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An introduction to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence through the lens of Fermi's paradox, discussing methodology and potential solutions.
List of contents
Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Introducing the paradox; 2. Fact A - the great silence; 3. Classifying scenarios and solutions to the paradox; Part II. Rare Earth Solutions: 4. Habitable worlds are rare; 5. Life is rare; 6. Intelligence is rare; Part III. Catastrophist Solutions: 7. Doomsday arguments; 8. Death by impact; 9. Death by terrestrial disaster; 10. Death by star; 11. Death on a galactic scale?; 12. Death by unsustainable growth; 13. Death by self-induced environmental change; 14. Self-destruction at the nanoscale; 15. Artificial intelligence and the singularity; 16. War; 17. Societal collapse; Part IV. Uncommunicative Solutions: 18. Intelligent life is new; 19. Exploration is imperfect; 20. Probe exploration is dangerous; 21. The aliens are quiet; 22. They live too far away; 23. The zoo/interdict hypothesis; 24. The simulation hypothesis; 25. They are already here; 26. They were here long ago; Part V. Conclusions: 27. Solving Fermi's paradox; Appendix A. A database of solutions to Fermi's paradox; References; Index.
About the author
Duncan H. Forgan is Associate Lecturer at the Centre for Exoplanet Science at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He is a founding member of the UK Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) research network and leads UK research efforts into the search. His work includes simulations of civilisation evolution, developing observables of intelligence and policy for post-detection scenarios.
Summary
Exploring the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI) through the lens of Fermi's so-called paradox, this volume summarises current thinking on the prevalence of intelligent life in the universe. It describes the methodology of SETI and how many disciplines feed into the extra-terrestrial life debate, providing a comprehensive introduction for graduates and researchers.
