There's a popular theory going around Popsci, the Dark Forest Theory. A few books, tv shows, etc.
In a dark forest, prey animals have learned to stay quiet to avoid predators. According to this theory, planetary civilizations need to stay quiet to avoid other, more highly advanced and aggressive civilizations, or be wiped out.
The hippie chick accidentally the whole planet trying to open her third eye for some alien small talk.
You misunderstand the Dark Forest slightly. It isn't just "prey animals" that stay silent. Everyone tries not to be noticed because you never know if what might notice you can obliterate you or not. So even when you are the predator, you try to be invisible, because in the forest even the predators are prey. Anything that cannot be preyed on has left the forest for a different reality, usually one existing at a higher number of dimensions. The only way to survive is to stay invisible and kill anything you see before it sees you, ideally in a way that you stay invisible.
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u/MsnthrpcNthrpd 21h ago
There's a popular theory going around Popsci, the Dark Forest Theory. A few books, tv shows, etc.
In a dark forest, prey animals have learned to stay quiet to avoid predators. According to this theory, planetary civilizations need to stay quiet to avoid other, more highly advanced and aggressive civilizations, or be wiped out.
The hippie chick accidentally the whole planet trying to open her third eye for some alien small talk.