Singularity of Evolution and Post-singular Development in the Big History Perspective

Abstract

Initially, this chapter was motivated by questions raised in the SETI project (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). If intelligent life is a normal phenomenon in the Galaxy, and if its rate of technological evolution is at least as advanced as on Earth, then the Galaxy must be full of highly developed technological civilizations, and we should be able to see them in all directions or they should even be here. So why do we not see them? This question is well known and referred to as the “Fermi paradox” or the “astrosociological paradox” (ASP). Panov’s focus is on the following form of that question: “Taking intelligent life to be a usual phenomenon in the Galaxy, then what would their technological civilizations look like, such that they are ‘invisible’ to us now?” This question has great practical importance. If we would like to find extraterrestrial civilizations, then we should try to understand what we are looking for. The method should depend on the aims. And we need to understand civilizations’ potential for technological evolution. It is a difficult problem, but not impossible. The idea is to look at technological development in light of the general laws of evolution. The question then turns out to have significance for our own possible future as a “post-singular” civilization and could assist us in overcoming the challenges of a transitional singularity crisis, which our societies on Earth are just now entering.