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Informationen zum Autor Albert A. Harrison (1940-2015) was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis. In addition to researching the societal dimensions of astrobiology and SETI, he studied human adaptation to spaceflight and spaceflight-analogous environments. His books include After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life; Starstruck: Cosmic Visions in Science, Religion, and Folklore; Spacefaring: The Human Dimension; Living Aloft: Human Requirements for Extended Spaceflight; and From Antarctica to Outer Space: Life in Isolation and Confinement. Klappentext 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. Zusammenfassung 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... Inhaltsverzeichnis List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence as an Interdisciplinary Effort Albert A. Harrison and Douglas A. Vakoch PART I: DOES EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE EXIST? Chapter 1. Are We Alone? Estimating the Prevalence of Extraterrestrial Intelligence Seth Shostak Chapter 2. Encountering Alternative Intelligences: Cognitive Archaeology and SETI Paul K. Wason Chapter 3. The Lifetimes of Scientific Civilizations and the Genetic Evolution of the Brain Alan J. Penny Chapter 4. 'L' on Earth Kathryn Denning PART II: REACTIONS TO DISCOVERING LIFE BEYOND EARTH Chapter 5. Can SETI Fulfill the Value Agenda of Cultural Anthropology? Donald E. Tarter Chapter 6. American Attitudes about Life beyond Earth: Beliefs, Concerns, and the Role of Education and Religion in Shaping Public Perceptions George Pettinico Chapter 7. Cultural Beliefs about Extraterrestrials: A Questionnaire Study William Sims Bainbridge Chapter 8. The Science and Politics of SETI: How to Succeed in an Era of Make Believe History and Pseudoscience Albert A. Harrison PART III: COMMUNICATION WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE Chapter 9. Cultural Aspects of Interstellar Communication Carl L. DeVito Chapter 10. Cosmic Storytelling: Primitive Observables as Rosetta Analogies Harry Letaw, Jr. Chapter 11. Direct Contact with Extraterrestrials via Computer Emulation William Sims Bainbridge ...
