A New Scientific Model that Defines Alien Intelligence

http://io9.com/a-new-scientific-model-that-defines-alien-intelligence-1510751824

 

First off, let me clarify. I’m not a biologist nor a neuroscientist, but I am an engineer or technologist that likes to read about science and oh, by the way, a Sci-Fi author.

Given that introductory apology I like to point out some obvious arguments (in my mind) dealing with alien life, the Fermi Paradox, and lastly evolution. I’d hate to say that Fermi was naive or just failed to include all of science in his observation. Nonetheless, I think biology has some interesting issues we need to be aware of as we discuss alien life, alien intelligence and whether not they are out there.

On Earth and I suspect anywhere life exists the most powerful force is evolution. I’m sure that statement has already ticked off some people, but I’m moving beyond that discussion very quickly. Evolution has laid out our path from our beginning and I suspect it had the same effects on any alien life forms.

Now evolution and aliens come together in my discussion of alien intelligence. I feel we have defined aliens too much by looking in the mirror and that is where Fermi missed the boat. If we assume aliens think like us and we define their intelligence by our standards, then I agree with Fermi’s Paradox. But, if we take a serious look at how aliens may have evolved I think the paradox falls apart.

Our typical myopic definition of intelligence is complex but in my opinion the definition is done without regards to evolution. Our intelligence is a combination of analytical skills, math skills, communication skills, community interaction skills, inquisitive nature but also a healthy mix of greed, amorous and competition. It’s these later traits that I think aren’t accounted for in this definition.

 

Fermi’s Paradox (From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox)

 

• The Sunis a typical star, and relatively young. There are billions of stars in the galaxy that are billions of years older.
• With high probability, some of these stars will have Earth-like planets.^[2]Assuming the Earth is typical, some of these planets may develop intelligent life.
• Some of these civilizations may develop interstellar travel, a technology Earth is investigating even now (such as the 100 Year Starship).
• Even at the slow pace of currently envisioned interstellar travel, the galaxycan be completely colonized in a few tens of millions of years.

The point that I think is missing is the assumption that intelligent alien life would have the same characteristics that we have and, in particular, we share the greed, amorous, and competition. If the aliens were like us, then I think the questions are valid. However, if an alien race lacked our competitive nature or weren’t as greedy as we are, would they continue to explore to the ends of the universe.

Evolution

From an evolutionary perspective, a species will develop until it is successful within its niche, once a species reaches that level of success there is further evolutionary pressure to change. There are many examples of this on our planet. The shark is a great example of a species that has found success within a niche and hasn’t changed within 10’s of millions of years. It hasn’t tried to crawl up on the land and communicate with the other inhabitants of the planet, and it has developed a fishing net to capture more fish. Another great example is the purpose. We have all heard how intelligent it is. It too is successful within its niche and it hasn’t tried to communicate with us we’re the ones working to communicate with it. It does what it does and it remains successful.

My point is, intelligence can be developed without some of our characteristics and an intelligent life form may not have our need to explore and compete and dominate. It might live on a planet that has ample food supplies and there is no need for it to take risks and expand its realm. Without all of our characteristics, an alien life form might expand to a couple of planets within its system and decide that further expansion isn’t necessary. It might be so successful that it reaches a point where further technology doesn’t yield the necessary improvements so it remains static, just enjoying its biological niche.

Star Trek encountered species like this in a couple of their stories. I think those of us that watch for aliens miss the significance of those stories. Fermi implied that if a species hasn’t expanded to the full reaches of the galaxy then it must not exist.

I think there is another Sci-Fi scenario that is worth bringing up. Isac Asimov’s Foundation was a good example. That society had suffered from what I call society entropy which I’ve written about in a past blog. Basically, societies don’t expand forever, just like that weed in your garden won’t take over the world if you don’t pick it. Every living creature has a limit to its expansion before some biological, social or physical limitation, limits its growth. I know that if I lived a 100 light years from my government I wouldn’t listen to them. I would be concerned with my life, my family, my survival.

Before my mindless dribble continues for too long, I need to end this by saying, that intelligence is defined by the success of the species, not someone looking in from the outside. In my series Gemini, I’ve described an alien species that has everything it needs. It had no reason to develop sophisticated technology or to conquer new planets. In fact, it was a little of curiosity that almost destroyed the population.

Ray Jay Perreault

Science Fiction