Lets be honest, there's obviously other intelligent life in the universe. There's probably tons of it, I don't think it's ever visited earth before, and we'll likely never shake its hand, but its out there. One day we can hopefully communicate with one, it would have to be done with radio signals over generations, but it would be amazing to see it happen.
I've always thought it more likely than the fact that intelligent civilizations destroy themselves is the fact that intelligent civilizations are out there and the really smart ones actually know the Earth exists. Interstellar distance is likely a problem that no one has truly solved but I like to think there's civilization out there that knows the Earth exists and is ripe for life, just they're too far away to do anything about it.
Obviously? Like I go outside and there it is— obvious non-terrestrial intelligent life?
For me it obviously does not exist. It may exist somewhere in the galaxy far away. It might not. We don't know. We will never (by never I mean ~1 billion years) know.
I am amazed to see so much wishful thinking and ignorance regarding physics and astrophysics.
I've always thought it more likely than the fact that intelligent civilizations destroy themselves is the fact that intelligent civilizations are out there and the really smart ones actually know the Earth exists. Interstellar distance is likely a problem that no one has truly solved but I like to think there's civilization out there that knows the Earth exists and is ripe for life, just they're too far away to do anything about it.