Non-State Actors

By Péter MARTON In today's brief post I am invoking the spirit of the late scientist Carl Sagan. Citing his words, it is interesting to reflect on the implications of the ongoing bitcoin rush that may make you wonder if the bursting of the bitcoin bubble (anticipated by some) may be the worst thing that could happen. 1. You can read here from Carl Sagan , addressing the question of whether humanity should invest an effort into trying to find out about the presence or absence of alien life out there in the universe. Sagan quickly concludes that given the enormous distances in light years, interstellar monologue will in any case be more (twice as) likely than an interstellar dialogue. Even so, he ultimately comes to the conclusion that receiving a message from a superior civilisation may determine humanity's fate, for in that message one may find the answers as to how the period of "technological adolescence," with its dangers, could be survived by us. In his w...