Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Academic and Societal Implications

What are the implications for human society, and for our institutions of higher learning, of the discovery of a sophisticated extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) operating on and around Earth? This book explores this timely question from a multidisciplinary perspective. It considers scientific, philosophical, theological, and interdisciplinary ways of thinking about the question, and it represents all viewpoints on how likely it is that an ETI is already operating here on Earth. The book’s contributors represent a wide range of academic disciplines in their formal training and later vocations, and, upon reflection on the book’s topic, they articulate a diverse range of insights into how ETI will impact humankind. It is safe to say that any contact or communication with ETI will not be merely a game changer for human society, but it also will be a paradigm changer. It makes sense for human beings to prepare themselves now for this important transition.

Jensine Andresen holds a BSE in Civil Engineering from Princeton University, where she also earned a Certificate from the School of Public and International Affairs. She completed an MA at Columbia University in Social Anthropology and an AM and a PhD at Harvard University from the Committee on the Study of Religion. Over the course of her career, Dr. Andresen has held various posts in academia, finance, business, and government.

Octavio A. Chon Torres holds a doctorate in Philosophy and is a doctorate candidate in Education and University Teaching at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru. He also holds a Master’s in Epistemology and a Graduate Degree in Philosophy from the same university. He is currently a Professor at the Universidad de Lima, Peru, where he focuses on the philosophy of astrobiology, astrobioethics, and transdisciplinarity. In addition, he is President of the Peruvian Association of Astrobiology and Director and Founder of the Stratosphere Project, a transdisciplinary research initiative in astrobiology.

"So, should you buy Extraterrestrial Intelligence? If you are a JSE reader interested in the UFO phenomenon, yes, absolutely. If you are an open-minded ETI skeptic it will make you think from new perspectives. If you think ETI is among us, the ideas here are fascinating. Firm evidence of ETI will change the world and it is time we looked into this, seriously. Regardless of speed-of-light limitations in contemporary physics, taken as a whole, Extraterrestrial Intelligence makes a cogent case for the serious study of ETI and UAP in mainstream science. Its negatives are minor and the thinking is rich."

Jeremy J. Drake, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol 36, No 4

Jensine Andresen

Eamonn Ansbro

Octavio A. Chon Torres

Daniel M. Gross

Chris Impey

Olena Kalantarova

Hakan Kayal

Abraham Loeb

Glen Messer

Tony Milligan

Ronald Nakasone