Browse Definitions :
Definition

Fermi paradox

The Fermi paradox is the apparent conflict between the fact that humans have found no evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life despite the probablity that it exists, given what we know about the universe. The word paradox means a statement that contains conflicting ideas, in this case something like: Extraterrestrials likely exist and travel through space but we have not seen them.

The probability of intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations is based on the knowledge that there are 400 billion stars in our galaxy, many of which are likely to have planets with conditions that support life as we know it. Because many stars are billions of years older than our solar system, it seems probable that intelligent life would have developed on some of these planets and that those civilizations would be advanced enough to develop technology for interstellar travel. And yet – at least according to conventional sources of information – we have found no evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations.

A corollary to the Fermi paradox is the idea that, since efforts to detect intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations have been futile, we should not devote further resources to this search. Critics of the search have proposed reducing funding for such efforts, such as SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). However, E.T. may be like black swans – thought non-existent until they appear.

The Fermi paradox is named for physicist Enrico Fermi. The concept developed out of a comment Fermi made when he and other scientists were discussing a New Yorker cartoon depicting aliens landing in New York City. Fermi reportedly asked, “Where is everyone?” His comment has been interpreted to mean, “If E.T. exist, why aren’t they here?”

This was last updated in June 2018

Continue Reading About Fermi paradox

Networking
  • firewall as a service (FWaaS)

    Firewall as a service (FWaaS), also known as a cloud firewall, is a service that provides cloud-based network traffic analysis ...

  • private 5G

    Private 5G is a wireless network technology that delivers 5G cellular connectivity for private network use cases.

  • NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure)

    NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) encompasses all of the networking hardware and software needed to support ...

Security
  • virus (computer virus)

    A computer virus is a type of malware that attaches itself to a program or file. A virus can replicate and spread across an ...

  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

    Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification that indicates that an individual possesses the ...

  • cryptography

    Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications using codes, so that only those for whom the information is...

CIO
  • IT project management

    IT project management is the process of planning, organizing and delineating responsibility for the completion of an ...

  • chief financial officer (CFO)

    A chief financial officer (CFO) is the corporate title for the person responsible for managing a company's financial operations ...

  • chief strategy officer (CSO)

    A chief strategy officer (CSO) is a C-level executive charged with helping formulate, facilitate and communicate an ...

HRSoftware
  • HR automation

    Human resources automation (HR automation) is a method of using software to automate and streamline repetitive and laborious HR ...

  • compensation management

    Compensation management is the discipline and process for determining employees' appropriate pay and benefits.

  • HR technology (human resources tech)

    HR technology (human resources technology) is an umbrella term for hardware and software used to automate the human resource ...

Customer Experience
  • martech (marketing technology)

    Martech (marketing technology) refers to the integration of software tools, platforms, and applications designed to streamline ...

  • transactional marketing

    Transactional marketing is a business strategy that focuses on single, point-of-sale transactions.

  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

Close