Most people have become comfortable with the notion that there may be intelligent
extraterrestrial life elsewhere in the universe. Even the conservative
astronomer Carl Sagan calculated that it was mathematically probable
that such life must exist. Sagan’s book Contact, later made into
the 1997 movie of the same name, postulated that a life form could contact
humans here on earth. The SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)
Institute employs people using radio telescopes to explore the heavens
for signs of intelligent life. Recently the National Air and Space Administration
created the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NABI) to consider the development
of ET life forms. NABI examines the possibility from the standpoint
of materials and conditions necessary to support life. They also consider
the implications of the origin of life and question whether life is
a cosmic imperative.
In After Contact Professor Al Harrison of the University of
California-Davis thoughtfully takes the obvious next step. In pragmatic
detail he examines the human consequences of contact with such an intelligent
extraterrestrial entity. Except for fictional accounts, no one previously
has explored as comprehensively the many ramifications such contact
would pose for those of us who live in what we believe to be technologically
advanced societies. Just what would happen if we learned that we were
not at the top of the evolutionary pyramid?
Harrison first lays out the background information surrounding current
search methodologies used by SETI and their radio-telescopic efforts
to listen for signs of life. He also covers the supporting probabilities
that mathematically suggest that some form of extraterrestrial life
should exist elsewhere in the universe. It is not just in independent
evolution of ETI on some far distant planet that life could exist, but
also through a seeding or colonization effort. The search for ETI, he
argues, requires a broad multidisciplinary approach. The complexities
of communication should contact be established demand that a wide variety
of sciences would be necessary including biologists, physicists, chemists,
computer scientists and linguists just to name a few. Harrison states
that while there is no compelling evidence that we have been visited
by an ETI, there are sufficient clues to make exploration worthwhile.
Further, the enormity of the impact on society dictates that these are
prudent steps.
In an overview of popular literature regarding UFOs and other aerial
phenomena, he demonstrates a breadth of understanding of the material
widely available to the general public. This is an important addition
as it provides the background from which people are making decisions
about their beliefs in ETI and probability of contact. It also shows
why there is a dramatic disconnect between the general population and
most mainstream scientists.
Living systems theory of James Grier Miller serves as a foundation
for considering how extraterrestrial organisms and societies might function.
Based on building blocks of matter, energy, and information, living
systems theory is a logical approach to potentially disparate life forms.
After all, there is no known reason for unanimity among advanced extraterrestrial
life forms. Harrison goes beyond the organism level and considers what
factors might impact ET societies. These include such varied considerations
as resource bases, processing of information, decision-making strategies,
adaptation and use of energy, and development of culture. He then addresses
the fundamental issues related to first contact; how it might be made,
who would do it, and how that information would be transmitted to the
public.
After Contact considers the various ways in which information
concerning ETI existence would be received and acted upon by the public.
There are many fictional accounts of ET contact, as well as scientific
studies of people exposed to unusual or stressful events, from which
inferences of psycho-social reactions can drawn. The individual and
societal differences in responding to such a dramatic discovery are
examined.
Travelling beyond the initial encounter, Harrison discusses the inevitable
complex issues in building of relationships between the ETI and humans.
In this section he has considered in some depth just what types of interactions
might transpire. He then explores the consequences to our societal structures
such as the economy, political systems, impact on values and beliefs,
and differentials in technological development.
After Contact is a comprehensive and thought-provoking examination
of the inscrutable aspects of an encounter between humans and an advanced
extraterrestrial intelligence. It is a must for anyone interested in
the possibility that an initial event might occur within his or her
lifetime. The book is a landmark publication and serves as a signpost
for directing further research into a most fascinating, and under resourced
area of science.
Reviewed by: John B. Alexander, Ph.D.
