| The various projects that comprise the 45-years | | | | course, dubious. |
| old Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) | | | | Argument Number 4: Aliens are too alien to be |
| raise two important issues | | | | recognized |
| I. The Six Arguments against SETI | | | | Carbon-based life forms may be an aberration or |
| The various projects that comprise the 45-years | | | | the rule, no one knows. The diversionist and |
| old Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) | | | | convergionist schools of evolution are equally |
| raise two important issues: | | | | speculative as are the basic assumptions of both |
| (1) do Aliens exist and | | | | astrobiology and xenobiology. The rest of the |
| (2) can we communicate with them. | | | | universe may be populated with silicon, or |
| If they do and we can, how come we never | | | | nitrogen-phosphorus based races or with |
| encountered an extraterrestrial, let alone spoken | | | | information-waves or contain numerous, |
| to or corresponded with one? | | | | non-interacting "shadow biospheres". |
| There are six basic explanations to this apparent | | | | Recent discoveries of extremophile unicellular |
| conundrum and they are not mutually exclusive: | | | | organisms lend credence to the belief that life can |
| (1) That Aliens do not exist; | | | | exist almost under any circumstances and in all |
| (2) That the technology they use is far too | | | | conditions and that the range of planetary |
| advanced to be detected by us and, the flip side | | | | habitability is much larger than thought. |
| of this hypothesis, that the technology we us is | | | | But whatever their chemical composition, most |
| insufficiently advanced to be noticed by them; | | | | Alien species are likely to be sentient and |
| (3) That we are looking for extraterrestrials at | | | | intelligent. Intelligence is bound to be the great |
| the wrong places; | | | | equalizer and the Universal Translator in our |
| (4) That the Aliens are life forms so different to | | | | Universe. We may fail to recognize certain |
| us that we fail to recognize them as sentient | | | | extragalactic races as life-forms but we are |
| beings or to communicate with them; | | | | unlikely to mistake their intelligence for a naturally |
| (5) That Aliens are trying to communicate with us | | | | occurring phenomenon. We are equipped to know |
| but constantly fail due to a variety of hindrances, | | | | other sentient intelligent species regardless of how |
| some structural and some circumstantial; | | | | advanced and different they are - and they are |
| (6) That they are avoiding us because of our | | | | equally fitted to acknowledge us as such. |
| misconduct (example: the alleged destruction of | | | | Argument Number 5: We are failing to |
| the environment) or because of our traits (for | | | | communicate with Aliens |
| instance, our innate belligerence) or because of | | | | The hidden assumption underlying CETI/METI |
| ethical considerations. | | | | (Communication with ETI/Messaging to ETI) is |
| Argument Number 1: Aliens do not exist (the | | | | that Aliens, like humans, are inclined to |
| Fermi Principle) | | | | communicate. This may be untrue. The propensity |
| The assumption that life has arisen only on Earth | | | | for interpersonal communication (let alone the |
| is both counterintuitive and unlikely. Rather, it is | | | | inter-species variety) may not be universal. |
| highly probable that life is an extensive parameter | | | | Additionally, Aliens may not possess the same |
| of the Universe. In other words, that it is as | | | | sense organs that we do (eyes) and may not be |
| pervasive and ubiquitous as are other generative | | | | acquainted with our mathematics and geometry. |
| phenomena, such as star formation. | | | | Reality can be successfully described and captured |
| This does not mean that extraterrestrial life and | | | | by alternative mathematical systems and |
| life on Earth are necessarily similar. Environmental | | | | geometries. |
| determinism and the panspermia hypothesis are | | | | Additionally, we often confuse complexity or |
| far from proven. There is no guarantee that we | | | | orderliness with artificiality. As the example of |
| are not unique, as per the Rare Earth hypothesis. | | | | quasars teaches us, not all regular or constant or |
| But the likelihood of finding life in one form or | | | | strong or complex signals are artificial. Even the |
| another elsewhere and everywhere in the | | | | very use of language may be a uniquely human |
| Universe is high. | | | | phenomenon - though most xenolinguists contest |
| The widely-accepted mediocrity principle (Earth is | | | | such exclusivity. |
| a typical planet) and its reification, the | | | | Moreover, as Wittgenstein observed, language is |
| controversial Drake (or Sagan) Equation usually | | | | an essentially private affair: if a lion were to |
| predicts the existence of thousands of Alien | | | | suddenly speak, we would not have understood it. |
| civilizations - though only a vanishingly small | | | | Modern verificationist and referentialist linguistic |
| fraction of these are likely to communicate with | | | | theories seek to isolate the universals of language, |
| us. | | | | so as to render all languages capable of translation |
| But, if this is true, to quote Italian-American | | | | - but they are still a long way off. Clarke's Third |
| physicist Enrico Fermi: "where are they?". Fermi | | | | Law says that Alien civilizations well in advance of |
| postulated that ubiquitous technologically advanced | | | | humanity may be deploying investigative methods |
| civilizations should be detectable - yet they are | | | | and communicating in dialects undetectable even in |
| not! (The Fermi Paradox). | | | | principle by humans. |
| This paucity of observational evidence may be | | | | Argument Number 6: They are avoiding us |
| owing to the fact that our galaxy is old. In ten | | | | Advanced Alien civilizations may have found ways |
| billion years of its existence, the majority of Alien | | | | to circumvent the upper limit of the speed of light |
| races are likely to have simply died out or been | | | | (for instance, by using wormholes). If they have |
| extinguished by various cataclysmic events. Or | | | | and if UFO sightings are mere hoaxes and bunk |
| maybe older and presumably wiser races are not | | | | (as is widely believed by most scientists), then we |
| as bent as we are on acquiring colonies. Remote | | | | are back to Fermi's "where are they". |
| exploration may have supplanted material probes | | | | One possible answer is they are avoiding us |
| and physical visits to wild locales such as Earth. | | | | because of our misconduct (example: the alleged |
| Aliens exist on our very planet. The minds of | | | | destruction of the environment) or because of |
| newborn babies and of animals are as inaccessible | | | | our traits (for instance, our innate belligerence). Or |
| to us as would be the minds of little green men | | | | maybe the Earth is a galactic wildlife reserve or a |
| and antenna-wielding adductors. Moreover, as we | | | | zoo or a laboratory (the Zoo hypothesis) and the |
| demonstrated in the previous chapter, even adult | | | | Aliens do not wish to contaminate us or subvert |
| human beings from the same cultural background | | | | our natural development. This falsely assumes |
| are as aliens to one another. Language is an | | | | that all Alien civilizations operate in unison and |
| inadequate and blunt instrument when it comes to | | | | under a single code (the Uniformity of Motive |
| communicating our inner worlds. | | | | fallacy). |
| Argument Number 2: Their technology is too | | | | But how would they know to avoid contact with |
| advanced | | | | us? How would they know of our misdeeds and |
| If Aliens really want to communicate with us, why | | | | bad character? |
| would they use technologies that are incompatible | | | | Our earliest radio signals have traversed no more |
| with our level of technological progress? When we | | | | than 130 light years omnidirectionally. Out television |
| discover primitive tribes in the Amazon, do we | | | | emissions are even closer to home. What other |
| communicate with them via e-mail or video | | | | source of information could Aliens have except |
| conferencing - or do we strive to learn their | | | | our own self-incriminating transmissions? None. In |
| language and modes of communication and | | | | other words, it is extremely unlikely that our |
| emulate them to the best of our ability? | | | | reputation precedes us. Luckily for us, we are |
| Of course there is always the possibility that we | | | | virtual unknowns. |
| are as far removed from Alien species as ants | | | | As early as 1960, the implications of an encounter |
| are from us. We do not attempt to interface with | | | | with an ETI were clear: |
| insects. If the gap between us and Alien races in | | | | "Evidences of its existence might also be found in |
| the galaxy is too wide, they are unlikely to want | | | | artifacts left on the moon or other planets. The |
| to communicate with us at all. | | | | consequences for attitudes and values are |
| Argument Number 3: We are looking in all the | | | | unpredictable, but would vary profoundly in |
| wrong places | | | | different cultures and between groups within |
| If life is, indeed, a defining feature (an extensive | | | | complex societies; a crucial factor would be the |
| property) of our Universe, it should be | | | | nature of the communication between us and the |
| anisotropically, symmetrically, and equally | | | | other beings. Whether or not earth would be |
| distributed throughout the vast expanse of space. | | | | inspired to an all-out space effort by such a |
| In other words, never mind where we turn our | | | | discovery is moot: societies sure of their own |
| scientific instruments, we should be able to detect | | | | place in the universe have disintegrated when |
| life or traces of life. | | | | confronted by a superior society, and others have |
| Still, technological and budgetary constraints have | | | | survived even though changed. Clearly, the better |
| served to dramatically narrow the scope of the | | | | we can come to understand the factors involved |
| search for intelligent transmissions. Vast swathes | | | | in responding to such crises the better prepared |
| of the sky have been omitted from the research | | | | we may be." |
| agenda as have been many spectrum frequencies. | | | | (Brookins Institute - Proposed Studies on the |
| SETI scientists assume that Alien species are as | | | | Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for |
| concerned with efficiency as we are and, | | | | Human Affairs, 1960) |
| therefore, unlikely to use certain wasteful | | | | Perhaps we should not be looking forward to the |
| methods and frequencies to communicate with us. | | | | First Encounter. It may also be our last. |
| This assumption of interstellar scarcity is, of | | | | |