it's because it doesn't exist

1. Ever since the industrial revolution and subsequent wars it's become exceedingly obvious that intelligence is coupled with the destruction of ones environment and the exploitation of resources until there is no resources to be had.

Globally catostrophic events like global warming and running out of oil are seen as topics that while are critical can be safely placed on the backburner and ignored for as long as possible. Thus resulting in the destruction of civilization as we know it.

It's also human nature to be greedy, jealous and envious. To see another with something we want, something we don't have or to simply amass more wealth than we need disregarding other humans and organisms.

It's possible that other civilizations wiped themselves out by a war.

>>365019
2. Earth is rare.

Life is common, many planets exhibit life larger than just a molecular scale but intelligent life such as ours is a veritable miracle and the odds of it ever developing are extremely rare.

Or

Earth is the very first planet in the universe to exhibit sentient life, it's possible that other planets could eventually have sentient life but we are the very first.

^ This theory lacks credibility when you look at the age of the universe and the comparitively short time that it took for human life to begin.

also I'm willing to bet aliens don't have the technology of the bucket, with our superior bucket technology they will be easy to conquer and enslave

3. They exist but they're so far away that contacting them is impossible.

If two civilizations are separated by several thousand light years it's possible that one or both cultures may become extinct before meaningful dialogue can be established. Human searches may be able to detect their existence, but communication will remain impossible because of distance.

Alternatively, a civilization may simply broadcast its knowledge, and leave it to the receiver to make what they may of it. This is similar to the transmission of information from ancient civilizations to the present, and humanity has undertaken similar activities like the Arecibo message, which could transfer information about Earth's intelligent species, even if it never creates a response (or does not create a response in time for humanity to receive it).

The problem of distance is compounded by the fact that timescales affording a "window of opportunity" for detection or contact might be quite small. Advanced civilizations may periodically arise and fall throughout our galaxy, but this may be such a rare event, relatively speaking, that the odds of two or more such civilizations existing at the same time are low. There may have been intelligent civilizations in the galaxy before the emergence of intelligence on Earth, and there may be intelligent civilizations after its extinction, but it is possible that human beings are the only intelligent civilization in existence now.

>>364995
it's impossible for there to be more intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. John 3:16 specifically says that god sent his *only* son. you can't send him twice, that's against the rules. therefore, we must be the only ones out here. it's still fun playing what if though, too bad it will never be true

4. The cost of physically spreading throughout the galaxy is astronomical ;)

Many assumptions about the ability of an alien culture to colonize other stars are based on the idea that interstellar travel is technologically feasible. While the current understanding of physics rules out the possibility of faster than light travel, it appears that there are no major theoretical barriers to the construction of "slow" interstellar ships. This idea underlies the concept of the Von Neumann probe and the Bracewell probe as evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.

It is possible, however, that present scientific knowledge cannot properly gauge the feasibility and costs of such interstellar colonization. Theoretical barriers may not yet be understood and the cost of materials and energy for such ventures may be so high as to make it unlikely that any civilization could afford to attempt it.

A similar argument holds that interstellar physical travel may be possible, but is much more expensive than interstellar communication. Furthermore, to an advanced civilization, travel itself may be replaced by communication, through mind uploading and similar technologies. Therefore the first civilization may have physically explored or colonized the galaxy, but subsequent civilizations find it cheaper, faster, and easier to travel and get information through contacting existing civilizations rather than physically exploring or traveling themselves. In this scenario, since there is little or no physical travel, and directed communications are hard to see except to the intended receiver, there could be many technical and interacting civilizations with few signs visible across interstellar distances.

ITT Sagan's bullshit wishful thinking

When you look at the age of the universe, "Earth is rare" is the most compelling insights as to why other life is so rare. Stars just began forming not too long ago. And after that, planets. We're the first of anything sentient (and we're only one sentient species on a planet that has had billions of species of life on it for billions of years).

Babe, when they made us, they broke the mold.

>>365092
I hope a mod sees this and bans you.

4. They choose not to interact with us

It is possible that the belief that alien races would communicate with the human species is merely an assumption, and that alien civilizations may not wish to communicate, even if they have the technical ability. A particular reason that alien civilizations may choose not to communicate is the so-called Zoo hypothesis: the idea that alien civilizations avoid contact with Earth so as not to interfere with our development, or to preserve an isolated "zoo or wilderness area".

Many other reasons that an alien race might avoid contact have been proposed. Aliens might only choose to allow contact once the human race has passed certain ethical, political, or technological standards, e.g., ending poverty/war or being able to master interstellar travel. They may not want to interfere with our natural independent progress, or the Earth may have been set as an explicit experiment that contact would ruin.

These ideas are perhaps most plausible if there is a single alien civilization within contact range, or there is a relatively universal cultural or legal policy amongst more advanced lifeforms necessitating isolation with respect to civilizations at Earth-like stages of development. If there is a plurality of alien cultures, however, this theory may break down under the uniformity of motive flaw: all it takes is a single culture or civilization to decide to act contrary to the imperative within our range of detection for it to be abrogated, and the probability of such a violation increases with the number of civilizations.This idea, and many others, become more plausible if we estimate that our galaxy has only a relatively small number of civilizations, or that all civilizations tend to evolve similar cultural values in regard to contact, or that all civilizations follow the lead of some particularly distinguished civilization (a hegemony)

>>365094
pffft shows what you know, there are interstellar jump gates at the center of gas giants, that link to other gas giants, that's the secret of traveling across the universe

>>365094
ASTRO-NOMICAL!

4. It is too dangerous to communicate with us.

An alien civilization might feel it is too dangerous to communicate, either for us or for them. After all, when very different civilizations have met on Earth, the results have often been disastrous for one side or the other, and the same may well apply to interstellar contact. Even contact at a safe distance could lead to infection by computer code or even ideas themselves. Perhaps prudent civilizations actively hide not only from us but from everyone, out of fear of other civilizations.

Perhaps the Fermi paradox itself — or the alien equivalent of it — is the ultimate reason for any civilization to avoid contact with other civilizations, even if no other obstacles existed. From any one civilization's point of view, it would be unlikely for them to be the first ones to make first contact and therefore likely for them to face the same possibly fatal problems that supposedly prevented the earlier civilizations from contacting them. So perhaps every civilization keeps quiet because of the possibility that there is a real reason for others to do so.

I think the biggest problem is that if sentient life existed elsewhere, what guarantee is it we'd understand it? I mean, for all we know, CMB is an alien digital broadcast signal we don't know how to decode.

[spoiler]you said 4 three times[/spoiler]

>>365129
hypercube I liked the most, but they also did a prequal cube squared or something like that, starring a younger and slightly more depressed Dr. Mckay from stargate atlantis

How about the possibility that they have been interacting with us all along and:

1. We're too ignorant too notice, or unable to notice.

2. It is a massive coverup intended to keep humanity from falling apart.

4. They are too alien

Alien minds and psychologies are so different that we are mutually unintelligible.

For example, in Contact, Carl Sagan briefly speculated that an alien species might have a thought process orders of magnitude slower (or faster) than humans. Such a species could conceivably speak so slowly that it requires years to say even a simple phrase like "Hello". A message broadcast by that species might well seem like random background noise to humans, and therefore go undetected.

4. They are non-technological

The Australian Aboriginies and African Bushmen have nearly exactly the same genetic code as a european or asian but significantly less culture and technology. Perhaps their environment doesn't neccesitate the use of technology.

4. They are here already, you just can't see them.

Nightmare fuel.

>>365158
No. Cube is a standalone movie. The director/writer only made this one.

The others are just Hollywood trying to cash in.

>>365166
Whats with all da 4's man?!

is it something I don't know? U r totally freaking me out right now

This was actually interesting.

Aliens are an invention of the government to cover up the fact that they are developing secret technologies and weapons. When in doubt, blame it on aliens - everybody will believe it or be unsure about it to the point where they take it as possible.

And yes, even our beloved Carl Sagan fell for it.

>>365181
Why do you even come and post here? Get the fuck out. Seriously, go to /b/ or /r9k/ I don't care but you're counter productive to any and all discussions that you attempt to take place in.

Your trolling is weak, comparable to anondate spam.

>>365185
LOL NO. They already have enough scapegoats:

Blacks
Irish
Mexicans
Communists
Muslims