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Description:
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"Life on other worlds" details in a readable and nontechnical manner the history of the 20th century extraterrestrial life debate, one of the pervasive themes of our century. Unlike other works on the subject, it places the current debate in historical perspective, showing how the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence is a worldview of its own, a "biophysical cosmology" that seeks confirmation no less than physical views of the universe. It is, however, a subject at the very limits of science, and scientific attempts at confirmation therefore illuminate the nature of science itself. This history is not only important for an understanding of the nature of science, but is also central to any forward-looking concept of religion, philosophy, and numerous other areas of human endeavor. Extraterrestrial life will be one of the predominant themes of sciences in the 21st century.
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