are keen to pursue such ideas spurred by the belief that the universe is God’s creation, brought into being in order to serve the needs of humans? And, upon recognising that the Earth is not without end, have these same believers recognised a clear duty to their creator to ensure the perpetuation of his concept?
To these questions, I suggest that there is no need for the universe to have meaning or purpose. For the notion of value to make sense, there needs to be something or someone to appreciate that value. Like any open-minded individual, I eagerly await evidence of an external observer that can appreciate meaning in the universe. Until such a time, though, I remain unconvinced.
Cracoe, North Yorkshire, UK
Bacup, Lancashire, UK
