Great series! One question I had: Why did you consistently refer to a “stable galaxy-wide civilization” throughout the series as opposed to a civilization of greater scale? Was this wording used merely for simplicity of communication or do you have some reason to think that a civilization spanning multiple galaxies is significantly less likely?
Thanks! I just used “galaxy” for convenience—it was easy to estimate certain figures for our galaxy (such as how long it would take to reach its outer limits), and I think “galaxy” gives a sufficient picture of the potential scale I’m envisioning. I do think it’s possible to keep going beyond the galaxy, though at some point (beyond this galaxy) I’d expect to encounter another spacefaring civilization with a different origin, and getting into that could complicate some of the statements and calculations illustrating that civilization could get very large and last very long.
Great series! One question I had: Why did you consistently refer to a “stable galaxy-wide civilization” throughout the series as opposed to a civilization of greater scale? Was this wording used merely for simplicity of communication or do you have some reason to think that a civilization spanning multiple galaxies is significantly less likely?
Thanks! I just used “galaxy” for convenience—it was easy to estimate certain figures for our galaxy (such as how long it would take to reach its outer limits), and I think “galaxy” gives a sufficient picture of the potential scale I’m envisioning. I do think it’s possible to keep going beyond the galaxy, though at some point (beyond this galaxy) I’d expect to encounter another spacefaring civilization with a different origin, and getting into that could complicate some of the statements and calculations illustrating that civilization could get very large and last very long.