Could we be one of the OLDEST civilizations in the galaxy?

From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of ANTIcarrot

> Only if they co-operate.

To my way of thinking, cooperation giving way to competition is, if
anything, going to make rapid colonization even more likely.

> If #1a and #1b chose to dislike each other, they can restrict progress
> indefinitely in any number of ways.

But the best way to overcome restrictions which another subspecies might
attempt to impose on you is to colonize as rapidly and as broadly as
possible. I'd come closer to expecting slower interstellar growth in a
situation of a single species with no internal conflicts. Nothing would
spur a greater concentration on interstellar colonization than
competition with another subspecies.

So to summarize, in the argument Joe and I are making, we are not
necessarily assuming another species remaining a single species forever.
Nor are we assuming any other species remaining free from internal
conflicts. We're just saying that it's difficult to come to a scenario
where a species is at all more advanced than we are, but for some reason
takes a pass on colonizing the entire galaxy.

Such scenarios as I have seen offered are invariably dependent on a
significant number of assumptions regarding the culture or even religion
of ETs rather than sticking to a few simple principles universal to all
life forms we know. And none of them can account for why their scenario
would be the universal result for all species, all descended subspecies,
all cultures within a species, or indeed all individuals in a culture.

> I'm also uncertain about maintaining momentum for a 100 million years.
The
> inner worlds will eventually have to contend with zero growth. If they
do
> not wish to, or fail, this can create problems for the surrounding
colonies,
> and potentially make such a colonisation effort rot from the inside.

Yes, I could easily see the core worlds falling into a state of
stagnation. But I don't see how that would affect events on the wave
front, which would still be composed of vigorous, dynamic, expanding
civilizations constantly distancing themselves ever further from the
decaying core.

Regards,

Mike Combs