As humanity looks upward at the stars, there have been multiple theories and inferences on why other intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy and universe has not make their presence known to humanity yet. The universe is currently already billions of years old, meaning other civilizations could have had billions of years to get ahead of humanity from an evolutionary standpoint. So, the question begs - where is everyone?
One potential explanation to this is a concept known as the great filter. The great filter predicts that there is a considerable evolutionary barrier for all developing societies that is so unlikely to overcome that no other intelligent civilizations have made it past yet. If the great filter is indeed an actual phenomenon that persists with intelligent life, then what is humanity's great filter?
The 21st century has given humanity this answer. It is now more evident than ever before that sustainability is fundamentally crucial to any civilization living within finite resources. Currently, humanity is grounded and has to rely on the delicate biosphere of the Earth for all required resources. Having only a single planet for resources, the current practices of mineral extraction, fossil fuel burning, clearing of ecosystems, and subsequent purging of natural resources has left the biosphere weakened and in decline. The potential collapse of the biosphere combined with the societal challenges of getting nearly eight billion individual minds to work together is humanity's great filter.
The rise of Capitalism as the dominate economic model has led to the rise of existential growth in technology and computing power. This has created the tools for humanity to connect on an unprecedented global scale, produce goods on a level never seen before, and have the single highest global standard of living ever recorded in human civilization. However, with this rise also brought the rise of considerable existential threats to humanity's existence. The very technologies that connect all of humanity have also been spreading misinformation, showcasing the absolute worst qualities of society, and circulating it all on a global scale.
The for-profit models of many dominate algorithms currently running social media platforms have brought the rise of the misinformation age. This age is making it much more difficult to obtain accurate information and is creating an equally verifiable version of the truth that is different for every human being on Earth. This problem combined with the severe limitations of resources in the current, unsustainable lines of production is making the system of Capitalism implode from within.
So, what should humanity do?
The development and recent rise of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology may contain the answer. Blockchain technology has given humanity possibly its greatest tool of innovation and evolution in history. The ability to successfully decentralize finance and connection is a proven commodity with the development of multiple new blockchain networks. By moving more towards decentralized models of governance, it removes humanity's reliance on centralized powers that are vulnerable to corruption, personalized agendas, and power consolidation.
Blockchain technology provides the framework for all of human civilization to actually work together to solve problems. It gives power to the whole of society, rather than just a select few individuals. This could allow human civilization to rise to meet the massive problem of global climate change, help us establish decentralized, truly democratic models of governance, permanently establish sustainable global supply chains, fight misinformation, and save our species by conquering the great filter. Using blockchain and cryptocurrencies exclusively will give individuals the power to choose what to support financially. It provides the building blocks for the people of this planet to finally take control away from powerful, centralized authorities.
Humanity can use this technology to choose to only fund sustainable practices, to protect life instead of chase profits, and to evolve our society past what it is currently. The current path of humanity will only result in one outcome - the collapse of the biosphere and subsequent death of most living organisms on Earth, including human society. Time is limited, but the sky is the limit with the current technologies humanity already has available to it. The next step is to simply use it.
- Zacharias
