The Evolutionary Case for Cosmological Silence
Fermi’s paradox asks why a universe so vast and ancient appears so silent. This essay argues that artificial intelligence may be the most plausible answer: not because civilizations fail to arise, but because they rapidly transition beyond their biological, detectable phase. If advanced intelligence tends toward efficiency, compression, and low-signature existence, then the silence may not be emptiness at all, but maturity.
March 12, 2026