abstract:The Great Filter, in the context of the Fermi paradox, is whatever prevents "dead matter" from giving rise, in time, to "expanding lasting life". The concept originates in Robin Hanson's argument that the failure to find any extraterrestrial civilizations in the observable universe implies the possibility something is wrong with one or more of the arguments from various scientific disciplines that the appearance of advanced intelligent life is probable; this observation is conceptualized in terms of a "Great Filter" which acts to reduce the great number of sites where intelligent life might arise to the tiny number of intelligent species actually observed (currently just one: human).
"One of the things that is unique about this filter is even if you didn't have arsenic in the water and you only had iron, this is still a greatfilter to filter iron, " said David Nunley.
The site's simple enough for anyone to use but also offers several advanced features -like a profanity filter - which is great if you want your kids to explore the site but are worried about some of the posts.