What the Fermi Paradox tells us about the dangers of active SETI
- Paper number
IAC-06-A4.2.05
- Author
Prof. Paolo Musso, University of Insubria, Italy
- Year
2006
- Abstract
The debate on whether we should do active SETI, both spontaneously and as a reply to a detected extraterrestrial signal, is as old as SETI itself. However, recently it arose strongly again during the discussion about the revision of the SETI Post Detection Protocol. The main objection always was, and still is, that, while passive SETI is surely not dangerous for us, active SETI may be. So, in this paper I will try to evaluate the possible dangers of active SETI through a careful analysis of the well known “Fermi paradox”. The preliminary hypothesis (still to be checked) is that, whatever solution we give it, it always implies as a consequence that active SETI cannot increase significantly the risk we run to suffer damages by ETs.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-A4.2.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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