Of course I'm familiar with Sagan's take on the matter. I first read about the Drake equation in one of his books.
The problem with most answers to the paradox, including the one you mentioned, is it doesn't account for diversity among alien life. Too fast, too slow... but nothing detectable. If they're out there it doesn't stand to reason that they're ALL too fast or too slow or undetectable for whatever reason.
In Sagan's day the search was new. We've been bombed with decades of silence now. At some point the silence starts to mean something.
|