What We Know About Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Foundations of Xenology (Space and Society)

Have you ever wondered what could happen when we discover another communicating species outside the Earth? This book addresses this question in all its complexity. In addition to the physical barriers for communication, such as the enormous distances where a message can take centuries to reach its recipient, the book also examines the biological problems of communicating between species, the problems of identifying a non-Terrestrial intelligence, and the ethical, religious, legal and other problems of conducting discussions across light years. Most of the book is concerned with issues that could impinge on your life: how do we share experiences with ETI? Can we make shared laws? Could we trade? Would they have religion? The book addresses these and related issues, identifying potential barriers to communication and suggesting ways we can overcome them. The book explores this topic through reference to human experience, through analogy and thought experiment, while relying on what is known to-date about ourselves, our world, and the cosmos we live in. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction and Objectives....Pages 1-12 Space in the Background....Pages 13-34 The Physical Parameters of ILFS....Pages 35-52 Evolutionary Parameters of ETI....Pages 53-73 Defining Modes of Intelligence....Pages 75-100 Language and Symbols....Pages 101-114 Collective Action....Pages 115-153 The Cultural Parameters of ETI....Pages 155-211 ET Civilizations....Pages 213-241 Parsing ET Civilizations and Cultures....Pages 243-295 Frameworks of Communication and Exchange....Pages 297-344 Interaction and Intellectual Exchange....Pages 345-363 The Consequences of Contact....Pages 365-397 Final Words....Pages 399-404 Back Matter....Pages 405-430