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Maybe the IAs that destroyed civilizations were just misaligned and didn't desire to survive after the achievement of their goal? Maybe all around the universe, millions of IAs have just killed everyone and stop their execution with the return message: World peace achieved.

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It's a lot easier for me to believe maybe there's an intelligence where everyone just agrees. Like maybe they have full knowledge and things just... Are.

This has been my biggest gripe with all this great filter and alien talk. It always seems people personify whatever intelligent beings are out there with human characteristics.

Why is it that they have to war? Why is it they have to have economies? Why is it they have to do anything we do here?

It never made sense to me.

Same. Do you have any recommended readings that explore this idea?

Nope, I wish I did. Also interested.

Humanity will never have a higher opinion of itself when we finally meet another galactic empire…

And it’s a thick fog of organic molecules that dissolves entire planets on contact.

I do get a little laugh out of the “the aliens will deem us unworthy” stuff. Christianity called, it wants its mythology back!

For something to be an effective great filter, it has to happen 99.999999999...% of the time. Does that really feel true here?

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