K_h wrote:

Fermi's paradox suggests that there are little or no other intelligent
civilizations within the Milky Way galaxy.  

Not to me it doesnt. To me, it simply says either they havent found this
area interesting to explore, or (more likely) its too far to travel. 
Even if ET can travel at faster than light, it will take a very very long
time to explore even a small part of the galaxy.

On the other hand, intelligent 
life should exist on a substantial fraction of planets with life because
natural selection broadly increases intelligence with time.  Here on the
Earth, for example, numerous mammals have a high degree of intelligence
and many of them could reach human intelligence with a few more million
years of evolution.

I also think you're wrong here. If evolution tended to select out the more
intelligent, then (to quote Fermi) "Where are they?" Why are there no other
beings on this entire planet with anything on a par with, or better than,
our level of intelligence?

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