Introduction. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence as an Interdisciplinary Effort

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS vii
3. List of Tables and Figures ix
4. Acknowledgments xi
5. Introduction. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence as an Interdisciplinary Effort 1
6. PART I. DOES EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE EXIST?
7. Chapter 1. Are We Alone? Estimating the Prevalence of Extraterrestrial Intelligence 31
8. Chapter 2. Encountering Alternative Intelligences: Cognitive Archaeology and SETI 43
9. Chapter 3. The Lifetimes of Scientific Civilizations and the Genetic Evolution of the Brain 60
10. Chapter 4. “L” on Earth 74
11. PART II. REACTIONS TO DISCOVERING LIFE BEYOND EARTH
12. Chapter 5. Can SETI Fulfill the Value Agenda of Cultural Anthropology? 87
13. Chapter 6. American Attitudes about Life Beyond Earth: Beliefs, Concerns, and the Role of Education and Religion in Shaping Public Perceptions 102
14. Chapter 7. Cultural Beliefs about Extraterrestrials: A Questionnaire Study 118
15. Chapter 8. The Science and Politics of SETI: How to Succeed in an Era of Make-Believe History and Pseudoscience 141
16. PART III. COMMUNICATION WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE
17. Chapter 9. Cultural Aspects of Interstellar Communication 159
18. Chapter 10. Cosmic Storytelling: Primitive Observables as Rosetta Analogies 170
19. Chapter 11. Direct Contact with Extraterrestrials via Computer Emulation 191
20. Chapter 12. The Inscrutable Names of God: The Jesuit Missions of New France as a Model for SETI-Related Spiritual Questions 203
21. Chapter 13. ET Phone Darwin: What Can an Evolutionary Understanding of Animal Communication and Art Contribute to Our Understanding of Methods for Interstellar Communication? 214
22. Chapter 14. A Journalistic Perspective on SETI-Related Message Composition 226
23. Notes on Contributors 236
24. Index 240