Papers by Kathryn Denning
arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, 2019
The search for life in the universe is a major theme of astronomy and astrophysics for the next d... more The search for life in the universe is a major theme of astronomy and astrophysics for the next decade. Searches for technosignatures are complementary to searches for biosignatures, in that they offer an alternative path to discovery, and address the question of whether complex (i.e. technological) life exists elsewhere in the Galaxy. This approach has been endorsed in prior Decadal Reviews and National Academies reports, and yet the field still receives almost no federal support in the US. Because of this lack of support, searches for technosignatures, precisely the part of the search of greatest public interest, suffers from a very small pool of trained practitioners. A major source of this issue is institutional inertia at NASA, which avoids the topic as a result of decades-past political grandstanding, conflation of the effort with non-scientific topics such as UFOs, and confusion regarding the scope of the term "SETI." The Astro2020 Decadal should address this issue ...
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Sep 30, 2019
If we recall that our history’s end has not yet been written, and that we ourselves are its coaut... more If we recall that our history’s end has not yet been written, and that we ourselves are its coauthors, then perhaps we will come to see that no ending is inevitable, and that the saving bliss of catastrophe is a luxury we can ill afford. (O’Leary 1994:228) During several years of researching prehistory’s importance to people in Britain, and the many forms which its interpretation takes, multiple lines of connection between archaeology and folklore quickly became evident to me. There are, for example, frequent links between archaeological sites and local traditions or legends in Britain, as well as the strong tendency for avocational researchers there to be interested in both, rather than either subject in isolation. This is intriguing territory indeed. But if one adopts a broader definition of folklore, moving outwards from “the traditional beliefs and stories of a people ” (Concise Oxford Dictionary) to include all stories, including religious narratives, which play an important ro...
56th International Astronautical Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law, 2005
arXiv: Popular Physics, 2018
The Ad Hoc Committee on SETI Nomenclature was convened at the suggestion of Frank Drake after the... more The Ad Hoc Committee on SETI Nomenclature was convened at the suggestion of Frank Drake after the Decoding Alien Intelligence Workshop at the SETI Institute in March 2018. The purpose of the committee was to recommend standardized definitions for terms, especially those that are used inconsistently in the literature and the scientific community. The committee sought to recommend definitions and terms that are a compromise among several desirable but occasionally inconsistent properties for such terms: 1) Consistency with the historical literature and common use in the field; 2) Consistency with the present literature and common use in the field; 3) Precision of meaning; 4) Consistency with the natural (i.e. everyday, non-jargon) meanings of terms; 5) Compatibility with non-English terms and definitions. The definitions in this report are restricted to technical, SETI contexts, where they may have jargon senses different from their everyday senses. In many cases we include terms only...
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 2019
The Frontiers Collection, 2010
I begin with some essential preliminaries about social evolution and SETI—the data, competing epi... more I begin with some essential preliminaries about social evolution and SETI—the data, competing epistemologies, why social evolution matters, motivations for studying social change, and disciplinary differences. The challenges of researching social evolution are best illustrated in context, so I then provide an extended case study which examines approaches to the perennially fascinating subject of collapse. In the remaining sections, I briefly review the current status of selected relevant debates in the method and theory of social evolutionary studies including the relationship of biology and culture, a new Modern Synthesis/Holistic Darwinism, complexity theory, hologeistic studies, interactions between civilizations, the roles of contingency and convergence, and the lifetimes of civilizations.
Theology and Science, 2017
SBE 2020: Future Research in the Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences , 2011
Human beings have long been interested in the potential discovery of extrat... more Human beings have long been interested in the potential discovery of extraterrestrial life – but astrobiology is much m
ore than this. Astrobiology addresses the definition, emergence, evolution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe, and intersects with the human exploration and exploitation of our solar system, our own deliberate evolution, and our relationship with our planet.
Astrobiology is challenging our views of, and engagements with, life itself, as well as humanity’s position in the universe. The science presents issues that crosscut SBES disciplines at a fundamental level. All legal, ethical, theological, and cultural systems are based on `life as we know it’, and astrobiology has begun to challenge those fundamental assumptions, as well as our anthropocentrism, and our terracentrism. A truly interdisciplinary approach is needed to understand the broad implications within human and social
contexts –now, and in the future.
We therefore ask, How will advances in astrobiology research and exploration affect humanity? , and argue that it is necessary to foster an interdisciplinary community of SBES researchers who can address the human questions that astrobiology is presenting to us.
‘The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society’… Transactions of the Royal Society A: …, Jan 1, 2011
Although astrobiological or SETI detections are possible, actual invasions of sentient extra-ter... more Although astrobiological or SETI detections are possible, actual invasions of sentient extra-terrestrials or plagues of escaped alien microbes are unlikely. Therefore, an anthropological perspective on the question suggests that in the event of a detection, the vast majority of humanity will be dealing not with extra-terrestrial life itself (whether intelligent or not, local or distant), but with human perceptions and representations of that alien life. These will, inevitably, derive from the powerful influences of culture and individual psychology, as well as from science. It may even be argued that in most detection scenarios, the scientific data (and debates about their interpretation) will be nigh-irrelevant to the unfolding of international public reaction. ‘Extra-terrestrial life’ will, in short, go wild. From this premise, some key questions emerge, including: what can scientists reasonably do to prepare, and what should their responsibilities be, particularly with respect to information dissemination and public discussions about policy? Then,moving beyond the level of immediate practicalities, we might also ask some more anthropological questions: what are the cultural substrates underneath the inquiries of Western science into extra-terrestrial life? In particular, what are the stories we have been told about discovery of rare life, and about contact with other beings, and do these stories really mean what we think they do? Might a closer look at those narratives help us gain perspective on the quest to find extra-terrestrial life, and on our quest to prepare for the consequences of detection?
At the beginning of exobiology and SETI as research programs circa 1960, it was reasonable and re... more At the beginning of exobiology and SETI as research programs circa 1960, it was reasonable and responsible for scientists and others to consider the potential effects of a detection of other life, or contact with it, upon humanity. It is no coincidence that this was a time of reckoning with the power of science and technology. The Cold War was settling in, space programs were beginning, and the technologies of war and those of discovery were then, as now, intertwined, in a way that made Carl Sagan, Philip Morrison, Joshua Lederberg, and others, concerned for humanity's future, and the future of life. Those concerns are as well-founded as ever. However, 50 years on, after half a century of predictions and untested hypotheses , we still only know that a detection of extraterrestrial life could come tomorrow , in the next century, or never. Many potential scenarios have been identified and explored, planetary protection protocols have been implemented for astrobiology, policy concerning SETI detections has been created and debated, and some valuable empirical work has been done concerning potential cultural reactions. We might now reasonably ask: what are our real goals here? And do they match what we are actually accomplishing? Are these exercises still beneficial, or are they reaching the point of diminishing returns? Might there be undesirable effects of prognostica-tions about detection and contact? Elsewhere, I have discussed at some length what I think can sensibly be done to prepare for a detection. This leaves me with a further argument to make here: first, that the use of historical analogies of intercultural contact on Earth to predict or explore the potential consequences of contact with ETI may now be essentially useless or perhaps worse than useless; second, that the long-standing practice of prediction about contact now also invites scrutiny in terms of its utility; and third, that turning our attention to pressing topics at the intersection of astrobiology, SETI, and society, could be worthwhile for scholars of humanity.
This paper reports recent efforts to gather experts from the humanities and social sciences along... more This paper reports recent efforts to gather experts from the humanities and social sciences along with astrobiologists to consider the cultural, societal, and psychological implications of astrobiology research and exploration. We began by convening a workshop to draft a research roadmap on astrobiology's societal implications and later formed a Focus Group on Astrobiology and Society under the auspices of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). Just as the Astrobiology Science Roadmap and various astrobiology science focus groups have helped researchers orient and understand their work across disciplinary contexts, our intent was to apply the same approach to examine areas beyond the physical and life sciences and expand interdisciplinary interaction and scholarly understanding. These efforts continue as an experiment in progress, with an open invitation to interested researchers—astrobiologists as well as scholars in the humanities and social sciences—to become involved in research, analysis, and proactive discussions concerning the potential impacts of astrobiology on society as well as the possible impacts of society on progress in astrobiology. Key Words: Astrobiology— Extraterrestrial life—Life detection. Astrobiology 12, 958–965.
It’s 2013, but what time is it? Does apocalypse lie before us, or behind us? ... I wonder whethe... more It’s 2013, but what time is it? Does apocalypse lie before us, or behind us? ... I wonder whether some of us are finally entering a
postapocalyptic era — not by having survived an actual world-ending
cataclysm or eschaton but rather, by getting over our obsession
with apocalyptic prophecies. We have worked through The End so
many times in art and the imagination, that some of our worst
nightmares have been attenuated, or neutralized. For example, the
dead rise all the time – in photos, virtual reality, museum exhibitions
and zombie walks. But perhaps this domestication of darkness
comes at a cost: Does it blind us to the pain of those who actually
have survived the unimaginable? Do zombies fascinate us because
we have not seen, and have not been, the walking dead? Perhaps we can only now begin to ask: if the end is both always and never here, and if there is no judgement day but only a string of moments in which we must do the best we can, then how shall we live in time?
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Papers by Kathryn Denning
ore than this. Astrobiology addresses the definition, emergence, evolution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe, and intersects with the human exploration and exploitation of our solar system, our own deliberate evolution, and our relationship with our planet.
Astrobiology is challenging our views of, and engagements with, life itself, as well as humanity’s position in the universe. The science presents issues that crosscut SBES disciplines at a fundamental level. All legal, ethical, theological, and cultural systems are based on `life as we know it’, and astrobiology has begun to challenge those fundamental assumptions, as well as our anthropocentrism, and our terracentrism. A truly interdisciplinary approach is needed to understand the broad implications within human and social
contexts –now, and in the future.
We therefore ask, How will advances in astrobiology research and exploration affect humanity? , and argue that it is necessary to foster an interdisciplinary community of SBES researchers who can address the human questions that astrobiology is presenting to us.
postapocalyptic era — not by having survived an actual world-ending
cataclysm or eschaton but rather, by getting over our obsession
with apocalyptic prophecies. We have worked through The End so
many times in art and the imagination, that some of our worst
nightmares have been attenuated, or neutralized. For example, the
dead rise all the time – in photos, virtual reality, museum exhibitions
and zombie walks. But perhaps this domestication of darkness
comes at a cost: Does it blind us to the pain of those who actually
have survived the unimaginable? Do zombies fascinate us because
we have not seen, and have not been, the walking dead? Perhaps we can only now begin to ask: if the end is both always and never here, and if there is no judgement day but only a string of moments in which we must do the best we can, then how shall we live in time?
ore than this. Astrobiology addresses the definition, emergence, evolution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe, and intersects with the human exploration and exploitation of our solar system, our own deliberate evolution, and our relationship with our planet.
Astrobiology is challenging our views of, and engagements with, life itself, as well as humanity’s position in the universe. The science presents issues that crosscut SBES disciplines at a fundamental level. All legal, ethical, theological, and cultural systems are based on `life as we know it’, and astrobiology has begun to challenge those fundamental assumptions, as well as our anthropocentrism, and our terracentrism. A truly interdisciplinary approach is needed to understand the broad implications within human and social
contexts –now, and in the future.
We therefore ask, How will advances in astrobiology research and exploration affect humanity? , and argue that it is necessary to foster an interdisciplinary community of SBES researchers who can address the human questions that astrobiology is presenting to us.
postapocalyptic era — not by having survived an actual world-ending
cataclysm or eschaton but rather, by getting over our obsession
with apocalyptic prophecies. We have worked through The End so
many times in art and the imagination, that some of our worst
nightmares have been attenuated, or neutralized. For example, the
dead rise all the time – in photos, virtual reality, museum exhibitions
and zombie walks. But perhaps this domestication of darkness
comes at a cost: Does it blind us to the pain of those who actually
have survived the unimaginable? Do zombies fascinate us because
we have not seen, and have not been, the walking dead? Perhaps we can only now begin to ask: if the end is both always and never here, and if there is no judgement day but only a string of moments in which we must do the best we can, then how shall we live in time?