The Fermi paradox is the question of why we do not see clear evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations if the universe is so large and potentially so old. It is not a proof that aliens do not exist. It is a mismatch between expectation and observation.
That mismatch has a few common explanations. Life may be rare. Intelligent life may be rare. Technological civilizations may not last very long. Or they may exist, but not in a way that is easy for us to detect with radio telescopes and current search methods. Some researchers also argue that the problem is partly about timing: even if civilizations do arise, their detectable phase may be short.
So the useful version of the question is not “where are they?” It is “which assumptions about life, technology, and detectability are actually doing the work?”
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