Civilizations Beyond Earth : : Extraterrestrial Life and Society / / ed. by Albert A. Harrison, Douglas A. Vakoch.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Berghahn Books Complete eBook-Package 2000-2013
• MitwirkendeR: Bainbridge, William Sims,; Coe, Kathryn,; DeVito, Carl L.,; Denning, Kathryn,; Harrison, Albert A.,; Jones, Morris,; Kuznicki, Jason T.,; Letaw, Harry,; Palmer, Craig T.,; Penny, Alan,; Pettinico, George,; Pomianek, Christina,; Shostak, Seth,; Tarter, Donald E.,; Vakoch, Douglas A.,; Wason, Paul K.,
• HerausgeberIn: Harrison, Albert A.,; Vakoch, Douglas A.,
• Place / Publishing House: New York ;, Oxford : : Berghahn Books, , [2011]; ©2011
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (240 p.)

Astronomers around the world are pointing their telescopes toward the heavens, searching for signs of intelligent life. If they make contact with an advanced alien civilization, how will humankind respond? In thinking about first contact, the contributors to this volume present new empirical and theoretical research on the societal dimensions of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Archaeologists and astronomers explore the likelihood that extraterrestrial intelligence exists, using scientific insights to estimate such elusive factors as the longevity of technological societies. Sociologists present the latest findings of novel surveys, tapping into the public’s attitudes about life beyond Earth to show how religion and education influence beliefs about extraterrestrials. Scholars from such diverse disciplines as mathematics, chemistry, journalism, and religious studies offer innovative solutions for bridging the cultural gap between human and extraterrestrial civilizations, while recognizing the tremendous challenges of communicating at interstellar distances. At a time when new planets are being discovered around other stars at an unprecedented rate, this collection provides a much needed guide to the human impact of discovering we are not alone in the universe.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- List of Tables and Figures -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence as an Interdisciplinary Effort -- PART I. DOES EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE EXIST? -- Chapter 1. Are We Alone? Estimating the Prevalence of Extraterrestrial Intelligence -- Chapter 2. Encountering Alternative Intelligences: Cognitive Archaeology and SETI -- Chapter 3. The Lifetimes of Scientific Civilizations and the Genetic Evolution of the Brain -- Chapter 4. “L” on Earth -- PART II. REACTIONS TO DISCOVERING LIFE BEYOND EARTH -- Chapter 5. Can SETI Fulfill the Value Agenda of Cultural Anthropology? -- Chapter 6. American Attitudes about Life Beyond Earth: Beliefs, Concerns, and the Role of Education and Religion in Shaping Public Perceptions -- Chapter 7. Cultural Beliefs about Extraterrestrials: A Questionnaire Study -- Chapter 8. The Science and Politics of SETI: How to Succeed in an Era of Make-Believe History and Pseudoscience -- PART III. COMMUNICATION WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE -- Chapter 9. Cultural Aspects of Interstellar Communication -- Chapter 10. Cosmic Storytelling: Primitive Observables as Rosetta Analogies -- Chapter 11. Direct Contact with Extraterrestrials via Computer Emulation -- Chapter 12. The Inscrutable Names of God: The Jesuit Missions of New France as a Model for SETI-Related Spiritual Questions -- Chapter 13. ET Phone Darwin: What Can an Evolutionary Understanding of Animal Communication and Art Contribute to Our Understanding of Methods for Interstellar Communication? -- Chapter 14. A Journalistic Perspective on SETI-Related Message Composition -- Notes on Contributors -- Index