Unpopular Opinion and Discussion thread

Is this poll pointless?

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    130
We will never spread out over the universe. If it were possible, it would have already been done by another civilization.

Plus, it doesn't matter. This is not base reality. It's a punishment governed by Nietzsche's idea of Eternal Recurrence.
 
alec said:
If it were possible, it would have already been done by another civilization.
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It is and they have. They're just so advanced that whatever they are using we can't pick up with our primitive scouting equipment. They got mega structures circling our star for example.
 
Vicious Mockery and Crown of Madness is just instigation made manifest in dnd. Turning opponents on each other by roasting and weakening enemy dynamics is goated
 
I would say it is unlikely that chickens on a poultry farm would have the equipment to detect the structures that produce hot chicken wings. But the most astute of chickens may notice that they gain body mass throughout their lives, which they have no use for except showing off to other chickens for their own pride. Hmm... Is there any equivalent of this chicken mass in our society?
 
alec said:
We will never spread out over the universe. If it were possible, it would have already been done by another civilization.
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Could be true, that could be the thing that life struggles to attain. Or we could somehow be special and the first ones to ever get as far as we have gotten. We don't really know though.
Mr Fish said:
They're just so advanced that whatever they are using we can't pick up with our primitive scouting equipment. They got mega structures circling our star for example.
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And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling humans and primitive scouting equipment.
 
If it were possible
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But WHY would it not be possible? We technically already can do it the low tech way - by building generation ships and sending them off. Most of the arguments against GS are utter bullsh*t, large amount of people already(!) live indoors, therefore it is absurd to imagine that moving said room-dweller to a spaceship would suddenly turn him/her crazy. Quite the contrary, many people would be happy to continue their introvert lifestyle on a ship, since that could mean less work (depending how automated said ship is, but normally you want to automate it a lot) and a possibility to get a fresh start for good.
This is not base reality.
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No doubt. But breaching the 4th wall is likely much, much harder than ET colonization. So we make do with what we have until the Creator/Creators allow us to leave it.
 
Silica Pathways said:
But WHY would it not be possible?
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### **Assessing the Probability of an Astronaut in Cryosleep Dying from Galactic or Stellar Cosmic Rays During a Flight to Alpha Centauri**

The likelihood of an astronaut in cryosleep dying from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) or solar cosmic rays (SCR) during a trip to Alpha Centauri depends on several factors:

### **1. Duration of the Flight**
Distance to Alpha Centauri: ~4.37 light-years.
With current technology (e.g., Breakthrough Starshot at ~20% light speed), the journey would take **~20-25 years**.

### **2. Radiation Levels in Interstellar Space**
- **Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR)** – High-energy protons and atomic nuclei (mostly from supernovae).
- Flux: **~4 particles/cm²/s** (on average).
- Energy: Up to 10²⁰ eV (but most are ~1-10 GeV).
- **Solar Cosmic Rays (SCR)** – Less dangerous, but solar flares can cause short-term spikes.

### **3. Spaceship Shielding**
- **No shielding**: Radiation dose over 20 years ~ **10-20 Sv** (1000-2000 rad), which is lethal.
- **Basic aluminum shielding (5-10 cm)**: Reduces dose by 2-3x (~5-10 Sv), still dangerous.
- **Advanced shielding (water/plastic shielding, magnetic field)**: Could lower dose to **~1-2 Sv**, increasing cancer risk but not guaranteeing death.

### **4. Cryosleep (Suspended Animation)**
- If metabolism is slowed, radiation damage may accumulate, but repair mechanisms are also inactive.
- Theoretically, DNA damage could be critical upon awakening.

### **Estimated Probability of Death**
- **No shielding**: ~100% (10+ Sv is fatal within years).
- **Basic shielding**: ~50-70% (5-10 Sv causes radiation sickness and cancer).
- **Advanced shielding**: ~10-30% (1-2 Sv increases cancer risk but is not immediately lethal).

### **Conclusion**
If the spacecraft **lacks strong radiation shielding**, the probability of death from cosmic rays is **very high** (>50%). With good shielding (magnetic fields, water barriers), the risk drops to **10-30%**.

For a safe journey, either of the following is needed:
✔ **Artificial magnetic field** (like Earth’s).
✔ **Thick hydrogen-rich shielding** (water, polyethylene).
✔ **Reduced travel time** (under 10-15 years).

Since such technologies are not yet available, the risk remains significant.
 
Since such technologies are not yet available, the risk remains significant.
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Not only riskant, it also makes it weird for you to use such technologies for your argument.

More so since it completely does not concern the generation ship travel. Freezing travelers is always risky, yes, because you do not possess the means to reproduce them, if they are frozen, therefore if all die, death it is. Meanwhile in a generation ship it hardly matters when people kick the bucket, since it is already taken into account, the whole ship is built to make it liveable for countless generations, meaning, it already assumes it's travelers dying, whether due to some sciency mumbo-jumbo, old age or because someone cracked his/her skull. I.e., in a generation ship travelers themselves are replaceable.
 
I know at least one such spaceship. It has excellent protection in the form of a huge powerful magnetosphere and a protection thickness of 1000 g / cm sq, which is equivalent to about 4 meters of aluminum shell thickness. The flight speed is 200 km / s and this is only inside the galaxy! Which is quite a lot.
Such a ship carries several billion passengers and yes, new generations can be comfortably produced there.
There remains one question - why invent and build something else? You can just enjoy the flight.
 
broneslav said:
I know at least one such spaceship. It has excellent protection in the form of a huge powerful magnetosphere and a protection thickness of 1000 g / cm sq, which is equivalent to about 4 meters of aluminum shell thickness. The flight speed is 200 km / s and this is only inside the galaxy! Which is quite a lot.
Such a ship carries several billion passengers and yes, new generations can be comfortably produced there.
There remains one question - why invent and build something else? You can just enjoy the flight.
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Then I dump toxic waste all over your spaceship!
 
What? No. Sloppies.
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