The Fermi paradox in an age of discovery

Abstract The title of the Kavli–IAU Symposium (Toward) Discovery of Life Beyond Earth and its Impact invites us to speculate upon the consequences for humanity of the detection of biological processes out there in the cosmos. The discovery of any form of life beyond Earth would be a momentous event for science, but for many people it is the discovery of intelligent life that would have the most profound impact—not just on science, but on philosophy, religion, and society in general. Equally profound, however, might be the impact of a continuing non -discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence. In this paper I outline some personal thoughts regarding the implications of continuing non-discovery.