Table of Contents

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

Chapter 12. The Inscrutable Names of God: The Jesuit Missions of New France as a Model for SETI-Related Spiritual Questions
Jason T. Kuznicki

Chapter 13. ET Phone Darwin: What Can an Evolutionary Understanding of Animal Communication and Art Contribute to Our Understanding of Methods for Interstellar Communication?
Kathryn Coe, Craig T. Palmer, and Christina Pomianek

Chapter 14. A Journalistic Perspective on SETI-Related Message Composition
Morris Jones

Notes on Contributors

About the Author

Douglas A. Vakoch is Professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, as well as Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute. He serves as Chair of both the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Study Group on Interstellar Message Construction and the IAA Study Group on Active SETI: Scientific, Technical, Societal, and Legal Dimensions. His books include Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI), Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective, and Ecofeminism and Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives on Sex, Technology, and Discourse.

Reviews

“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.” • International Journal of Anthropology “For years sections of the SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] community have bemoaned the fact that the social sciences are often sidelined in favour of the hard sciences when it comes to SETI discussion. Civilizations Beyond Earth starts to redress the balance, edited skillfully by Douglas Vakoch, the only sociologist on staff at the SETI Institute in California, and Albert Harrison, a psychologist from the University of California.” • Astronomy “…a fascinating collection of essays examining how humanity might react to extraterrestrials…While [the book] is academically rigorous, it’s also accessible…it remains an essential introduction for anyone interested in SETI, xenobiology and UFOs.” •ForteanTimes