Today we finalized discussion on Webb's book Where is Everybody and the Fermi Paradox.  We reviewed two final solutions to the Fermi Paradox from Webb (including Webb's own preferred solution), and also discussed the Anthropic Principle and its validity.

Solution 31: The Universe is Here For Us.

Webb discusses the Anthropic Principle, roughly the idea that the Universe's and mankind's existence are somehow (perhaps teleologically) intertwined.

     -Weak Anthropic Principle (WAP): "What we can expect to observe must be restricted by the conditions necessary for our presence as observers." More or less saying that the universe is constructed in such a way that allows for us to view it.

     -Strong Anthropic Principle (SAP): "the Universemust be as such as to admit the creation of observers within it at some stage." More or less saying that the universe is constructed for intelligence to inevitably develope and exist.

     -Final Anthropic Principle (FAP [or CRAP, according to Martin Gardner]): "intelligent information-processing must come into existence in the Universe and, once it comes into existence, will never die out."

Included discussion of the "Multiverse" theory, in which multiple, perhaps infinite universes coexist. These universes will have all variations of natural laws and constants.However this idea can never be tested because we will never actually know of another universe's existance. Th

Solution 50: The Fermi Paradox Resolved...

Webb offers his own solutions, and concludes that ultimately, our solution depends on our prejudices: his lead him to claim that civilized, advanced extraterrestrials do not exist.

*A comment on Webb's final solution:  It is very strange that Webb takes this stance because in many of his descriptions of the different solutions he backs the notion of extraterrestrials.  Maybe this was because it led to the easiest explanation of the solutions, but I think that he could have mentioned his stance early on in the book and then delved deeper into it during Solution 50, but it was a surprising end to the book. 

Steven J. Dick also contributes to the discussion of the Anthropic Principle.  Dick includes quantum physicist John Wheeler's idea that "made no common sense" suggesting that perhaps the origin of the universe has adapted itself to create an observer, or that by observing the universe we also made the provisions for our own evolution.  Per usual, Dick also presents the opposing argument, quoting the astronomer Fred Hoyle: "It is not so much that the Universe must be consistent with us that we must be consistent with the Universe. The anthropic principle has that position inverted."

We also talked about the article "The Anthropic Principle's Surprising Resurgence" by Dan Falk. Falk discusses the controversy generated by the anthropic principle. In the 1980s, the "A-word" was so unacceptable in the academic world of science that Stanford University cosmologist Andei Linde jokingly expressed concern that the audience at a conference in the late 1990s would hurl eggs at him if he tried to speak on the anthropic principle. Falk says one reason that anthropic principle has gained acceptance is because the notion of multiple universes has gained respect and attention in recent years.

In all, it appears that the anthropic principle does not actually mandate a position on plurality, and in fact can be absorbed into either side of the debate.

In concluding the ideas of the Fermi Paradox and all the given possibilities, it is interesting to think of this argument and Webb's ultimate conclusion in relation to the ideas of William Whewell. Whewell's argument was strongly based on the principles of religion and the idea of a designer in determining whether or not extraterrestrials exist. On the other hand, Webb ends his argument with a series of mathematical probabilities very similar to the Drake Equation. In doing so, he completely disregards the apect of a designer and focuses on the series of highly unlikely and special conditions that were all present and just right at the proper time. While both outlined very different arguments using the best science and resources of their time, they ultimately come to the same conclusion. According to them, we are alone in the universe. It is interesting to think of how Whewell may have reacted to the Fermi Paradox and ideas of Webb. The fact that both came to the same conclusion centuries apart, using different methods, goes to show that we may not know much more today than we did then about the answer to the extraterrestrial life debate.

Relevant Links

Interesting page dealing with parts of the Fermi Paradox

Same site but about the Anthropic Principle