Dark forest hypothesis

The dark forest hypothesis is the conjecture that many alien civilizations exist throughout the universe, but they are both silent and hostile, maintaining their undetectability for fear of being destroyed by another hostile and undetected civilization.[1] It is one of many possible explanations of the Fermi paradox, which contrasts the lack of contact with alien life with the potential for such contact. The hypothesis derives its name from Liu Cixin's 2008 novel The Dark Forest,[2] although the concept predates the novel.[3][4]

  1. ^ Paradis, Justine (18 February 2022). "Outside/In[box]: What is the Dark Forest Theory?". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference YuCJBIS2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Webb2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Stanway, Elizabeth (3 June 2023). "The Dark Forest". Warwick University. Cosmic Stories Blog. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.