Fermi Paradox, what's your favorite solution?

In short, the Fermi Paradox is the question, "Given how big and how old the universe is, where are all the aliens?"

Some common answers are:
1: Intelligent civilizations are just so rare we haven't seen any yet.
2: Intelligent civilizations are common enough, but we haven't been looking for them long enough, or in the right way.
3: Conspiracy that we've already made contact and just hide it.
4: We are aliens.

But there are many possible answers to this question. What do you think about it?

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HazPassportForYourGalaxy · 46-50, M

5. The human race is Earth's measles. Stay away the planet is contagious.

SW-User

extreme rarity, plus efficient use of energy leaving little stray EM radiation to observe

UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M

I think it's based on a false premise. They could very well be right here amongst us, we just have no means to recognize their communication. And even if we did, why would they ever try to communicate with us? There would be nothing for them to gain, only a danger posed if we were to harness their technology.

Tastyfrzz · 61-69, M

@UndeadPrivateer they're really cats.

UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M

@Tastyfrzz I, for one, welcome our new feline overlords.

SW-User

there are probably millions of intelligent species in the universe, some possibly very much like humans..
but there are also billions of galaxies separated by trillions of miles..
It's not surprising that we've never met another intelligent being..
technology is universally limited by the basic laws of physics..

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@SW-User Yeah, and even if you could figure out how to travel 1000C, it'd still be a 2,500 year trip to Andromeda, the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way.

Tastyfrzz · 61-69, M

There's also time. If earth hadn't been repeatedly pummeled by big meteors or volcanic events perhaps we would have come about a billion years ago. If another species evolves after us the earth to get to ores and fuels are gone. All they'll have is our garbage.

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@Tastyfrzz on the plus side, they'd also have a lot of technological artifacts to help them along.

AbbySvenz · F

we are a tiny, tiny speck of dust in a gigantoid universe. The other aliens probably have better things to do then go slumming around our galactic backwater :P

Tastyfrzz · 61-69, M

Issaac arthur's futurism site goes into this a lot. Smug aliens, stupid aliens...

DxNxA

we are a mare experiment from a more higher intelligent beings,,

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