| AFTER CONTACT: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life Albert A. Harrison New York: Plenum Trade, 1997 |
Rating: 5.0 High |
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| ISBN-13 978-0-306-45621-3 | ||||
| ISBN 0-306-45621-4 | 363pp. | HC | $28.95 | |
Why do people care about things so abstract, which take so much effort and time to resolve, as the question of whether intelligent life exists on other planets?
The kind of life we call human has a built-in yearning for company. Human infants instinctively stare at faces whenever they appear. Humans of any age tend to see faces everywhere: in snowfields, in cloud patterns, on the sides of mountains, amid the craters of the moon — wherever a random arrangement of features gives the slightest excuse. The well-known "Face on Mars" proves how prevalent, and how persistent, such mistaken perceptions can be, despite logic. And of course no two typical humans can stand to be in each other's presence for more than a few seconds without raising a storm of conversation. What's the worst form of punishment in prisons? Solitary confinement.
As Albert Harrison points out, this tendency to personalize inanimate nature has existed from time immemorial. Long ago, it inspired the animistic myths of elves, goblins, wood sprites, leprechauns, and the pantheon of gods created by every prehistoric culture. Today it drives the faith of many in astrology, psychic advisors, and UFO visitations. It is also the motivation behind SETI — the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
However, there is a crucial difference between SETI researchers and UFO believers. That difference is simply stated: SETI researchers do not claim they have already succeeded in their quest. The claims of the various UFO believers, in contrast, if considered in the aggregate, make Earth look like the crossroads of the universe.
To put it another way, SETI follows the scientific method, while UFO belief is pure wishful thinking. Harrison does not deride the wish. As noted above, he understands that humans are a gregarious sort, who will always seek for company beyond whatever horizon they currently see. But he gently dismisses the thinking, and moves on to examine the many implications of the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence, which is barely out of its infancy.
Despite its title, most of this book is a review of the present state of the art. Harrison first reviews the astrophysical basis for the probable existence of detectable ET civilizations — the fact that physics and chemistry follow the same rules here and throughout the cosmos, and the recent discoveries about the hardihood of life and the abundance of other planetary systems. He briefly examines search strategies — radio monitoring centered on the 1420 MHz "water hole" is the chief one, with OSETI (looking for laser pulses) coming up on the outside — and mentions other possibilities such as detecting the signatures of ET starships or stumbling across alien artifacts in our own solar system.
But the major theme of Harrison's work owes more to the "soft sciences" such as anthropology and psychology. And in this sense he is being true to his title; for, although contact has not yet happened, much of humanity's response is in the preparation for that momentous event. Harrison examines the few precedents we now have — in addition to the claims of UFO contact, they are a 19th century hoax about a peaceful civilization of bat-men on the moon1, Percival Lowell's perceived discovery of canals on Mars, and the 1939 War of the Worlds broadcast. No panic reactions ensued except in the latter case, and even then there were many listeners, perhaps the majority, who dealt with the "crisis" in a rational, constructive way.
Harrison concludes, therefore, that fears of disruption on the announcement of contact with ET are unfounded. He is likewise optimistic about the nature of the aliens, finding that historical trends strongly suggest democracy is the winner among political systems. Even assuming a hostile alien race, they will almost certainly be constrained by the enormous difficulty of travel between the stars — and probably by other, benevolent civilizations as well. For, as we are learning here on Earth, democracies do not make war on each other; but they can deal quite effectively with a warmonger.
This is not to say that there is nothing to worry about. If the ET signal describes advanced technology, it could pose a great danger in the wrong hands. And there is always the possibility of one Earth faction seeking to cut a favorable deal with the aliens. Though this would require great patience, it cannot be ruled out. Even with good will on both (all) sides, many sorts of problems might arise. Harrison examines these thoroughly in his well-organized, exhaustively-researched book. I think it is safe to say there is no better analysis of the results of SETI success in print.
To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.