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  1. Global Catastrophic Risks Connected with Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.Alexey Turchin - manuscript
    In this article, a classification of the global catastrophic risks connected with the possible existence (or non-existence) of extraterrestrial intelligence is presented. If there are no extra-terrestrial intelligences (ETIs) in our light cone, it either means that the Great Filter is behind us, and thus some kind of periodic sterilizing natural catastrophe, like a gamma-ray burst, should be given a higher probability estimate, or that the Great Filter is ahead of us, and thus a future global catastrophe is high probability. (...)
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  2. Presumptuous Philosopher Proves Panspermia.Alexey Turchin - manuscript
    Abstract. The presumptuous philosopher (PP) thought experiment lends more credence to the hypothesis which postulates the existence of a larger number of observers than other hypothesis. The PP was suggested as a purely speculative endeavor. However, there is a class of real world observer-selection effects where it could be applied, and one of them is the possibility of interstellar panspermia (IP). There are two types of anthropic reasoning: SIA and SSA. SIA implies that my existence is an argument that larger (...)
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  3. UAP and Global Catastrophic Risks.Alexey Turchin - manuscript
    Abstract: After 2017 NY Times publication, the stigma of the scientific discussion of the problem of so-called UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) was lifted. Now the question arises: how UAP will affect the future of humanity, and especially, the probability of the global catastrophic risks? To answer this question, we assume that the Nimitz case in 2004 was real and we will suggest a classification of the possible explanations of the phenomena. The first level consists of mundane explanations: hardware glitches, malfunction, (...)
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  4. “Cheating Death in Damascus” Solution to the Fermi Paradox.Alexey Turchin & Roman Yampolskiy - manuscript
    One of the possible solutions of the Fermi paradox is that all civilizations go extinct because they hit some Late Great Filter. Such a universal Late Great Filter must be an unpredictable event that all civilizations unexpectedly encounter, even if they try to escape extinction. This is similar to the “Death in Damascus” paradox from decision theory. However, this unpredictable Late Great Filter could be escaped by choosing a random strategy for humanity’s future development. However, if all civilizations act randomly, (...)
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  5. Other stars, other planets, and other life: a primer that goes two‑thirds of the way. [REVIEW]Marc Champagne - 2021 - Metascience 30 (1):153–156.
  6. Diagrams and alien ways of thinking.Marc Champagne - 2019 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 75 (C):12-22.
    The recent wave of data on exoplanets lends support to METI ventures (Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), insofar as the more exoplanets we find, the more likely it is that “exominds” await our messages. Yet, despite these astronomical advances, there are presently no well-confirmed tests against which to check the design of interstellar messages. In the meantime, the best we can do is distance ourselves from terracentric assumptions. There is no reason, for example, to assume that all inferential abilities are language-like. (...)
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  7. The Final (Missions) Frontier: Extraterrestrials, Evangelism, and the Wide Circle of Human Empathy.Eugene A. Curry - 2019 - Zygon 54 (3):588-601.
    The possible existence of extraterrestrials has provoked more than five centuries of theological speculation on how these beings, if they exist, relate to God. A certain stream of thought present in these debates argues that the eventual discovery of aliens would obligate human Christians to evangelize them for the salvation of their souls. Current research into humanity's prehistory suggests that, if this ever actually happens, it will have been partially facilitated by humanity's remarkable capacity for interspecies empathy—an ability that seems (...)
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  8. Astrobiology and astrophilosophy: subsuming or bifurcating diciplines?Ian von Hegner - 2019 - Philosophy and Cosmology 23:62-79.
    Initially, astrobiology subsumed into philosophy. However, philosophy has increasingly subsumed into astrobiology concurrent with it steadily becoming an observational and experimental activity that mainly focuses on the link between life and the cosmos, rather than on extra-terrestrial life per se. However, the steadily increasing probability of locating such extra-terrestrial life and the questions this will lead to might require a refinement of astrobiology, with a bifurcation into astrobiology and astrophilosophy. There are many reasons for the emergence and necessity of astrobiology. (...)
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  9. The Global Catastrophic Risks Connected with Possibility of Finding Alien AI During SETI.Alexey Turchin - 2018 - Journal of British Interpanetary Society 71 (2):71-79.
    Abstract: This article examines risks associated with the program of passive search for alien signals (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI) connected with the possibility of finding of alien transmission which includes description of AI system aimed on self-replication (SETI-attack). A scenario of potential vulnerability is proposed as well as the reasons why the proportion of dangerous to harmless signals may be high. The article identifies necessary conditions for the feasibility and effectiveness of the SETI-attack: ETI existence, possibility of AI, (...)
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  10. Surviving global risks through the preservation of humanity's data on the Moon.Alexey Turchin & D. Denkenberger - 2018 - Acta Astronautica:in press.
    Many global catastrophic risks are threatening human civilization, and a number of ideas have been suggested for preventing or surviving them. However, if these interventions fail, society could preserve information about the human race and human DNA samples in the hopes that the next civilization on Earth will be able to reconstruct Homo sapiens and our culture. This requires information preservation of an order of magnitude of 100 million years, a little-explored topic thus far. It is important that a potential (...)
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  11. Progress in post-quantum theory.Jack Sarfatti - 2017 - AIP Conference Proceedings 1841 (1).
    David Bohm, in his "causal theory", made the correct Hegelian synthesis of Einstein's thesis that there is a "there" there, and Bohr's antithesis of "thinglessness" (Nick Herbert’s term). Einstein was a materialist and Bohr was an idealist. Bohm showed that quantum reality has both. This is “physical dualism” (my term). Physical dualism may be a low energy approximation to a deeper monism of cosmic consciousness called "the super-implicate order" (Bohm and Hiley’s term), “pregeometry” (Wheeler’s term), “substratum” (Dirac’s term), “funda-MENTAL space” (...)
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  12. Future progress in artificial intelligence: A poll among experts.Vincent C. Müller & Nick Bostrom - 2014 - AI Matters 1 (1):9-11.
    [This is the short version of: Müller, Vincent C. and Bostrom, Nick (forthcoming 2016), ‘Future progress in artificial intelligence: A survey of expert opinion’, in Vincent C. Müller (ed.), Fundamental Issues of Artificial Intelligence (Synthese Library 377; Berlin: Springer).] - - - In some quarters, there is intense concern about high–level machine intelligence and superintelligent AI coming up in a few dec- ades, bringing with it significant risks for human- ity; in other quarters, these issues are ignored or considered science (...)
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  13. Our Cosmic Insignificance.Guy Kahane - 2013 - Noûs 47 (2):745-772.
    The universe that surrounds us is vast, and we are so very small. When we reflect on the vastness of the universe, our humdrum cosmic location, and the inevitable future demise of humanity, our lives can seem utterly insignificant. Many philosophers assume that such worries about our significance reflect a banal metaethical confusion. They dismiss the very idea of cosmic significance. This, I argue, is a mistake. Worries about cosmic insignificance do not express metaethical worries about objectivity or nihilism, and (...)
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  14. Philosophy and Cosmology 2010 (The Journal of International Society of Philosophy and Cosmology (ISPC) ).Oleg Bazaluk (ed.) - 2010 - ISPC.
    The Journal «Philosophy and Cosmology» (ISSN 2307-3705) was established by Oleg Bazaluk as a press organ of International Society of Philosophy and Cosmology at 2004. This Society was established in the setting of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitskiy State Pedagogical University. Initially the Journal was printed as a special edition of Ukrainian philosophical journal «Sententiae» (one’s Chief Editor is Oleg Khoma) and covered academic scientific, philosophical and amateur researches of the space problematic. Since 2008, Journal «Philosopy and Cosmology» is an independent printed issue at (...)
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  15. Philosophy and Cosmology 2009 (The Journal of International Society of Philosophy and Cosmology (ISPC) ).Oleg Bazaluk (ed.) - 2009 - ISPC.
    Philosophy and Cosmology is an open access, peer-reviewed and refereed journal that focuses on theoretical and conceptual problems and issues in philosophical and cosmological research. Philosophy and Cosmology is published by International Society of Philosophy and Cosmology. The objective of Philosophy and Cosmology is to promote exchange and collaboration among philosophers, social, technical and natural science researchers throughout the world. In pursuit of this objective the journal not only publishes high quality research papers but also ensures that the published papers (...)
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  16. Philosophy and Cosmology 2008 (The Journal of International Society of Philosophy and Cosmology (ISPC) ).Oleg Bazaluk (ed.) - 2008 - ISPC.
    Philosophy and Cosmology is an open access, peer-reviewed and refereed journal that focuses on theoretical and conceptual problems and issues in philosophical and cosmological research. Philosophy and Cosmology is published by International Society of Philosophy and Cosmology. The objective of Philosophy and Cosmology is to promote exchange and collaboration among philosophers, social, technical and natural science researchers throughout the world. In pursuit of this objective the journal not only publishes high quality research papers but also ensures that the published papers (...)
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  17. The one world, one science argument.André Kukla - 2008 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 59 (1):73-88.
    The one world, one science argument (so named by Rescher) is advanced by Carl Sagan and others to support the thesis that we will be able to learn to converse with intelligent extraterrestrials if and when we encounter them. The prima facie obstacle to extraterrestrial communication is that the aliens’ culture and geography are bound to be so different from ours that we would find it extremely difficult, if not practically impossible, to find a common topic on which we can (...)
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  18. The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology. [REVIEW]Lynn Rothschild - 2007 - Isis 98:423-424.
  19. ‘Lord only of the ruffians and fiends’? William Whewell and the plurality of worlds debate.Laura J. Snyder - 2007 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 38 (3):584-592.
    By the middle of the nineteenth century, the opinion of science, as well as of philosophy and even religion, was, at least in Britain, firmly in the camp of the plurality of worlds, the view that intelligent life exists on other celestial bodies. William Whewell, considered an expert on science, philosophy and religion, would have been expected to support this position. Yet he surprised everyone in 1853 by publishing a work arguing strongly against the plurality view. This was even stranger (...)
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  20. Carl du Prel (1839–1899): explorer of dreams, the soul, and the cosmos.Thomas P. Weber - 2007 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 38 (3):593-604.
    Nineteenth-century spiritism was a blend of religious elements, the philosophy of mind, science and popular science and contacts with extraterrestrials were a commonplace phenomenon during spiritistic séances. Using the example of Carl du Prel I show how his comprehensive mystic philosophy originated in a theory of extraterrestrial life. Carl du Prel used a Darwinian and monistic framework, theories of the unconscious and a Neo-Kantian epistemology to formulate a philosophy of astronomy and extraterrestrial life. He claimed that the mechanism of Darwinian (...)
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  21. Death and Anti-Death, Volume 4: Twenty Years After De Beauvoir, Thirty Years After Heidegger.Charles Tandy (ed.) - 2006 - Palo Alto: Ria University Press.
    Volume Four, as indicated by the anthology's subtitle, is in honor of Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) and Martin Heidegger (1889-1976). The chapters do not necessarily mention Simone de Beauvoir or Martin Heidegger. The 16 chapters (by professional philosophers and other professional scholars) are directed to issues related to death, life extension, and anti-death. Most of the 400-plus pages consist of scholarship unique to this volume. Includes index. -/- -/- The titles of the 16 chapters are as follows: -/- -/- 1. (...)
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  22. Geographers of Mars: Cartographic Inscription and Exploration Narrative in Late Victorian Representations of the Red Planet.K. D. Lane - 2005 - Isis 96:477-506.
    Over two decades spanning the turn of the twentieth century, astronomers’ claims about the landscape and climate of Mars spurred widespread scientific and popular interest in the possibility that the red planet might be inhabited. This essay offers a new explanation for the power with which the notion of an inhabited Mars gripped noted scholars and everyday citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. Rather than pointing to a rekindling of age‐old philosophical interest in the plurality of worlds, it argues (...)
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  23. Nightmare and Utopia: Extraterrestrial Worlds From Galileo To Goethe.Karl S. Guthke - 2003 - Early Science and Medicine 8 (3):173-195.
    Present-day speculation on extraterrestrial intelligence, taking its cue from a number of programmes currently "listening" for electro-magnetic signals from space, have a prehistory dating back to the immediate aftermath of the Copernican Revolution. Throughout the centuries of the Early Modern Period, it was not only theological but also more or less secular philosophical concerns that informed the hopes and the fears that writers of all stripes associated with the tentative notion that "We are not alone." It was not until the (...)
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  24. Worlds without End: The Historic Search for Extraterrestrial Life. [REVIEW]Michael Crowe - 2002 - Isis 93:101-102.
    As Roger Hennessey reminds us, “One of the most famous openings in English literature informs readers that ‘in the last years of the nineteenth century … human affairs were being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's yet as mortal as his own’” . So began H. G. Wells's famous War of the Worlds , in which Martians invade the Earth.The general public seems scarcely aware that discussions of extraterrestrial intelligent beings began to appear centuries before 1897, not (...)
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  25. Germs in Space.Audra J. Wolfe - 2002 - Isis 93 (2):183-205.
    Under the leadership of Joshua Lederberg, some American biologists and chemists proposed exobiology as the most legitimate program for space research. These scientists used the fear of contamination—of earth and other planets—as a central argument for funding “nonpolitical,” “scientifically valid” experiments in extraterrestrial life detection. Exobiology's resemblance to popular science fiction narratives presented a significant challenge to its advocates' scientific authority. Its most practical applications, moreover, bore an unseemly resemblance to the United States Army's research on biological weapons. At the (...)
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  26. Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life beyond Earth by Robert Shapiro. [REVIEW]Ronald Schorn - 2001 - Isis 92:214-215.
  27. The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Essays on Science and Technology by P. Day. [REVIEW]Ursula Marvin - 2000 - Isis 91:342-343.
  28. The Anthropocentric Predicament and the Search for Extra‐terrestrial Intelligence.Lee F. Werth - 1998 - Journal of Applied Philosophy 15 (1):83–88.
    Concepts from evolutionary biology are conjoined with a Kantian‐ and Nietzschian‐based critique to demonstrate that our human concepts and perspectives are hopelessly ‘earthbound.’ Unless the caprice of evolutionary biology on some Earth‐like planet replicates the evolutionary history of Earth, we shall not recognise alien intelligence. To suggest that another planet is likely to produce a recognisable intelligence because its evolutionary history is similar to ours is simply absurd, but will seem absurd only to those with a knowledge of bio‐evolution, an (...)
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  29. The Biological Universe: The Twentieth-Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science by Steven J. Dick. [REVIEW]Karl Hufbauer - 1997 - Isis 88:567-568.
  30. Pierre Teilhard De Chardin: Being, Critical Thresholds, and Evolutionary Thought.Peter L. McDermott - 1997 - Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 40 (4):564-577.
  31. A response to Grünbaum on creation and Big Bang cosmology.William Lane Craig - 1994 - Philosophia Naturalis 31 (2):247.
  32. Ethics and the Extraterrestrial Environment.Alan Marshall - 1993 - Journal of Applied Philosophy 10 (2):227-236.
    ABSTRACT After a brief review of environmental ethics this paper examines how terrestrial environmental values can be developed into policies to protect extraterrestrial environments. Shallow environmentalism, deep environmentalism and the libertarian extension of rights are compared and then applied to the environmental protection of extraterrestrial bodies. Some scientific background is given. The planet Mars is used as a test case from which an ethical argument emerges for the protection of environments beyond Earth. The argument is based on the necessity to (...)
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  33. Physical Cosmology and Philosophy. [REVIEW]Andrea Croce Birch - 1991 - Review of Metaphysics 44 (3):646-647.
    The twenty-one readings collected by Leslie address four main questions: Was there a Big Bang? Is our universe "fine-tuned" to life's needs such that the most minute changes would have made life-forms impossible? Are there multiple universes? Is there life elsewhere in the cosmos? A brief survey of a sampling of the readings will convey the scope of this volume.
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  34. Is life improbable?John C. Baez - 1989 - Foundations of Physics 19 (1):91-95.
    E. P. Wigner 's argument that the probability of the existence of self-reproducing units, e.g., organisms, is zero according to standard quantum theory is stated and analyzed. Theorems are presented which indicate that Wigner 's mathematical result in fact should not be interpreted as asserting the improbability of self-reproducing units.
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  35. The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900: The Idea of a Plurality of Worlds from Kant to Lowell by Michael Crowe. [REVIEW]Steven Dick - 1987 - Isis 78:257-259.
  36. Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant by Steven J. Dick. [REVIEW]Michael Crowe - 1983 - Isis 74:268-270.
  37. The Search for Life on Mars: Evolution of an Idea by Henry S. F. Cooper. [REVIEW]Steven Dick - 1981 - Isis 72:331-331.
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  38. The Ultimate Paradigm of Science.Stephen Mooney - manuscript