Fermi Paradox: Where Is Everybody?

The discovery of Kepler-452b reignited one of humanity’s oldest questions: Are we alone in the universe?

Despite promising findings and technological advancements, we still haven’t seen clear signs of intelligent alien civilizations. Why is that? This is the essence of the Fermi Paradox.

What Is the Fermi Paradox?

The paradox is named after the famous physicist Enrico Fermi, who once asked,“Where is everybody?”

To put it in perspective:

• The universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old.
• Our Milky Way galaxy has existed for about 11 billion years.
• Earth, at 4.5 billion years, is relatively young.

The Scale of Possibilities

In our galaxy alone:

• There are about 450 billion stars.
• At least 25-30 billion stars are similar to our Sun.
• These stars host trillions of planets — many of which could be Earth-like.

Even if just 0.01% of these planets could host life, that leaves thousands of potential worlds teeming with civilizations.

The Kardashev Scale

To classify advanced civilizations, scientists use the Kardashev Scale, which measures a civilization’s energy usage:

Type 1 Civilization

A Type 1 civilization harnesses all the energy on its planet. Humans are currently at 0.73 on this scale, according to Carl Sagan. We’re still far from controlling natural forces like volcanoes or earthquakes.

Type 2 Civilization

A Type 2 civilization controls the energy of its entire star— think of building aDyson Spherearound the Sun. Such energy would allow colonization of other planets in the solar system.

Type 3 Civilization

At this level, a civilization would dominate energy across its entire galaxy. Achieving this could take millions of years.

So, Where Is Everybody?

Enrico Fermi’s question remains unanswered: If advanced civilizations exist, why haven’t we seen them yet?

• Are we the first intelligent species?
• Are they communicating in ways we cannot detect?
• Or is it possible they are avoiding us?

As we struggle with our own survival, war, and climate change, reaching even Type 1 status requires solving our global challenges.

Final Thoughts

Whether we’re alone or not, the Fermi Paradox reminds us of the vast, untapped potential of the universe. As Carl Sagan said:

“The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, it seems like an awful waste of space.”