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Scientists and governments are vigorously
searching for signs of life in the universe. Will their
efforts meet with success?
Award-winning author Paul Davies, an eminent
scientist who writes like a science fiction writer, explores
the ramifications of that success in his fascinating new
book, "The discovery of a single extraterrestrial microbe,"
he writes, "would drastically alter our world view
and change our society as profoundly as the Copernican and
Darwinian revolutions. It could truly be described as the
greatest scientific discovery of all time."
What must we assume about the laws of physics,
the nature of the universe, and the nature of life and intelligence
in order to expect that there is intelligent life out there?
And if there is, what would it do to our science, our religions,
and our world view in general? Are We Alone? ponders
the enormous implications for such major philosophical and
religious issues as the mind-body problem, the nature of
life and consciousness, and the place of mankind in the
cosmos.
Human society is only a few thousand years
old. Davies argues that if we get a message from space,
it will come from communities much more advanced than our
own. What would we make of the existence of a billion-year-old
technological society? Would we be communicating with machine
or organic intelligence? If life exists elsewhere, does
this imply the existence of a plan or a design? If evolution
proceeds randomly and we are the result of myriad accidents,
could intelligent life evolve twice?
Delving deeply into profound ideas in mathematics
and philosophy -- from Descartes to Darwin to Dennett --
Davies takes us on a whirlwind journey through issues in
quantum theory, mind and matter, consciousness, and time,
as he explains why he believes "they're out there"
-- and what that implies.
Paul Davies is Professor of Natural Philosophy
at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. He is the
author of more than twenty books, including The Mind
of God, The Last Three Minutes, The Cosmic
Blueprint, and, most recently, About Time. He
won the 1995 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion for
his contributions to religious thought and inquiry.
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