"Your Space Empire will only last 5,000 years…" Topic

So say scientist: link

So much for 40K, I guess!

Tell them to factor in the time dilation at the edge of the galaxy; 5,000 years for them is only a few weekends for us.

Someone's been reading "the Palace Of Eternity" by Bob Shaw.

Yes, he wrote something apart from "Other Days, Other Eyes"

But part of that novel is a discussion of the ramifications of a human-written "Table of Civilization Survival" that defines the length of time a civilization can exist. At the time, humanity knows about two other civilizations apart from itself – One extinct, one they are at war with.

As an observation, based on when Old Kingdom Egypt began we at about 4,800 years of civilization – not sure if this means so long and thanks for the fish?

Real scientists work from information. These guys have approximately zero. They have a single observed fact--that we are not receiving signals as we think they should be sent--and constructed a fantasy around that. Have them get back to me when they've measured the lifespans of a hundred extra-terrestrial civilizations

This is how you pad your CV

There are many cases where the word scientist should really be written "scientist".
"Magic 8-ball says…."

I'm with Robert Piepenbrink and John the OFM on this one.

I did see a piece on YouTube once -- always an impeccable source -- that looked at the last few hundred thousand years and concluded that cataclysms sufficient to destroy advanced civilizations occurred every 10-15,000 years, so there was time to for advanced civilizations to have developed several times before us.

Does "scientist" used in this manner rate above or below "expert"?

Slightly above "expert", but still below "guy with a spreadsheet and strong opinions."

So I've been waiting for semaphore signals all these years for nothing?

The truth is they've been trying to reach us for nearly a century now, but made the mistake of calling Tech Support. Fortunately, they really dig our hold music.