I’m not asking about the Fermi paradox, and its unclear to me how that’s related. I’m wondering why we think general (i.e. human-level) intelligence is possible in our universe, if we’re not allowed to invoke anthropic evidence. For instance, here’s some possible ways one can answer my question [rot13′d to avoid spoiling people’s answers]:
1. Nethr gung aba-cevzngr navzny vagryyvtrapr nyernql trgf hf “zbfg bs gur jnl gurer”, naq tvira gur nccebcevngr raivebazrag, vg fubhyq or cbffvoyr va cevapvcyr sbe n fhpprffvba bs navzny fcrpvrf gb ribyir gur erznvavat pncnovyvgvrf.
2. [Rnfl Zbqr] Nethr gung qrrc yrneavat nyernql trgf hf “zbfg bs gur jnl gurer”, naq vg fubhyq or cbffvoyr, jvgu rabhtu genvavat qngn naq gur nccebcevngr nytbevguzvp gjrnxf, gb trg n qrrc yrneavat nytbevguz gb qb trareny-checbfr ernfbavat engure rssvpvragyl.
3. [Uneq Zbqr] Nethr gung uvtu-yriry zngurzngvpny pbafgehpgf, fhpu nf havirefny Ghevat znpuvarf (be creuncf zber pbaivapvatyl, NVKV), fubj gung yrneavat va irel trareny raivebazragf vf cbffvoyr jvgu hayvzvgrq pbzchgr. Gura nethr gung zhpu bs guvf pna or nccebkvzngrq ol srnfvoyr (r.t. cbylabzvny gvzr) nytbevguzf gung pna eha va erny-gvzr ba n oenva/pbzchgre zhpu fznyyre guna n cynarg.
I’m unsure what information you need about what the “you” in this counterfactual is? Beyond “alien from a different universe general-purpose reasoning algorithms are different enough those of Earth-based animals that they can’t infer anything about the potential of Earth-based biological intelligence”, I’d be unable to give the details of those algorithms (and it shouldn’t matter anyways?).
I’m not asking about the Fermi paradox, and its unclear to me how that’s related. I’m wondering why we think general (i.e. human-level) intelligence is possible in our universe, if we’re not allowed to invoke anthropic evidence. For instance, here’s some possible ways one can answer my question [rot13′d to avoid spoiling people’s answers]:
1. Nethr gung aba-cevzngr navzny vagryyvtrapr nyernql trgf hf “zbfg bs gur jnl gurer”, naq tvira gur nccebcevngr raivebazrag, vg fubhyq or cbffvoyr va cevapvcyr sbe n fhpprffvba bs navzny fcrpvrf gb ribyir gur erznvavat pncnovyvgvrf.
2. [Rnfl Zbqr] Nethr gung qrrc yrneavat nyernql trgf hf “zbfg bs gur jnl gurer”, naq vg fubhyq or cbffvoyr, jvgu rabhtu genvavat qngn naq gur nccebcevngr nytbevguzvp gjrnxf, gb trg n qrrc yrneavat nytbevguz gb qb trareny-checbfr ernfbavat engure rssvpvragyl.
3. [Uneq Zbqr] Nethr gung uvtu-yriry zngurzngvpny pbafgehpgf, fhpu nf havirefny Ghevat znpuvarf (be creuncf zber pbaivapvatyl, NVKV), fubj gung yrneavat va irel trareny raivebazragf vf cbffvoyr jvgu hayvzvgrq pbzchgr. Gura nethr gung zhpu bs guvf pna or nccebkvzngrq ol srnfvoyr (r.t. cbylabzvny gvzr) nytbevguzf gung pna eha va erny-gvzr ba n oenva/pbzchgre zhpu fznyyre guna n cynarg.
I’m unsure what information you need about what the “you” in this counterfactual is? Beyond “alien from a different universe general-purpose reasoning algorithms are different enough those of Earth-based animals that they can’t infer anything about the potential of Earth-based biological intelligence”, I’d be unable to give the details of those algorithms (and it shouldn’t matter anyways?).