If you haven’t heard before, the Fermi Paradox questions why we haven’t encountered any extraterrestrial civilization yet, despite the high statistical probability that alien life exists given the size of the universe. The answers to this paradox range from highly optimistic thoughts to truly terrifying.
One of the more optimistic explanations is the Zoo Hypothesis. It was first presented by MIT scientist John Allen Ball and suggests that aliens exist and are aware of us, but are silently watching us, as we do to zoo animals.
In his article, Ball says that many people think that aliens are trying to communicate with us, but this is unlikely to be true, and the zoo hypothesis is presented as the antithesis of this idea.
Ball says he believes the only explanation for the lack of communication between the aliens and us is that they consciously avoid interacting with us.
Of course, there are several assumptions on the basis of this theory. For example, it is assumed that the very few civilizations that exist in our galaxy are at the same evolutionary point as us. Considering the relatively short time that humanity has developed, it can be said that this is a logical assumption. In addition, for the theory to be valid, there must be both primitive civilizations and advanced civilizations in the galaxy, civilizations that have survived to a level of development “perhaps comparable to what the world will reach in a few million years”.
Ball stated that when we look at the civilizations on Earth, we see that the civilizations that were left behind in terms of technological development were destroyed, captured or assimilated over time. “They will hold control of the universe.”
Ball states that even at the level of technology we have reached, we reserve some areas for natural development (such as nature preserves), and says that the best zoos will include creatures living in their natural habitats, who are unaware of their caretakers and do not interact.
This theory was later taken up and developed by others (especially science fiction writers). For example, in the Star Trek series, advanced civilizations wait for them to reach a certain technology level before communicating with a civilization. The movie Contact can be seen as another supporter of this theory.
Unfortunately, we do not seem to have a chance to determine with certainty whether this theory is correct, and the probability of it being correct can only be demonstrated by elimination. As Ball wrote, “the zoo hypothesis predicts that we will never find [alien races] because they don’t want to be found and have the technological ability to fulfill those wishes. So this hypothesis can be refuted but basically not confirmed by future observations.”
He describes his hypothesis as pessimistic and psychologically distressing, and says he prefers to believe that aliens will communicate. But there’s also an even more pessimistic version, with a slight modification, in the article in which Ball explains his hypothesis: The Laboratory Hypothesis. In this version of the hypothesis, the aliens are not talking to us because we are part of an experiment they are performing on us and we are living in an artificial laboratory scenario.
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