Great Filter

English Etymology en Q2159779 1996 1. Proper noun 1 great filter en exobiology A barrier which prevents intelligent life from developing to a level where it can be detected across interstellar distances. en-US w:Ross Douthat The New Space Race The New York Times 2026-02-26 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/opinion/space-nasa-elon-musk.html 0362-4331 Well, maybe that means that there is — the term, I think it’s from the economist Robin Hanson — that there’s a great filter. That basically, it’s so hard to become a multiplanetary species that even though life is everywhere, every species gets stuck somewhere around where we are: Achieving some things, and then never getting off our initial planet. en exobiology The hypothesis that such a barrier exists. en The Exploring Series Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-3426 - Reckoner 18 March 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=535sUK5D_xw https://web.archive.org/web/20240430032141/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=535sUK5D_xw 30 March 2024 6 May 2024 0:50 While there are plenty of potential explanations and counterarguments for the Fermi paradox, one that has grabbed a lot of attention is known as the Great Filter - the idea that there is some sort of filter that prevents a civilization from becoming advanced enough to traverse the galaxy. Translations French: fr grand filtre m Russian: ru великий фильтр Further reading