It's important to acknowledge that the Fermi Paradox, the Drake Equation and the Great Filter are all extraordinarily pompous descriptions for preposterously simple notions that are backed up by absolutely nothing but philosophy. Worse, they're backed up by philosophy, from theoretical physicists, about sociology and exobiology. No one would take them the slightest bit seriously if they were theosophical theories about physics from a bunch of biologists but here we are. For some reason, the only people allowed to talk about little green men are the guys who get itchy when their data and their models require a constant or two to work.

A biological answer to "the great filter" would involve acknowledging that social organization for evolutionary purposes must directly benefit the propagation of the species. This works for ants - depending on how you count, the ants are every bit as good at this as we are.

A sociological answer to "the great filter" would involve acknowledging that social organization for tribal purposes must broach Dunbar's Number. But then, Naked Mole Rats are about four inches long and can be in colonies numbering in the hundreds so that's not so great either.

The fuckin' singularity cult would argue that the obvious answer to the Fermi Paradox is that once we beat Moore's Law we all disappear inside the box and give no fucks about the physical universe anymore anyway so who cares what's happening on Tau Ceti.

But nobody is allowed to discuss these things when talking about SETI because it makes the physicists upset.