This is true if you think the maximum practical speed of interstellar colonization will be extremely close to (or faster than) the speed of light. (In which case, it doesn’t matter whether we are talking Singularity or not, friendly or not, only that colonization suppresses subsequent evolution of intelligent life, which seems like a reasonable hypothesis.)
If the maximum practical speed of interstellar colonization is significantly slower than the speed of light (and assuming mass/energy as we know them remain scarce resources, e.g. advanced civilizations don’t Sublime into hyperspace or whatever), then we would be able to observe advanced civilizations in our past light cone whose colonization wave hasn’t yet reached us.
Of course there is as yet no proof of either hypothesis, but such reasonable estimates as we currently have, suggest the latter.
If the maximum practical speed of interstellar colonization is significantly slower than the speed of light (and assuming mass/energy as we know them remain scarce resources, e.g. advanced civilizations don’t Sublime into hyperspace or whatever), then we would be able to observe advanced civilizations in our past light cone whose colonization wave hasn’t yet reached us.
Nitpick: If the civilization is spreading by SETI attack, observing them could be the first stage of being colonized by them. But I think the discussion may be drifting off-point here. (Edited for spelling.)
This is true if you think the maximum practical speed of interstellar colonization will be extremely close to (or faster than) the speed of light. (In which case, it doesn’t matter whether we are talking Singularity or not, friendly or not, only that colonization suppresses subsequent evolution of intelligent life, which seems like a reasonable hypothesis.)
If the maximum practical speed of interstellar colonization is significantly slower than the speed of light (and assuming mass/energy as we know them remain scarce resources, e.g. advanced civilizations don’t Sublime into hyperspace or whatever), then we would be able to observe advanced civilizations in our past light cone whose colonization wave hasn’t yet reached us.
Of course there is as yet no proof of either hypothesis, but such reasonable estimates as we currently have, suggest the latter.
Nitpick: If the civilization is spreading by SETI attack, observing them could be the first stage of being colonized by them. But I think the discussion may be drifting off-point here. (Edited for spelling.)