I’ve been following this series and I’m really enjoying it. I’m curious if you’ve thought about Fermi-like paradoxes in a general way and if you have any thoughts on extending your analysis here to other domains. You are probably familiar with Sandberg et al.’s proposed resolution of the Fermi paradox, but your framing of the issue has got me thinking about other similar (though perhaps less mystifying) paradoxes out there. The lenses you apply here (e.g. humaneness/treachery) seem like they could equally be applicable in other domains. A couple other examples:
• It seems like far-right terrorism in the U.S. is relatively rare despite the (again, relative) prevalence of militant views and easy access to firearms
• I often wonder why bookstores don’t burn down more often, since arsonists and pyromaniacs exist (and arson is fairly common) and bookstores are among the easiest pickings.
Regarding your second point: How many buildings are bookstores, compared to other types of buildings which burn down more frequently? And how many people have any kind of grudge against bookstores or their employees? I’d guess that which buildings are burnt down is mostly a function of availability + animosity.
I’ve been following this series and I’m really enjoying it. I’m curious if you’ve thought about Fermi-like paradoxes in a general way and if you have any thoughts on extending your analysis here to other domains. You are probably familiar with Sandberg et al.’s proposed resolution of the Fermi paradox, but your framing of the issue has got me thinking about other similar (though perhaps less mystifying) paradoxes out there. The lenses you apply here (e.g. humaneness/treachery) seem like they could equally be applicable in other domains. A couple other examples:
• It seems like far-right terrorism in the U.S. is relatively rare despite the (again, relative) prevalence of militant views and easy access to firearms
• I often wonder why bookstores don’t burn down more often, since arsonists and pyromaniacs exist (and arson is fairly common) and bookstores are among the easiest pickings.
Regarding your second point: How many buildings are bookstores, compared to other types of buildings which burn down more frequently? And how many people have any kind of grudge against bookstores or their employees? I’d guess that which buildings are burnt down is mostly a function of availability + animosity.