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4273-14 Philosophical Perspectives on the Problem of Extraterrestrial Signal Detection by Arthur C. Fricke
Abstract SETI (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) is, from a philosophical
perspective, a unique scientific activity. Given that SETI researchers
purport to study a phenomenon that has yet to be demonstrated, some commentators
have claimed that the field cannot in fact be called "scientific" at
all, and/or cannot be legitimately differentiated from the study of UFOs,
ancient astronauts, and other speculative phenomena commonly associated with
pseudoscientific endeavors. Drawing from work in the philosophy of
science, particularly the philosophies of Karl Popper and Paul Feyerabend, this
paper will examine whether SETI can be considered a properly scientific
activity. It will explore how basic SETI hypotheses can be framed in a
philosophically well-grounded, logical manner. Finally, this paper will
survey some of the practical implications that different overall philosophical
groundings may have for specific established approaches to the problem of
intelligent extra-terrestrial signal detection, and argue for supporting widely
divergent technical and theoretical detection efforts. Keywords philosophy of science, history of science, extraterrestrial intelligence
Author Biography Arthur C. Fricke is a doctoral candidate at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Dept. of Science and Technology Studies. He holds BS degrees in both Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry, and worked for several years as an environmental engineer before returning to graduate study. He is currently conducting NSF-sponsored research on the philosophical, cultural, and social dimensions of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Author Affiliation Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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