http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_religion_060601.html

Of Faith and Facts: Is SETI a Religion?

By David Darling
SETI Institute
posted: 01 June 2006
06:30 am ET

Is SETI—the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence—a religion? This is one of the topics that Jill Tarter, Director of the Center for SETI Research at the SETI Institute, and I discussed on "Are We Alone?", the SETI Institute's weekly radio program on Wednesday May 17.

The discussion by Jill and I was in response to a claim made by George Basalla (professor emeritus of history at the University of Delaware) in his book Civilized Life in the Universe (Oxford University Press: 2006) that SETI is more of a faith-based enterprise than a genuine science. He points to SETI's failure to make "contact" after more than forty years of trying and its continuing efforts in the absence of any positive evidence as a sign that it relies more on a kind of religious zeal than anything else. (Incidentally, Basalla was invited to appear on the show but declined.)

Needless to say, Jill Tarter is less than impressed by this argument, as indeed am I. Firstly we know that there's intelligence in the universe. As I pointed out on the show there are dolphins and great apes. And you might even throw Homo sapiens into that mix on the rare occasions when we live up to our self-proclaimed species name. It isn't an unreasonable hypothesis that if intelligence has come about on one planet that it may also have arisen elsewhere, especially given the vast number of stars in this and other galaxies. SETI serves as a test of that hypothesis. But beyond that it's one of our noblest and most exciting scientific quests: to discover if we are alone and represent the high-water mark of intelligence and technology in the cosmos or, alternatively, if we're simply one member of a community of minded races, many of them perhaps vastly more ancient and advanced than ourselves.

Religions are characterized by two factors: worship—in other words, some system of devotion directed toward one or more omniscient and supranatural beings—and faith in the absence of material evidence. SETI qualifies as a religion on neither of these counts. Unless I'm very much mistaken no SETI researcher offers prayers to the subject of his or her quest (although it would be fascinating to know what spiritual traditions might have grown up among the civilizations of other stars). And any faith that's involved in SETI is only the kind of non-religious "faith" that any scientist adheres to—faith in the scientific method, the equipment she uses, the all-important peer review process, and so on. As I've mentioned, we already have material evidence for intelligence in the universe: it consists of the brains you're using right now to assimilate these thoughts. Unlike a religion which relies on pure faith that a god exists, we don't need faith that intelligence and technology exist.

To address Basalla's argument, that it's time for SETI advocates to lower their expectations and even admit they may be on a wild goose chase, I'd like to point to a parallel with the search for extrasolar planets - worlds that are in orbit around other stars. Until quite recently we had no evidence for planets beyond our own solar system; it was simply a hypothesis, like the hypothesis that there may be ETI. The practical search for extrasolar worlds kicked off back in the 1930s with the pioneering work of the Dutch-American astronomer Peter Van der Kamp. Although he collected data that seemed to suggest there were worlds in orbit around Barnard's Star and a few other nearby stars, this evidence proved to be unfounded (some of it due to tiny systematic wobbles in the telescope he was using). Only in the 1990s, sixty years after Van der Kamp began his investigations, did scientists find conclusive proof that there are other planets out there. Over the past decade or so, more than 180 extrasolar planets have been found.

If we were to follow Basalla's line of reasoning, the search for extrasolar planets also qualifies as a kind of religion. Shouldn't we simply have given up after four decades of looking? Surely that's enough time to have found something if it really existed? Isn't continuing beyond that a sign of misplaced faith and over-optimism? Fortunately the quest did go on and we're now reaping the rewards—new planets by the bucket-load.

Historically, the question of whether extrasolar planets existed and, if they did, how common they were and what they might be like, finds an interesting parallel with the central issues in SETI. There used to be two big theories about the origin of the planets in the solar system. One of these was called the catastrophic hypothesis.

It suggested that the planets had formed in the aftermath of a near collision between the Sun and another star from a swathe of gas ripped out of the Sun by the stellar intruder. If this were the case then planetary systems could be expected to be very rare because such close encounters between stars almost never happen. The rival theory of planet formation was the nebular hypothesis which argued that the planets of the solar system coalesced from a cloud of gas and dust left over from when the Sun was formed. The nebular hypothesis suggested that the birth of planets might be a routine business throughout the universe. Of course, this is the theory, in updated form, that astronomers believe in today and the discovery of numerous other planets is good confirmation of it.

The parallel debate going on in SETI and astrobiology concerns how often primitive life, such as bacteria, serves as the precursor of complex, multicellular life, and, ultimately, advanced intelligence. Supporters of the "Rare Earth" hypothesis think that it happens only very, very rarely. Others, including myself, think that intelligence offers a big survival advantage and that it will come about whenever it's given a reasonable chance. SETI is a first step towards resolving this issue. But it still has a very long way to go. Forecasting how intelligence will evolve is a hazardous business. We don't have much to go on. What we do know is that as soon as high technology takes hold, evolution is fantastically rapid and virtually unpredictable. Does anyone have a clue how the Internet or genetic engineering are going to develop over the next 10, 20, or 50 years? How about the next million years?

SETI researchers know their limitations. They're restricted at present to searching for radio and optical signals—our own best, fastest means of getting messages across interstellar distance. Who knows what our galactic elders, if they exist, may be using to communicate with? We have no idea what is out there or what forms alien intelligence may take. We are, as Seth Shostak pointed out during the radio interview, like Columbus sailing into uncharted waters. We don't know what we'll find. But the quest is extraordinary, exciting, abundantly worthwhile, and true to the methodology and spirit of science.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Well, knighty, plenty of other posts just like that one have gone by. You seem to be on quite the highy horse pointing your finger and deciding what's admissable and what's not.

Big suprise for you: people don't all conform to what you think is right.

Now just like with the 'hate propaganda'; I will predict what some...person will say about the above line: I should listen to my own words. Here's another suprise: I don't 'think' anyhthing as being right. I look at the evidence and draw logical conclusions. There's no 'belief' in it.


I guesstimate that Sarge put a link to that article about SETI being a religion (HA!) to raise his own credibility.
But I do have one question for anyone who 'believes' in a 'god' : where is your evidence?

One other question: which believer would like to answer what Dr. Sagan had to say in that below quote from "The Edge of Forever"?

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Never Forget a Friend. Or an Enemy.

Well, knighty, plenty of other posts just like that one have gone by. You seem to be on quite the highy horse pointing your finger and deciding what's admissable and what's not.

Big suprise for you: people don't all conform to what you think is right.

Now just like with the 'hate propaganda'; I will predict what some...person will say about the above line: I should listen to my own words. Here's another suprise: I don't 'think' anyhthing as being right. I look at the evidence and draw logical conclusions. There's no 'belief' in it.


I guesstimate that Sarge put a link to that article about SETI being a religion (HA!) to raise his own credibility.
But I do have one question for anyone who 'believes' in a 'god' : where is your evidence?

One other question: which believer would like to answer what Dr. Sagan had to say in that below quote from "The Edge of Forever"?

Chuck, what part of the several definitions of "faith" are you having trouble with?

Please consider, the word has definitions which describe both religious belief systems and science based belief systems with equal accuracy.

You have faith that your interpretation of information you have is correct.

I have faith thay my belief in God and Jesus Christ is correct.

Considering the tone and tenor of your postings, I dare say that at the end of the day my faith has richer rewards. To put it baldly, you seem bitter, angry and desperately unhappy. What a shame, when you need not feel that way with such regularity. I am not. Most religious people are not. We have a better quality of life than the bitter, angry, unhappy people in the world.

This seems like a good time to share one of my favourite sayings from the Dalai Lama.

"Faith dispels doubt and hesitation, it liberates you from suffering, and delivers you to the city of peace and happiness. It is faith that removes the mental turbidity and makes your mind clear. Faith reduces your pride and is the root of veneration. it is the supreme lake because you can easily transverse from one stage of the spiritual path to another. It is like your hand, which can gather all the virtuous qualities."

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Well, knighty, plenty of other posts just like that one have gone by. You seem to be on quite the highy horse pointing your finger and deciding what's admissable and what's not.

Chuck. I cannot remove everything when I am not actually here. However, I can and will take care of posts like yours when I AM here.

There is no need to sit there and throw insults around.

I will not sit here and try to justify my decisions to you. If you don't like them, or think I am being unfair, or that I am trying to throttle your " freedom of expression ", feel free to take it up with the admins.

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

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Air Cold, the blade stops;
from silent stone,
Death is preordained

Calm Chaos Forums : Everyone Welcome

Chucky complains about your moderation, he complains to admin about my avatars. See a trend here?

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me@rescam.org

There is no need to sit there and throw insults around.

Quite right - It belongs in Flames.

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

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You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/[/quote]

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

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Air Cold, the blade stops;
from silent stone,
Death is preordained

Calm Chaos Forums : Everyone Welcome

Chucky complains about your moderation, he complains to admin about my avatars. See a trend here?

To borrow a phrase from Jeffo, Chucky has a reading comprehension problem. Which I shall illuminate this weekend, having what will probably me final say before I begin my data collection.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

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You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

Hmmm...I wasn't.....

Should I be??? LMAO

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

If you act in an adult manner, eschewing adolescent behavior and gratuitous comments when such are called to task, you will have no complaint. On the other hand, such behavior carries it's own rewards, both immediate and long term.

One of the hallmarks of an adults is the ability to self moderate, bringing ones actions into line with posted rules, laws, regulations (you get the picture).

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

Hmmm...I wasn't.....

Should I be??? LMAO

Gaze deep into my monochromatic avatar - you'll find a lewd, crude, subliminal message. !-)

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I wasn't talkin' to you. :-|

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I wasn't talkin' to you. :-|

You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me!

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

Hmmm...I wasn't.....

Should I be??? LMAO

All moderation notices should come with a red-x box that we can click and complain about being moderated.

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me@rescam.org

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

If you act in an adult manner, eschewing adolescent behavior and gratuitous comments when such are called to task, you will have no complaint. On the other hand, such behavior carries it's own rewards, both immediate and long term.

One of the hallmarks of an adults is the ability to self moderate, bringing ones actions into line with posted rules, laws, regulations (you get the picture).

..I understood what NA was saying.

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me@rescam.org

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

Hmmm...I wasn't.....

Should I be??? LMAO

Gaze deep into my monochromatic avatar - you'll find a lewd, crude, subliminal message. !-)

Well I suppose you'll just get away with it for now. I have neither the time nor the inclination to sit and stare at it....lol

@ Billy I agree. It would be a good thing if some would self moderate.

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Air Cold, the blade stops;
from silent stone,
Death is preordained

Calm Chaos Forums : Everyone Welcome

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

Hmmm...I wasn't.....

Should I be??? LMAO

All moderation notices should come with a red-x box that we can click and complain about being moderated.

Which would be used as the "Close Door" button on most elevators is; As something to do while you are waiting for the doors to close.

You seem to be the only one who has a problem with the way I moderate.

Given enough time, everyone'll have a problem with your moderation... :-/

Probably. But for now people aren't complaining....lol

Not even the ones I have moderated. :-) Well...with one exception....

Are you lookin' at me? Are you lookin' at me?

.o0( Finally, I get to use the line! :-D )

Hmmm...I wasn't.....

Should I be??? LMAO

All moderation notices should come with a red-x box that we can click and complain about being moderated.

Which would be used as the "Close Door" button on most elevators is; As something to do while you are waiting for the doors to close.

well if they didn't charge for that button and companys werent so cheap it would work.

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me@rescam.org