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Philosophical issues in the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2013

Jean Schneider
Jean Schneider*
Affiliation:
LUTh, CNRS UMR 8102, Paris Observatory, 92190 Meudon
*
E-mail: Jean.Schneider@obspm.fr
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Abstract

In the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence, it is essential to clarify what is to be meant by ‘life’ and ‘intelligence’. I first analyse what it means to ‘define’ these words. I will show that some philosophical prejudice is unavoidable. As a working hypothesis, I consider two types of philosophy: ‘natural philosophy’, seeking for some essence of things, and ‘critical (or analytical) philosophy’, devoted to the analysis of the procedures by which we claim to construct a reality. An extension of critical philosophy, epistemo-analysis (i.e. the psycho-analysis of concepts) is presented and applied to the definition of exolife and to extraterrestrial ‘intelligence’. Some pragmatic conclusions are finally drawn for future search strategies.

Keywords

critical philosophydefinition of Lifeepistemo-analysisintelligenceSETI
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 12 , Special Issue 3: The Drake Equation , July 2013 , pp. 259 - 262
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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Footnotes

1

Presented at the Conference « 50 years of The Drake Equation » Paris, November 2011.

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