# What is the end game of SETI?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-end-game-of-seti/985712>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 18, 2023, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-end-game-of-seti/985712 "2023-06-18T04:19:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 30

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-end-game-of-seti/985712/30 "2023-06-19T13:42:26Z")

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> [@Sam\_Stone](#):
>
> We do NOT know that. We don’t know how difficult interstellar space is to cross, we don’t know if self-replicating probes are even possible, and we don’t know what it takes for a civilization to get to the point where it can start expanding through the universe.

Of course self-replicating probes are possible. If we built the first spaceship, we can build more. Put some of us in the spaceship. When we get to our first destination, we do the same things we did to make the first one, again.

Or we make other self-replicating machines instead of us, if that turns out to be more practical. Again, we know that self-replicating machines are possible, because we’re examples of such.

And sure, we don’t have the technology to do that right now. But if we have the technology in a thousand years from now, or ten thousand, that’s good enough.

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