For example , The Forge of God tries to explain the Fermi paradox . If the galaxy is filled with intelligences that could be very dangerous , young civilizations could only survive by staying quiet so nobody would notice them and attack . For example , The Forge of God offers an explanation for the Fermi paradox , supposing that the galaxy is filled with potentially predatory intelligences , and that young civilizations that survive are those that do n't attract the attention of the predators -- by staying quiet .