Chapter 1132 - Fermi“s Paradox and The Great Filter (2/2)
“This branch is the Great Filter it faces. If it goes around, then it will survive. If it figures it out, it will become a different ant. If it is blocked…”
After a pause, Hawking stood up slowly and patted away the dust on his clothes.
“It will starve to death here.”
Jiang Chen frowned after Hawking’s words. Suddenly, like a eureka moment, he said thoughtfully.
“Fermi’s Paradox, The Great Filter…”
As if he just caught something, Jiang Chen’s eyes gradually brightened.
At this moment, he noticed that the ant extended its tentacles to the branches. Trapped in the triangle cage, it could not find a way out. Then, it began to explore another method; as it climbed on top of the branches. However, from beginning to end, it was not aware of who manipulated the obstacle placed in front of it.
“Now I’ll answer your question. You asked me how developed civilization will be after 3.7 billion years. I can’t answer you unless you can tell me what they have encountered in these 3.7 billion years.”
“On the scale of billion, the troubles are always endless. Natural disasters, diseases, wars… In fact, these are minor problems. Like this branch, no matter how many more branches are placed in front of it, it will eventually pa.s.s them.”
Hawking smiled as he looked at the ant who had successfully climbed over the branch,
“Of course, it is not always so lucky, especially if it encounters a moody ‘G.o.d’.”
Hawking raised his foot and stomped down on the ant and the branches…
…
After chatting with Hawking, Jiang Chen felt that he gained clarity over a lot of problems
Not only about the civilization 3.7 billion years ago, but also the extraterrestrial civilization 20 light-years away. He managed to find the answers to all the questions he was uncertain or unsure about.
After arriving at the cafeteria, as promised, Jiang Chen treated Hawking to two sets of pancakes.
To be honest, he really didn’t understand the appeal of this food that is too sweet. But the old man across from him enjoyed it nonetheless. He could only attribute it to the difference in food culture. In the principle of not wasting food, Jiang Chen had to dismember the pancake in his plate and finish the meal.
He certainly miscalculated. He didn’t account for the fact that Hawking came from the United Kingdom, the pioneer of the art of dark cuisine (3)!
“You don’t have to force yourself to eat it,” Hawking said with a smirk as he put another piece of pancake in his mouth. It was obvious he was trying his hardest not to laugh as his wrinkles twisted together.
Jiang Chen suddenly felt that the old man’s smile was too infuriating.
“I’m full.”
Jiang Chen tossed his fork into the plate as he finally gave up on the pancake with more than half left. After he bid farewell with Hawking, he returned his car.
Because he parked at the building, he had to return the same way.
However, as he pa.s.sed through the forest path again, he found a group of students gathered together around a temporary podium that looked extremely lively.
Out of curiosity, Jiang Chen stopped a pa.s.sing student, pointed to the other side, and asked.
“What are they doing there?”
(1) Fermi’s Paradox – The Fermi paradox, or Fermi’s paradox, named after physicist Enrico Fermi, is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence and high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. (Source: Wikipedia)
(2) The Great Filter – in the context of the Fermi paradox, is whatever prevents dead matter from undergoing abiogenesis, in time, to expanding lasting life as measured by the Kardashev scale. (Source: Wikipedia)
(3) Dark Cuisine – A term in Chinese pop culture that refers to an untraditional method of cooking that produces odd or weird food.