archive: Re: Deficiency in SETI's Drake Eqn. (in website clarification)
Re: Deficiency in SETI's Drake Eqn. (in website clarification)
Jim Deardorff ( deardorj@proaxis.com )
Mon, 1 Feb 1999 17:12:24 -0800 (PST)
At 12:55 PM 2/1/99 EST, Fractenna@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 2/1/99 12:19:18 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>deardorj@proaxis.com writes:
>
><< On the basis that science and technology continue to advance within
> civilizations that endure many millennia or millions of years. And on the
> basis that it seems to be difficult to realize how immense a time span this
> covers, and thus how immensely more advanced the science & technology of
> these advanced civilizations must be relative to ours.
>
> Surely the Native Americans would have believed that their smoke signals
> represented the best possible (least lossy) method conceivable for
> communicating over large distances.
>
> It would of course be silly to argue against the plausible and contend that,
> barring specific instructions on how to improve upon it, radio-wave emission
> is the least lossy method that could ever be conceived. If such specific
> instruction were on hand now and could be understood, then we would have
> leapt past untold centuries or millennia of evolution.>>
> Your argument is specious and inappropriate. Its kernel contends that we have
>little if any basic understanding of the physics of the universe. That was
>true with the Indians--who didn't have physics.
No; it's just that their level was below ours. They knew that warm air
(smoke puffs) rises. Etc. However, I am not saying that we have no basic
understanding of the universe. I'm merely agreeing with Sagan & Newman
(1983) that our galaxy could be "teeming with civilizations as far beyond
our level of advance as we are beyond the ants."
>We do. We have knowledge which exists as universal cornerstones on the medium
>of communications across cosmic distances. If not, then tell us where it is
>lacking. Don't use some simplistic argument about smoke signals. Tell us about
>how Maxwell's equations are lacking in this regard.
If I could tell you that, Chip, I would be a man of the far future returned
in time, or ETI itself. Have patience! In another few centuries or millennia
we will likely have answers to questions like yours.
Jim Deardorff