Book contents
- Life and Language Beyond Earth
- Reviews
- Life and Language Beyond Earth
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables and Figures
- Preface
- How to Use This Book
- Part I Introduction
- Part II The Universe We Live In
- Part III Our Story on Earth
- Part IV The Runaway Brain
- Part V Language, Our Greatest Gift
- Part VI Life and Language, Here and Beyond
- 27 Preconditions for Life
- 28 What Might Exolife Be Like?
- 29 Looking for Signs of Life
- 30 The Issue of First Contact
- 31 Language Beyond Earth
- 32 How Human Language Arose
- 33 The Language of Exobeings
- 34 Looking Forward: The Basic Questions Again
- 35 Some Final Thoughts
- Book part
- Glossary
- Timelines
- Figure credits
- References
- Bibliography
- Index
30 - The Issue of First Contact
from Part VI - Life and Language, Here and Beyond
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2023
- Life and Language Beyond Earth
- Reviews
- Life and Language Beyond Earth
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables and Figures
- Preface
- How to Use This Book
- Part I Introduction
- Part II The Universe We Live In
- Part III Our Story on Earth
- Part IV The Runaway Brain
- Part V Language, Our Greatest Gift
- Part VI Life and Language, Here and Beyond
- 27 Preconditions for Life
- 28 What Might Exolife Be Like?
- 29 Looking for Signs of Life
- 30 The Issue of First Contact
- 31 Language Beyond Earth
- 32 How Human Language Arose
- 33 The Language of Exobeings
- 34 Looking Forward: The Basic Questions Again
- 35 Some Final Thoughts
- Book part
- Glossary
- Timelines
- Figure credits
- References
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
First contact has been a topic of discussion among astronomers and other scientists, such as social scientists and philosophers, as well as providing subject matter for science fiction, for some considerable time. In order to discuss it reasonably, the issue needs to be broken down into a set of possible scenarios, some of which are conceivable but well beyond our reach and are likely to remain so as far as we can see.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Life and Language Beyond Earth , pp. 479 - 492Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023