| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a human activity with profound implications for society and culture that fall within the purview of astrosociology. In this article, we review some of the astrosociological aspects of SETI and identify ways to seek evidence-based, rather than purely speculative, answers. Recurrent issues include the organization and conduct of the search; human-alien comprehension and communication; human reactions to the discovery of extraterrestrial life; and the comparative analysis of possible extraterrestrial civilizations. Over the past 50 years, a small but growing number of anthropologists, artists, historians, philosophers, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and theologians have applied their expertise to SETI and its possible consequences. The current challenge for astrosociology is not gaining entree to SETI; rather, it is one of increasing the interest of more social and behavioral scientists in the search and its potential effects.
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