Talk:The Great Filter

I don't see how the title relates to the content. What is the filter? what is being filtered? Totnesmartin (talk) 11:41, 14 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I think it's the idea that life is "filtered out" at a certain stage of advancement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter
 * Okay, I get it now. Hanson proposes a series of steps to advanced detectable life - not unlike what is represented by the variables in the Drake Equation. As a solution to the Fermi Paradox, he proposes that one of these steps - although it's a little more up in the air which one - is "the Great Filter", which is a step that is considerably less probable than science thinks it is, so we would practically never see life beyond that stage. It still seems, to me, based on the old apparent dichotomy of wondering is it easy for life to appear, but difficult to get to an advanced stage, or difficult to start, but inevitable to get to an advanced stage (as it can't be both otherwise the Fermi Paradox wouldn't be an issue). 12:04, 14 September 2010 (UTC)

Topic
I thought this would relate to several of the proposed national-level internet firewalls. Instead I read a delightful lesson on astronomy. Kudos. John Childermass (talk) 19:18, 25 May 2011 (UTC)