{"product_id":"civilized-life-in-the-universe-scientists-on-intelligent-extraterrestrials-9780195171815","title":"Civilized Life in the Universe: Scientists on Intelligent Extraterrestrials","description":"This book is a selective and fascinating history of scientific speculation about intelligent extraterrestrial life. From Plutarch to Stephen Hawking, some of the most prominent western scientists have had quite detailed perceptions and misperceptions about alien civilizations: Johannes\u003cbr\u003eKepler, fresh from transforming astronomy with his work on the shape of planetary orbits, was quite sure alien engineers on the moon were excavating circular pits to provide shelter; Christiaan Huygens, the most prominent physical scientist between Galileo and Newton, dismissed Kepler's\u003cbr\u003especulations, but used the laws of probability to prove that planetarians on other worlds are much like humans, and had developed a sense of the visual arts; Carl Sagan sees clearly that Huygens is a biological chauvinist, but doesn't see as clearly that he, Sagan, may be a cultural\/technological\u003cbr\u003echauvinist when he assumes aliens have highly developed technology like ours, but better. \u003cbr\u003eBasalla traces the influence of one speculation on the next, showing an unbroken but twisting chain of ideas passed from one scientist to the next, and from science to popular culture. He even traces the influence of popular culture on science--Sagan always admitted how much E. R. Burroughs'\u003cbr\u003eMartian novels influenced his speculations about Mars. Throughout, Basalla weaves his theme that scientific belief in and search for extraterrestrial civilizations is a complex impulse, part secularized-religious, and part anthropomorphic. He questions the common modern scientific reasoning that\u003cbr\u003elife converges on intelligence, and intelligence converges on one science valid everywhere. He ends the book by agreeing with Stephen Hawking (usually a safe bet) that intelligence is overrated for survival in the universe, and that we are most likely alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e George Basalla\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/19\/2006\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.24lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.38h x 7.00w x 0.84d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780195171815\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2006 pg. 317\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eScitech Book News\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2006 pg. 29\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGeorge Basalla\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of History at the University of Delaware (Emeritus).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":40078471921779,"sku":"9.7802E+12","price":44.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_050d0998-380a-416b-8323-1cea1c33d81e.jpg?v=1652191133","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/civilized-life-in-the-universe-scientists-on-intelligent-extraterrestrials-9780195171815","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}