X-Message-Number: 30774
From: Francois <>
Subject: Re: The Singularity
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 21:30:32 -0400

>I too have heard attempts to explain away the observation that hyper
>advanced civilizations that are capable of engineering the entire galaxy
>nevertheless remain completely undetectable without making the slightest
>peep. Of all the lame excuses I am aware of the zoo hypothesis is
>unquestionably the stupidest!

Just a little tongue in cheek speculation. Imagine that a super advanced 
civilization does exist. Imagine that it has, in fact, reshaped entire 
galaxies, including ours, to suit its purpose. How then could we observe 
what appears to be a Milky Way in its natural, unaltered state? Possible 
answer: as it progressed through the Milky Way, the super civilization 
"scanned" any planet harboring life it encountered into advanced computer 
systems, uploading them into a perfectly emulated virtual world where they 
were allowed to continue to evolve in peace, even as the physical planets 
themselves were dismantled to be used as raw material.

Each such uploaded planet would exist in a simulated universe where it would 
be alone, in order to avoid it being contaminated by outside influences. 
This would allow each of them to evolve in its own original way and possibly 
follow its own original path to sentience. Once those "bottled" 
civilizations reached their own singularity episode, they would be contacted 
and invited to leave the simulation and join the super civilization in the 
real universe. As I said, this is not a really serious suggestion, I simply 
made it to show that the zoo hypothesis is not so stupid, depending on how 
it is formulated, and on what technological means would actually be 
available to a super advanced civilization.

Francois

Good health is merely the slowest
possible rate at which one can die. 

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