However, by also allowing the accumulation of technological and economic inequalities large-scale topological inhomogeneity may lead ultimately to sudden cultural expansions and colonial situations that reduce linguistic diversity. In general, the more specialized and diverse an epoch's range of activities, the fewer the individuals involved in each of them and the more likely it is for them to need to communicate with foreigners. The more massive that communicative leverage becomes the fewer the languages that can support it. If translation cost comes down over time this variable may counter and even cancel the effects of the two preceding. A world in which cheap and immediate translation is easily available is one in which a larger number of languages can coexist.
Opportunity costs continue to rise as civilizations evolve.
The value of N is highly dependent on a world's level of socio-economic and technological development. Assuming that a progressive reduction in the number of languages can be compared to the removal of geographical barriers to communication that is being effected by the Internet, we might expect a similar disadvantage to result. However, Van Alstyne and Brynjolfsson's views on the long-term effects of the Internet are hotly contested. Back to Drake Equation at SETI . Back to Indexpage .