The Impact of Discovering Life beyond Earth

This book discusses the big questions about how the discovery of extraterrestrial life, whether intelligent or microbial, would impact society and humankind.

Steven J. Dick (Edited by)

9781107109988, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 October 2015

366 pages, 25 b/w illus. 7 tables
23.5 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.66 kg

'In [this book] Steven J. Dick tries to answer this question compiling a series of essays from a carefully selected group of experts. These essays deal with a wealth of questions. From the most obvious… To the most far-fetched … The essays are very well written and engaging. Even more impressive, despite being a collection of essays, this book is quite cohesive with a clear and unitary flow. This is greatly helped by the introductions written by Steven J. Dick for the whole book as well as for each of its parts. Overall, this is a very interesting and entertaining book. It's a pleasant read for anyone wanting to know more about the current search for extraterrestrial life - and wanting to get ready for a potential detection.' Giovanni Volpe, Contemporary Physics

The search for life in the Universe, once the domain of science fiction, is now a robust research program with a well-defined roadmap, from studying the extremes of life on Earth to exploring the possible niches for life in the Solar System and discovering thousands of planets far beyond it. In addition to constituting a major scientific endeavor, astrobiology is one of the most popular topics in astronomy, and is of growing interest to a broad community of thinkers from across the academic spectrum. In this volume, distinguished philosophers, theologians, anthropologists, historians and scientists discuss the big questions about how the discovery of extraterrestrial life, whether intelligent or microbial, would impact society. Their remarkable and often surprising findings challenge our foundational concepts of what the discovery of alien life may hold for humankind. Written in easily accessible language, this thought-provoking collection engages a wide audience of readers from all backgrounds.

Introduction: astrobiology and society Steven J. Dick
Part I. Motivations and Approaches. How Do We Frame the Problems of Discovery and Impact?: Introduction
1. Current approaches to finding life beyond earth, and what happens if we do Seth Shostak
2. The philosophy of astrobiology: the Copernican and Darwinian presuppositions Iris Fry
3. History, discovery, analogy: three approaches to the impact of discovering life beyond earth Steven J. Dick
4. Silent impact: why the discovery of extraterrestrial life should be silent Clément Vidal
Part II. Transcending Anthropocentrism. How Do We Move beyond our Own Preconceptions of Life, Intelligence and Culture?: Introduction
5. The landscape of life Dirk Schulze-Makuch
6. The landscape of intelligence Lori Marino
7. Universal biology: assessing universality from a single example Carlos Mariscal
8. Equating culture, civilization, and moral development in imagining extraterrestrial intelligence: anthropocentric assumptions? John Traphagan
9. Communicating with the other: infinity, geometry, and universal math and science Douglas Vakoch
Part III. Philosophical, Theological, and Moral Impact. How Do We Comprehend the Cultural Challenges Raised by Discovery?: Introduction
10. Life, intelligence and the pursuit of value in cosmic evolution Mark Lupisella
11. 'Klaatu barada nikto' – or, do they really think like us? Michael Ruse
12. Alien minds Susan Schneider
13. The moral subject of astrobiology: guideposts for exploring our ethical and political responsibilities towards extraterrestrial life Elspeth Wilson and Carol Cleland
14. Astrobiology and theology Robin Lovin
15. Would you baptize an extraterrestrial? Guy Consolmagno, SJ
Part IV. Practical Considerations: How Should Society Prepare for Discovery – and Non-Discovery?: Introduction
16. Is there anything new about astrobiology and society? Jane Maienschein
17. Evaluating preparedness for the discovery of extraterrestrial life: considering potential risks, impacts and plans Margaret Race
18. Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence: preparing for an expected paradigm break Michael A. G. Michaud
19. SETI in non-western perspective John Traphagan and Julian W. Traphagan
20. The allure of alien life: public and media framings of extraterrestrial life Linda Billings
21. Internalizing null extraterrestrial 'signals': an astrobiological app for a technological society Eric Chaisson
Index.

Subject Areas: Popular astronomy & space [WNX], Physics [PH], Astronomy, space & time [PG], Mathematics & science [P]