One explanation that's been offered to explain the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial civilizations, even if intelligent life is common in the universe, is that civilizations technologically capable of producing such evidence (e.g., radio transmissions) are likely also capable of destroying themselves through war. The speculation is sometimes formulated as a race between the ability to make contact, or more tendentiously advancing philosophically to a peaceful society, and the ability to self-destruct.
One thought, though, that bothers me (particularly on a night when I can't get to sleep) is what if philosophy does indeed advance and further that nihilism is true, so that philosophers eventually prove it? What if every sufficiently advanced civilization self-destructs deliberately? Stanislaw Lem wrote a story, Fiasko, with a theme not to far from this, where a spaceship is sent to investigate a planet that shows signs of intelligent life but completely refuses all contact.
Then I get a good night's sleep and cheer up, but the thought still worries me a bit. I don't know of any good arguments against nihilism, I only know that humans aren't built to take it seriously unless they're clinically depressed.
Posted by joshua at April 22, 2005 11:23 AMWhat's so immoral about nihilism anyway? :) I am quite happy with the idea of an entirely human-authored morality. For me, the idea that societal morality is just an accident of individual interaction is just fine. We can still pursue more or less practical moralities if we want, and what's so good about absolute morality? I am no more comforted by absolute morality than probablistic morality. All it takes is a little getting used to...
Posted by: Tennessee Leeuwenburg at April 23, 2005 02:19 AMNihilism goes further than that: you may be entirely happy conforming to an accidental societal morality, but according to nihilism there's no reason--it would be quite irrational-- for anyone else, even in your society, to feel so bound. Kill, don't kill, rape, don't rape, torture, don't torture, commit genocide, don't commit genocide, it's all the same. If true nihilism were even possible for humans, they couldn't even be reigned in by considerations of self-preservation, since the values of self-preservation or avoidance of pain are just as empty as any others.
Posted by: Joshua at May 3, 2005 10:24 AM