Michael J. Crowe is the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh Professor Emeritus in Humanities in the Program of Liberal Studies and Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Notre Dame. He has published a number of books, including The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750–1900: The Idea of a Plurality of Worlds from Kant to Lowell.
"This is a valuable book that is not available anywhere else. . . .
Crowe's purpose is to let the reader see the original words of the
authors who discussed other worlds. Crowe puts these documents in
context by his substantial introduction and commentary. . . . Such
a source book serves an important purpose, and is ideal for
teaching and generating discussion in class. The subject is of
increasing importance as we find more and more about the
possibilities of extraterrestrial life through current disciplines
such as astrobiology, bioastronomy, and the Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence." —Steven J. Dick, Director, NASA
History Division, NASA
"Having established himself as the world’s authority on the history
of the debates about extraterrestrial life in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, Michael Crowe is perfectly positioned to
produce this source book. The introductory commentaries on the
excerpts from primary sources he has so judiciously selected reveal
again and again that no one else knows this subject as well as he
does." —Frederick Gregory, University of Florida
"The Extraterrestrial Life Debate gives new meaning to the word
'treasury.' Michael Crowe offers us more than 2000 years of golden
materials—wrought by the astonishing alchemy of science, religion,
philosophy, and sheer imagination—about a topic as alive today as
it ever was: ET, with all his cousins and ancestors. The range of
authors the book showcases, and the depth of context Crowe
provides, will make his monumental anthology the starting point for
future explorations of this rich vein of human thought." —Dennis
Danielson, University of British Columbia
“There are loads of books on ET, but only a small number of them
take a historical approach . . . Anyone interested in the history
of the extraterrestrial life debate will be interested in this
book; it does complete in a certain way previous historical work
done by Steven Dick and Michael Crowe by providing large portions
of original texts rather than merely short quotations from them. .
. . All the various perspectives, religious, literary,
astronomical, philosophical, seem adequately represented. The
multidisciplinary aspect of the debate comes across well from the
authors selected.” —Marie I. George, St. John’s University
“Extraterrestrials may not have invaded the Earth physically but
for centuries they have done so mentally. In many a guise they have
appeared not only in works of fiction but also in serious
astronomical, philosophical and theological debate. It is
impossible to open Michael Crowe's handsome and fastidiously
prepared anthology of primary sources without being drawn into
endlessly fascinating disputes concerning the possibility and
character of extraterrestrial life. Savoring the many twists and
turns in controversies that have extended far beyond the confines
of popular astronomy, Professor Crowe has provided students and
experts alike with a generous and indispensable resource. It is
difficult to resist his invitation to investigate for ourselves the
innumerable, and often surprising, ways in which the idea of
intelligent life on other worlds has shaped and been shaped by
perennial Earthly concerns.” —John Hedley Brooke, Andreas Idreos
Professor Emeritus of Science and Religion, University of
Oxford
“A reader of sorts, either to accompany the earlier volume or for
readers who prefer to read the primary sources and construct their
own narrative.” —SciTech Book News
“This source book, in fact, a monumental anthology, presents key
documents from the pre-1915 history of the extraterrestrial life
debate. . . . The book is designed to shed light on the question of
the existence of extraterrestrials, and on those who sought to
tackle the question.” —Perspectives on Science and Christian
Faith
“Who wrote about the possibilities and implications of intelligent
extraterrestrial life? Thanks to this superb anthology one is
prompted to ask, Who didn’t? Michael Crowe is no mere compiler of
facsimile reprints of primary sources, but a scholarly editor. This
source book is a wonderful addition to the teacher’s toolkit and
should find a readership far wider than historians of science.”
—ISIS
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