Think you’ve heard all the alien theories, well think again. There are several explanations for the lack of extraterrestrial evidence.

The Fermi paradox asks that if there is extraterrestrial life, then where is it? Why haven’t we seen these creatures yet? Well, maybe they’re somewhere thinking and wondering the same thing too.

There are many alien theories that try to explain the absence of alien lifeforms. There are other theories that state that they are already here and only a few of us can see them. Which theories are correct?

Where are the extraterrestrials?

I sometimes go outside and look into the vastness of space, and of course, I wonder about life on other planets. I also realize once again just how small I am compared to the grand scheme of things. I ponder alien theories I’ve read online and in magazines and wonder which one hits the mark.

I imagine the truth in each theory and how it affects our planet as a whole. Each theory of alien existence is interesting and reminds me of the importance of human life.

Here are a few theories about alien life, so you can also see things from different perspectives.

Maybe you have an opinion about which theory is most logical.

1. Everybody is waiting

Could it be the reason why we haven’t encountered alien lifeforms is that they are waiting for us to contact them first? Think about it this way, do you sometimes hold out for your friends to call you first? Well, it could possibly be the same way.

We wait, using telescopes, gazing out into the expanse of space, and expect a signal from an extraterrestrial, but maybe we aren’t sending enough of our own signals to get things going.

2. They are already here

Many people believe that aliens are already here. There have been tales of government cover-ups and abductions which could explain why we’re not seeing many of them up there. This theory says that’s because they are here, blended in, or in some laboratory somewhere as subjects of experiments.

If not, they could be regular visitors advising our military and leaders about politics or warfare. There are many ideas that revolve around the theory that extraterrestrials have already visited or had never left.

3. They wish to observe us

As we visit the zoo to observe animals and take pictures of them, whose to say extraterrestrials aren’t doing the same things to us. They could see us as wild beings, or interesting lifeforms that provide entertainment.

Maybe they don’t want to contact us because it would change our natural behavior. It’s kind of like when we peer through the glass wall at a tiger and enjoy the fact that we can watch but we are safe from contact. This is another rather popular alien theory.

4. Dark forest theory

The Dark forest theory became popular because of the fiction writer, Lui Cixin. In the novel, the author compares the universe as a nocturnal forest. As you know, many things lurk in the forest, especially at night – hunters and prey alike.

Since there are 200 billion stars in the galaxy, a large forest indeed, it’s possible that lifeforms could exist in many forms and simply wary of each other. Beings could be silently hunting us or afraid of being located by certain “prey” of the universe.

Considering we’ve been sending out signals for decades, we could have put a huge target on our planet and solar system. That’s a dark idea indeed. Yes, it could be extremely dangerous to contact other civilizations, especially those which are advanced.

Also, think about our actions on this planet, our wars, famines, and genocide….what do you think alien lifeforms see in this. They may even have great reason to avoid us and hide in the shadows. One thing is for sure, if they are out there, we haven’t been trying to hide from them.

5. Looking in the wrong direction

One alien theory could be that we are simply looking in the wrong region of space. If we’re sending signals to the wrong area, extraterrestrials will not hear it, or if we are looking for signals in the wrong area, we will not get the messages.

Considering space is huge, there is a great possibility that we are just missing each other. It’s like being on the wrong frequency on a radio. So, just because we haven’t encountered alien life forms doesn’t mean we haven’t both been reaching out.

6. Not long enough

Another reason why we may have not made contact is that we’ve only been actively looking for about 60 years. In the grand scope of things, that’s not long at all. That’s because the radio telescope has only been around for about 80 years. So, you might say that we just have to stay at it to eventually make contact…contact that may very well be out there in multitudes.

7. We are deliberately being avoided

If most other alien civilizations are more advanced, they may see us as indigenous people, the same way some of us view others here on earth. There could be a rule among these extraterrestrials to not interfere with our development.

Also, our technology may be far behind alien technology and this could be another factor to let us be. If their mode of communication may not be translatable to us, it may be useless for the time being.

8. We could possibly be alone

Finally, there’s one more ominous thought. Although not likely, we could be the only intelligent life in the universe. Among the 40 billion habitable earth-sized planets in the universe, we could be the only intelligent life in existence. Now, that sounds lonely.

There are many other alien theories

These theories are some of the most interesting possibilities contemplated by modern man. However, there are other theories, a bit more far-fetched which could be just as possible. Perhaps we are in a simulation, a matrix of sorts, and everything we see isn’t real at all. Or maybe we are in a dream. But who’s dreaming of us?

Maybe we will never know for sure, but until then, we can keep pondering on the truth of our universe.

References:

  1. http://abyss.uoregon.edu
  2. https://www.sciencedirect.com

Copyright © 2012-2024 Learning Mind. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact us.

power of misfits book banner desktop

Like what you are reading? Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss new thought-provoking articles!

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Don

    I believe #4 could be highly likely followed by #7. That is if they have found us. If they are friendly, I can’t imagine them wanting to contact us after studying first, which they would do.

    1. Sherrie Hurd

      Yes, we are a savage lot, aren’t we? Who would want to contact such rude and angry people?

  2. Isaac Cray

    There is another theory which is not so far-fetched.. well it is less of a theory and more of a fact. I consider it the most plausible one if there exists extraterrestrial life. Our own galaxy already has a diameter of more than 50 000 lightyears (its larger, but within 50 000 lightyears most of the action happens). Let’s say there is life just 1000 lightyears away (which is rather unlikely). It would take at least a 1000 years before our signals reach them and then additional 1000 years if they reach back to us. And that is really if extraterrestrial life is within our vicinity! Furthermore our signals quickly attenuate as they propagate through space. Communicating with the Voyager probe, which is less than 0.003 lightyears away, is already a huge challenge. Each time the distance the signal travels is doubled, the energy intensity of the signal is quartered – that means you need a huge amount of energy to generate a signal large enough that it is detectable some lightyears away.
    And well, it is thought that there are more than 2 trillion galaxies. If there is extraterrestrial life, its very likely that it occurs in one of those many galaxies. According to Wikipedia, within 15 million lightyears there are less than 150 galaxies. And it is already impossible to communicate over such a distance – we would thus not notice life.

    1. Sherrie Hurd

      This is a good and rational point. Maybe, we are just too scattered to be able to make any contact at all. Maybe somewhere, they are staring up into their stars and wondering if they are alone too. Maybe neither of us will ever know.

  3. M.A. Marsh

    Good Stuff. . . .good responses. Hui Neng, the sixth Patriarch of the Zen Buddhist tradition said something that I like……”Not knowing is most Intimate.”

Leave a Reply