Meaning of self-annihilation | Babel Free

Definitions

Annihilation by one's own act.

uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Near-synonyms: self-destruction, suicide; self-murder”

“If technologically advanced civilizations can avoid⟳ self-annihilation for a period L_(lifetime) at least as long as the existence of Homo sapiens (over 100 000 years), the consequences suggested by the Drake equation are enormous for how we view⟳ ourselves. But perhaps our solar system is far from typical. Some people would claim⟳ that it is unique, in the strongest sense⟳. […] The original suggestion that civilizations may be able to communicate with radio signals for about 10 000 years was considered by many to be far too long a period. Human self-annihilation through nuclear war was being much debated at the time of the Green Bank conference, and there are of course many other scenarios in which a technologically advanced society perishes, due to actions of the inhabitants or to natural disasters. But even if the typical L_(lifetime) is much shorter than 10 000 years, the Drake equation suggests that the search⟳ for extraterrestrial life is worthwhile, and many enthusiasts are engaged in that endeavor.”

CEFR level