The Fermi paradox is an interesting enough subject for our purposes that I think it deserves the exposure, and I think Motl’s opinion is probably close to the truth, but I’m still not really happy with this treatment of it.
The style of argument Motl employs seems to be based mainly on ridicule: he rarely seems to go much past stating a claim in such a way as to seem improbable on its face and pointing out that superficial improbability. That’s absolutely not a style I want to become normalized around here, dealing as frequently as we do with topics that seem outlandish or counterintuitive, and I didn’t find the content very enlightening.
The Fermi paradox is an interesting enough subject for our purposes that I think it deserves the exposure, and I think Motl’s opinion is probably close to the truth, but I’m still not really happy with this treatment of it.
The style of argument Motl employs seems to be based mainly on ridicule: he rarely seems to go much past stating a claim in such a way as to seem improbable on its face and pointing out that superficial improbability. That’s absolutely not a style I want to become normalized around here, dealing as frequently as we do with topics that seem outlandish or counterintuitive, and I didn’t find the content very enlightening.