Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life

Rating:
Summary: Simple answers to the Big Questions
Review: In this little tome Paul Davies raises the Big Questions : "What is life? Where did it come from? Why is it here? How likely is it to be elsewhere?" Not an in-depth academic study, the book is the print version of a lecture series. Converting brief lectures into print, however, limits the scope of his answers. Reviewing his efforts in this format means curtailing criticism as well. By taking a "philosophical" approach, Davies is able to dodge the questions of physical reality. He seems to assume his audience is more at home with philosophy and history than with biology and geology. That may have been the case for the lecture series, but is ill-suited to a discerning reading public. Life isn't a philosophical question, it's a physical one. Davies touches on that reality at times, but edges away cautiously. He defines his topic in the Preface as "one of the oldest problems in philosophy." While this would seem to preclude firm scientific issues, the Preface also contends he'll examine "the assumptions [of extraterrestrial life] made by the SETI enthusiasts . . . [because they] strike at the very heart of neo-Darwinism [read "Richard Dawkins"]." This is hard science, indeed, but an area where Davies qualifications are limited. Still, he makes a valiant effort within a limited format. Surveying historical thinking on extraterrestrial life, he concludes with the creation of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence [SETI] project. He presents the famous Urey-Miller demonstration of how easy it is for life to get a leg up in the proper environment. SETI was established on the premise that if life could happen here, it was likely to emerge elsewhere. If so, life was likely to evolve into something intelligent and communicative. The spontaneous generation of amino acids in Harold Urey's lab flask was a major boost to the SETI concept, but based on inadequate knowledge of Earth's early conditions. Davies goes on to state that "the origin of life remains a deep mystery." This is typical Davies, subtly dangling an enigma before us as we progress through the lectures. Who best to resolve that Big Question but the winner of the Templeton Prize? The lectures are clearly designed to allow Davies to provide the solution to the Great Mystery at their end. In arriving there, we must flounder through his review of philosophic thought on Man's Place in the Universe. From Copernicus through Christian dogma to the struggle to understand how the human mind works, his focus, as always, is Euro-centric. His "universal" human qualities include nothing from beyond the Mediterranean. Davies describes Forces in the universe in support of his conclusion. These include elemental atomic forces, the likelihood of "spontaneous generation of DNA" and the issue of "complexity." "Complexity," of course, is what brings it all together. And that means us. The human species is, after all, the only one known asking the Big Questions. "Complexity" in humans expresses his thesis that "consciousness is a fundamental feature of the universe" resulting from ubiquitous cosmic forces. It's a very human idea, although Davies resolutely avoids the anthropocentric principal that the universe exists because we are in it. He thus merges the scientific quest for ET with the religious pursuit of a universal spirit. He leaves this spirit unnamed, but its universality within his Euro-centric framework leaves few options to consider. If Davies had pursued his research into this topic with more depth, he would have discovered a book with the same title addressing the same subject. Twenty years ago James Trefil and Robert Rood published Are We Alone?: a keen scrutiny of what was then known of life's origins and how likely it would produce intelligence. They closely examined such parameters as available water, the moon's presence to create tidal effects and other factors. Their work has been updated in a new assessment, Rare Earth by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee. Superbly crafted and presented, Rare Earth makes a fine antidote to Davies' nameless metaphysical "forces". Read Davies for the questions and Rare Earth for the viable answers. The philosophical questions have no meaning if the physical environment isn't clearly understood. In contrast, Davies' book seems to preach to the converted, offering no serious scientific contribution to the questions of life's beginnings and the evolutionary process.

Rating:
Summary: A very interesting and enjoyable book.
Review: Since this is beyond my reading level and because I stink at science (this book uses a lot of scientific terms), this was a bit difficult for me. But if you're older than I am (15 + up), then you'd probably get through this book more quickly and possibly with more enjoyment.

Anyone who's interested in all aspects of the question of alien life should read this book. It gives you the facts, the philosophy, and gives you something to contemplate. No opinionated views. No alien abduction stories. Just the cold, hard facts explained well, and vague predictions of what might come to be if extraterrestrial life was discovered.

Actually, I found a bit of it kind of a downer because he said how unlikely it would be to find another race in our own time, in the right stage of technology and close enough to contact us. So it's a little depressing for all of us hopefuls who read science fiction and who would just love to find other alien races. Still, an interesting read.

Rating:
Summary: We're not.
Review: This is a great book, regardless of the fact that it is broad and simplified. After all, that's what the author intended to do (so stated in the introduction). It's not meant to prove existence of aliens to the reader, merely to open new doors and trains of thought. Brilliantly written, well done, I liked it. Some reviewers are too hard on this book because it doesn't offer a complex, scientifically-proven base of information with regards to the subject. Well, give the guy some credit, that proof just doesn't exist. He does a fantastic job writing with what he has, and I recommend this book to anyone who thinks about the unknown.

Rating:
Summary: Intellectually provocative, with religious implications
Review: This short book, based on a series of lectures, offers philosophical and logical insights into the question of extraterrestrial life and intelligence. Davies begins with admirably concise chapters on the history of SETI, "Extraterrestrial Microbes," and the implications of detecting alien intelligences. He then addresses biological and evolutionary arguments opposing the search, coming down firmly on the side of life and intelligence being emergent properties of the universe. His long excursion into the nature of consciousness, illustrated by some rather crude diagrams, wanders away from this main line of argument until its end, when Davies returns to the idea that consciousness is an emergent property.

Davies, who goes far deeper into the religious aspects of the search than most authors, has strongly held views that challenge the clear separation between the scientific and religious aspects of this topic. He connects the search with spirituality. The theme of alien beings acting as a conduit to the Ultimate, he writes, touches a deep chord in the human psyche.

If you are looking for a general introduction to the search and its implications, you will find more comprehensive treatments elsewhere. This book does not pretend to be detached; it presents a well argued point of view. Even if you don't agree with Davies, he deserves a reading.