Gregory Robinson
Elon Musk has shared his frightening theory about what it would mean if there are no aliens in the universe.
We’re all partial to revelling in an early morning of existential doom and it seems the billionaire business magnate is no exception.
In the early hours of Sunday morning (23 July), Musk took to Twitter to share his thoughts on what it means for humanity if aliens don’t exist.
“The scariest answer to the Fermi paradox is that there are no aliens at all,” he tweeted.
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“They we are the only tiny candle of consciousness in an abyss of darkness.”
Musk’s musings clearly caught the attention of Twitter users, as his tweet has attracted nearly 14 million views and over 108,000 likes and 8,800 retweets, at the time of writing.
The Fermi Paradox is named after Enrico Fermi, who suggested that if aliens existed we’d probably know by now.
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This is because our solar system is only 4.5 billion years old, which is the equivalent of a spring chicken compared to other parts of the galaxy, which are as old as 13.8 billion years.
Musk’s sobering thoughts caught the attention of another figure known for taking an interest in space, professor Brian Cox, of the University of Manchester.
Cox replied: “This is my default position and I think it’s a useful assumption - because even if there is a slim chance it’s true (and we may well never know) then it should focus our collective minds on the task in hand - which is to avoid f****** it up.”
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One Twitter user suggested: “Could an explanation be that any civilisation advanced enough to be detectable, makes itself extinct quickly enough that the probability of overlap in time is too small?”
To which Cox said this could be the case, writing: “Yes. And I think we are on that path sadly! Our job is to avoid this fate.”
During an appearance at the World Government Summit 2023 in Dubai back in February, Musk was asked about his thoughts on extraterrestrial life.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs of UAE, who hosted the event, asked Musk about the US shooting down unidentified objects and if he thought they were UFOs.
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The SpaceX founder replied: "I don't think it's aliens, no.”
Musk questioned: "If the universe is really as old as science thinks it is, and where are the aliens?
"If it really has been around for 13.8 billion years, if so, shouldn't there be aliens all over the place?"
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He said that even with his work through SpaceX, he’s yet to uncover evidence of alien existence.
Musk said that the idea that aliens may not exist is extremely ‘troubling’.
He shared: "What that actually could mean is that civilization is like a tiny candle in the vast darkness. And a very vulnerable tiny candle that could easily get blown out.”
Musk continued: “I think we should therefore take great care of what may very well be this tiny candle in the vast darkness, and make sure it does not go out, and that we extend the light of consciousness beyond Earth, and do everything we can to ensure that the light of consciousness does not go out.”