1288 episodes
- What if alien civilizations are common, but keep collapsing before they can spread across the galaxy?
We explore civilization extinction cycles as a solution to the Fermi Paradox: nuclear war and technological collapse, lost knowledge, isolated colonies, repeated dark ages, and the point where an interstellar civilization becomes too widely scattered to truly reset. Could the Great Silence be a galaxy caught in endless cycles of rise, ruin, and recovery?
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Credits:
The Fermi Paradox - Civilization Extinction Cycles
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Editors: Lukas Konecny
Graphics: Ken York
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Stellardrone, Sergey Cheremisinov, and Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:24 The Great Silence Revisited
3:50 Extinction is Hard – Replacement is Easy
10:56 Cyclic Apocalypse – Burn, Rise, Repeat
16:56 Extinction vs. Reset: Are They Ever Truly Wiped Out?
20:03 Collapse in Isolation: Off-World and On the Edge
25:02 The Motie Model: Doomed to Repeat?
28:03 Cultural Filters and Self-Editing
29:46 Signal Gaps: The Echoes That Never Cross
32:22 Mad Kings
33:16 Can We Break the Cycle?
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. - What if alien civilizations are common, but keep collapsing before they can spread across the galaxy?
We explore civilization extinction cycles as a solution to the Fermi Paradox: nuclear war and technological collapse, lost knowledge, isolated colonies, repeated dark ages, and the point where an interstellar civilization becomes too widely scattered to truly reset. Could the Great Silence be a galaxy caught in endless cycles of rise, ruin, and recovery?
Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Mad Kings: https://nebula.tv/madkings?ref=isaacarthur
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
The Fermi Paradox - Civilization Extinction Cycles
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Editors: Lukas Konecny
Graphics: Ken York
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Stellardrone, Sergey Cheremisinov, and Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:24 The Great Silence Revisited
3:50 Extinction is Hard – Replacement is Easy
10:56 Cyclic Apocalypse – Burn, Rise, Repeat
16:56 Extinction vs. Reset: Are They Ever Truly Wiped Out?
20:03 Collapse in Isolation: Off-World and On the Edge
25:02 The Motie Model: Doomed to Repeat?
28:03 Cultural Filters and Self-Editing
29:46 Signal Gaps: The Echoes That Never Cross
32:22 Mad Kings
33:16 Can We Break the Cycle?
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. - Elections look simple until you ask what they’re meant to measure. From ranked voting and redistricting to online ballots, AI, and paper records, we explore how future elections might work.
Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
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🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
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👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
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🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur
💬 SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
The Future of Elections: Who Votes, How We Vote, and What Comes Next
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Chapters
0:00 Intro
5:42 Why Would Elections Change?
10:14 When One Mark Isn't Enough
17:25 When Votes Do Not Produce the Representation People Expect
21:12 Drawing Lines Through People
28:37 Who Actually Gets a Ballot?
31:45 Does Election Day Need to Be a Day?
35:03 Why Can't I Vote From My Phone?
40:54 Mad Kings
42:00 Why Paper Refuses to Die
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. The Future of Elections: Who Votes, How We Vote, and What Comes Next (Narration Only)
22/10/2026 | 46 mins.Elections look simple until you ask what they’re meant to measure. From ranked voting and redistricting to online ballots, AI, and paper records, we explore how future elections might work.
Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Mad Kings: https://nebula.tv/madkings?ref=isaacarthur
🛒 SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall.com/
🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
📣 Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur
💬 SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
The Future of Elections: Who Votes, How We Vote, and What Comes Next
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Chapters
0:00 Intro
5:42 Why Would Elections Change?
10:14 When One Mark Isn't Enough
17:25 When Votes Do Not Produce the Representation People Expect
21:12 Drawing Lines Through People
28:37 Who Actually Gets a Ballot?
31:45 Does Election Day Need to Be a Day?
35:03 Why Can't I Vote From My Phone?
40:54 Mad Kings
42:00 Why Paper Refuses to Die
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.- Why colonize one universe when reality may offer infinitely many? We explore alternate Earths, multiversal travel, dangerous new worlds, and the rise of Omega-class civilizations spanning entire realities.
Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Enjoy Rifftrax: https://nebula.tv/rifftrax?ref=isaacarthur
🛒 SFIA Merchandise: https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall.com/
🌐 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
⭐ Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
📣 Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
🐦 Follow on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur
💬 SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
Colonizing the Multiverse: Beyond the Kardashev Scale Into Infinite Universes
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Editor: Thomas Owens
Music Courtesy of Stellardrone & Chris Zabriskie
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:22 The Geography of Reality
5:30 Why Colonize the Multiverse?
9:30 The First Beachhead
13:52 The Navigation Problem
17:35 Settlement Strategies
28:19 Rifftrax
29:11 Beyond the Kardashev Scale – Omega-Class Civilizations
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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About Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur explores humanity’s long-term future through space exploration, advanced technology, and big-picture science. Hosted by National Space Society President Isaac Arthur, each episode uses real science and careful speculation to examine space colonization, megastructures, artificial intelligence, post-scarcity economies, and the physics shaping civilization beyond Earth.
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