Extraterrestrial intelligence ( Eng. Extraterrestrial intelligence, ETI ) - a concept that refers to a hypothetical intelligent extraterrestrial life .
The question of whether other inhabited worlds can exist has been discussed since ancient times [1] . The modern form of the concept arose when the Copernican revolution demonstrated that the Earth is an ordinary planet orbiting the Sun , and other planets are other worlds [2] . The question of whether other inhabited planets or moons exist was a natural consequence of this new understanding. This has become one of the most speculative issues in science and is a central theme of science fiction and popular culture [3] .
Content
The probability of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence
The principle of Copernicus is generalized to the relativistic concept , according to which people are not privileged observers of the universe [4] . Many prominent scientists, including Stephen Hawking [5] , have suggested that because of the vast scale of the universe, it is unlikely that intelligent life would not appear elsewhere. Nevertheless, the Fermi paradox emphasizes the obvious contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of an extraterrestrial civilization and the lack of humanity’s contact with such civilizations in the present and in the past or evidence of such contact in the past [6] .
The Kardashev scale is a speculative method for measuring the level of technological progress of civilization, based on the amount of energy that civilization can use [7] .
The Drake equation is a probabilistic argument used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy [8] .
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
For several decades, a search was conducted for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence, without any convincing results [9] . Active SETI (Active Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is an attempt to send messages of intelligent extraterrestrial life. Active SETI messages are usually sent as radio signals. Physical messages like Pioneer messages can also be considered an active SETI message.
Relationship with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI) is a branch of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence that focuses on the compilation and interpretation of messages that theoretically can be understood by another technological civilization. The most famous CETI experiment was the Arecibo Message of 1974 , compiled by Frank Drake and Carl Sagan . There are many independent organizations and individuals involved in CETI research.
The position of the US government is that "the chances of contact with extraterrestrial intelligence are extremely small, given the corresponding distances" [10] [11] .
Potential Cultural Impact of Extraterrestrial Contact
Potential changes from contact with extraterrestrial intelligence can vary greatly in size and type, depending on the level of technological progress of an extraterrestrial civilization, the degree of goodwill or hostility, as well as the level of understanding between themselves and humanity [12] . Some theories suggest that an extraterrestrial civilization can be developed enough to do without biology, instead live in modern computers [12] . The environment through which humanity contacts, whether it is electromagnetic radiation, direct physical interaction, an alien artifact or otherwise, can also affect the results of contact. Based on these factors, various systems have been created to assess the effects of extraterrestrial contact.
The consequences of extraterrestrial contact, especially with a technologically superior civilization, are often compared to the encounter of two completely different human cultures on Earth, the historical precedent of which is the Columbus exchange . Such meetings, as a rule, lead to the destruction of civilization receiving contact (as opposed to the “contactor” that initiates contact), and, therefore, the destruction of human civilization is a possible outcome [13] . However, the absence of any such contact today means that such a hypothesis is mostly speculative.
See also
- Extraterrestrial life
- Unique Earth Hypothesis
- Cosmic pluralism
- Fermi paradox
- Extraterrestrial civilization
- Alien
- First contact (fiction)
- Contact (film)
- METI
Notes
- ↑ Plurality of Worlds: The Extraterrestrial life Debate from Democritus to Kant, by Steven Dick, Cambridge University Press 1984
- ↑ The Extraterrestrial Life Debate: 1750-1900, by Michael J. Crowe, Dover Publications , 2011
- ↑ Are we alone? Peter Spinks. May 21, 2013
- ↑ Peacock, John A. Cosmological Physics: [ eng. ] . - Cambridge University Press , 1998 . - P. 66. - ISBN 0-521-42270-1 .
- ↑ Hickman, Leo Stephen Hawking takes a hard line on aliens . The Guardian ( April 25, 2010 ). Date of treatment February 24, 2012.
- ↑ Krauthammer, Charles Are we alone in the universe? (eng.) . The Washington Post ( December 29, 2011 ).
- ↑ (Eng.) Kardashev, Nikolai . " On the Inevitability and the Possible Structures of Supercivilizations ", The search for extraterrestrial life: Recent developments; Proceedings of the Symposium, Boston, MA, June 18-21, 1984 (A86-38126 17-88). Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co., 1985, p. 497-504.
- ↑ Zaun, Harald . Es war wie eine 180-Grad-Wende von diesem peinlichen Geheimnis! (German) , Telepolis , Heise ( 1 November 2011 ).
- ↑ "The search for ET is a detective story without a body" by Nigel Henbest , New Scientist , March 9, 2013 , p. 53.
- ↑ Larson, Phil Searching for ET, But No Evidence Yet . White House ( November 5, 2011 ). Date of treatment November 6, 2011. Archived November 24, 2011.
- ↑ Atkinson, Nancy No Alien Visits or UFO Coverups, White House Says . UniverseToday ( November 5, 2011 ). Date of treatment November 6, 2011.
- ↑ 1 2 Harrison, AA Fear, pandemonium, equanimity and delight: Human responses to extra-terrestrial life (Eng.) // Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences : journal. - 2011 .-- Vol. 369 , no. 1936 . - P. 656 . - DOI : 10.1098 / rsta.2010.0229 . - . Archived December 25, 2012.
- ↑ Kazan, Casey. The Impact of ET Contact: Europe's Scientists Discuss The Future of Humans in Space . Daily Galaxy ( August 1, 2008 ). Date of treatment April 21, 2012.