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Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Aliens are big in America. Whether they’ve arrived via rocket, flying saucer, or plain old teleportation, they’ve been invading, infiltrating, or inspiring us for decades, and they’ve fascinated moviegoers and television watchers for more than fifty years. About half of us believe that aliens really exist, and millions are convinced they’ve visited Earth.
For twenty-five years, SETI has been looking for the proof, and as the program’s senior astronomer, Seth Shostak explains in this engrossing book, it’s entirely possible that before long conclusive evidence will be found.
His informative, entertaining report offers an insider’s view of what we might realistically expect to discover light-years away among the stars. Neither humanoids nor monsters, says Shostak; in fact, biological intelligence is probably just a precursor to machine beings, enormously advanced artificial sentients whose capabilities and accomplishments may have developed over billions of years and far exceed our own.
As he explores what, if anything, they would tell us and what their existence would portend for humankind and the cosmos, he introduces a colorful cast of characters and provides a vivid, state-of-the-art account of the past, present, and future of our search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
For twenty-five years, SETI has been looking for the proof, and as the program’s senior astronomer, Seth Shostak explains in this engrossing book, it’s entirely possible that before long conclusive evidence will be found.
His informative, entertaining report offers an insider’s view of what we might realistically expect to discover light-years away among the stars. Neither humanoids nor monsters, says Shostak; in fact, biological intelligence is probably just a precursor to machine beings, enormously advanced artificial sentients whose capabilities and accomplishments may have developed over billions of years and far exceed our own.
As he explores what, if anything, they would tell us and what their existence would portend for humankind and the cosmos, he introduces a colorful cast of characters and provides a vivid, state-of-the-art account of the past, present, and future of our search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
October 18, 2016
A Senior astronomer at SETI Institute in this work covered the inner workings, principles, science and motive force behind people searching for sentient beings around our planetary home. It's more like a memoir; His early life in Holland, working with Jill Tarter (Inspirational character-protagonist of Sagan's Contact Novel) and colleagues at SETI, collaborating with Hollywood directors for Sci-fi blockbuster movies like Contact, The Day the Earth Stood Still.
But as a memoir of scientist it has to be more than that. The confrontations and lack of surmountable appreciations faced by his SETI community whenever they face a crisis in detecting intelligent signal from the distant objects which were later found to be bogus, parallel to the pseudoscience claims by many theorists refuting the works as government cover-up. For the first time, came to know about some familiar conspiracy theorists like Richard Hoagland, Stanton Friedman, Whitley Strieber, and about their works which motivated me to not concentrate on their works spending much time.
My favorite part is the tech side. How does the SETI analyze the millions of data collected from the chunk of billions of stars? Which part of the sky do they prioritize and concentrate the search for signals? Upcoming frontier of SETI community with probable applications of observatories with spellbinding capabilities such as SKA to be built in South Africa and Australia before 2030 which can even detect 5khz radio shows from a distant of tens and thousands of light-years away. Future is really exciting.
It also chronicles in the early history of our civilization's whimsical notions on alienated life forms right from Moon, Martian Canals and the author's experience in recent history of our civilization's (delusional) notions on alienated UFOs and abduction experiences. It's ironical to ask a SETI scientist for help from preventing some people from the happenings that happens to happening inside their heads.
Although as a space enthusiast you may have already heard about half of what he has portrayed in the book, it is worth revisiting those parts wearing his shoes. Highly Recommended.
But as a memoir of scientist it has to be more than that. The confrontations and lack of surmountable appreciations faced by his SETI community whenever they face a crisis in detecting intelligent signal from the distant objects which were later found to be bogus, parallel to the pseudoscience claims by many theorists refuting the works as government cover-up. For the first time, came to know about some familiar conspiracy theorists like Richard Hoagland, Stanton Friedman, Whitley Strieber, and about their works which motivated me to not concentrate on their works spending much time.
My favorite part is the tech side. How does the SETI analyze the millions of data collected from the chunk of billions of stars? Which part of the sky do they prioritize and concentrate the search for signals? Upcoming frontier of SETI community with probable applications of observatories with spellbinding capabilities such as SKA to be built in South Africa and Australia before 2030 which can even detect 5khz radio shows from a distant of tens and thousands of light-years away. Future is really exciting.
It also chronicles in the early history of our civilization's whimsical notions on alienated life forms right from Moon, Martian Canals and the author's experience in recent history of our civilization's (delusional) notions on alienated UFOs and abduction experiences. It's ironical to ask a SETI scientist for help from preventing some people from the happenings that happens to happening inside their heads.
Although as a space enthusiast you may have already heard about half of what he has portrayed in the book, it is worth revisiting those parts wearing his shoes. Highly Recommended.
July 29, 2011
This book is full lame similes, alliteration, and HORRIBLE puns.
There's just NO EXCUSE for this cheesy style of writing!!!
What was Seth thinking?
Maybe he intends to keep the reader's attention, or something.
Instead, it reads like a low-budget, local car commercial.
I don't know why all SETI books all have to pander to the layest of layperson.
Ben Bova and Paul Davies both wrote really poor ones, too.
Though, Seth does a good job dismissing the case for Neutrino and Gravity Wave communication as being too expensive.
Paul Davies should take note.
Also, he tells some interesting first hand tales from inside SETI.
That alone is worth giving it a read, if you can stand the writing style.
He really likes to use the word "opine"...
UPDATE: I had the pleasure of meeting Seth at a SETI convention.
He's a very nice man and his schtick works MUCH better in person!
There's just NO EXCUSE for this cheesy style of writing!!!
What was Seth thinking?
Maybe he intends to keep the reader's attention, or something.
Instead, it reads like a low-budget, local car commercial.
I don't know why all SETI books all have to pander to the layest of layperson.
Ben Bova and Paul Davies both wrote really poor ones, too.
Though, Seth does a good job dismissing the case for Neutrino and Gravity Wave communication as being too expensive.
Paul Davies should take note.
Also, he tells some interesting first hand tales from inside SETI.
That alone is worth giving it a read, if you can stand the writing style.
He really likes to use the word "opine"...
UPDATE: I had the pleasure of meeting Seth at a SETI convention.
He's a very nice man and his schtick works MUCH better in person!
August 18, 2017
This (audio)book had the opposite effect of what the author intended. That's partially his fault for writing a too-cheeky book about a multi-million dollar pseudo-scientific endeavor. As another reviewer mentioned, the book is packed with terrible similes, puns, and alliteration. I'm a big fan of word play but I shouldn't be rolling my eyes at a book that's asking for more private and government money to find aliens.
To be fair, the author gives us a sufficient outline of the creation of SETI and its intellectual precursors. I got to hear about my two hometowns, Dayton Ohio and Silicon Valley, both of which feature prominently in the development of space travel and computation.
This book, unfortunately, struck the final nail into the coffin of my "belief" in extra-terrestrials. As a kid, I was obsessed with a grab bag of supernatural and occult topics, including UFOs and cryptozoology. I've never "believed in aliens" as an adult, but always harbored a statistical optimism that one day we would make contact with someone out there. I still believe its more likely than not that Earth isn't the only planet with some sort of life on it. The "intelligent" part is a little hazier. The author's history and arguments (he is pro-SETI, obviously) didn't move the needle much for me on the existence of life off Earth.
What the book did do, however, was make me think about the massive amount of wasted time and money that has been spent thinking about and testing "what if aliens" throughout the 20th century. In light of the Trump administration threatening to decrease science funding, especially funding for research related to climate change, I wonder whether Stephen Hawking and the scientists and engineers at SETI should have been thinking a bit harder about the problems here on Earth instead of fantasizing about whether the aliens we contact will have developed artificial intelligence or not (and therefore we would be contacting their sentient robots, not the alien creators themselves). Look, I support aggressive public funding for science and I think NASA does a great job marketing its tangible research accomplishments to the taxpaying public and deep pocketed private space community. All kinds of inventions associated with space travel have been adapted into the civilian (and military) world, but I'm not sure if SETI can post any similar externalities.
I'd love to be proved wrong, but I'm not sure the specific project of looking for extra-terrestrial intelligence has given us anything besides lucky discoveries that were picked from the random noise of the vast majority of what SETI processes. Maybe they've learned a lot about transmission in space or computation, but its not obvious that those innovations were specific to a search for aliens.
It could be possible that the funding SETI has received over 40 years is miniscule compared to other serious scientific endeavors. Carl Sagan seemed to like the project, but I wonder if in 2017 he would advocate sending precious research dollars to SETI over a project related to climate change. There's a debate raging in some corners of the science community about the psychological risks of attempting to colonize Mars in the midst of a global climate crisis. Is it immoral to throw money at Mars exploration and colonization with the stated intent of using Mars as a "second Earth" in 100 years in case climate change wrecks "first Earth", rather than prioritizing solutions to climate change right now?
Obviously we should do all kinds of science at the same time, and I'm not saying that SETI shouldn't receive any more. But the author left a bad taste in my mouth with his regular laments about the lack of public and private interest in funding his project. If I had any money to throw around for science, I think SETI would sit lower on my list of priorities today than before I had read this book.
[Excuse typos. Just drank an Icelandic Wee Heavy Ale]
To be fair, the author gives us a sufficient outline of the creation of SETI and its intellectual precursors. I got to hear about my two hometowns, Dayton Ohio and Silicon Valley, both of which feature prominently in the development of space travel and computation.
This book, unfortunately, struck the final nail into the coffin of my "belief" in extra-terrestrials. As a kid, I was obsessed with a grab bag of supernatural and occult topics, including UFOs and cryptozoology. I've never "believed in aliens" as an adult, but always harbored a statistical optimism that one day we would make contact with someone out there. I still believe its more likely than not that Earth isn't the only planet with some sort of life on it. The "intelligent" part is a little hazier. The author's history and arguments (he is pro-SETI, obviously) didn't move the needle much for me on the existence of life off Earth.
What the book did do, however, was make me think about the massive amount of wasted time and money that has been spent thinking about and testing "what if aliens" throughout the 20th century. In light of the Trump administration threatening to decrease science funding, especially funding for research related to climate change, I wonder whether Stephen Hawking and the scientists and engineers at SETI should have been thinking a bit harder about the problems here on Earth instead of fantasizing about whether the aliens we contact will have developed artificial intelligence or not (and therefore we would be contacting their sentient robots, not the alien creators themselves). Look, I support aggressive public funding for science and I think NASA does a great job marketing its tangible research accomplishments to the taxpaying public and deep pocketed private space community. All kinds of inventions associated with space travel have been adapted into the civilian (and military) world, but I'm not sure if SETI can post any similar externalities.
I'd love to be proved wrong, but I'm not sure the specific project of looking for extra-terrestrial intelligence has given us anything besides lucky discoveries that were picked from the random noise of the vast majority of what SETI processes. Maybe they've learned a lot about transmission in space or computation, but its not obvious that those innovations were specific to a search for aliens.
It could be possible that the funding SETI has received over 40 years is miniscule compared to other serious scientific endeavors. Carl Sagan seemed to like the project, but I wonder if in 2017 he would advocate sending precious research dollars to SETI over a project related to climate change. There's a debate raging in some corners of the science community about the psychological risks of attempting to colonize Mars in the midst of a global climate crisis. Is it immoral to throw money at Mars exploration and colonization with the stated intent of using Mars as a "second Earth" in 100 years in case climate change wrecks "first Earth", rather than prioritizing solutions to climate change right now?
Obviously we should do all kinds of science at the same time, and I'm not saying that SETI shouldn't receive any more. But the author left a bad taste in my mouth with his regular laments about the lack of public and private interest in funding his project. If I had any money to throw around for science, I think SETI would sit lower on my list of priorities today than before I had read this book.
[Excuse typos. Just drank an Icelandic Wee Heavy Ale]
August 31, 2018
This is a fun read and my biggest complaint is that it came out in 2009 (just as the Kepler space observatory launched) and hasn't been updated, so there's a lot of near-future discussion about systems that have since come online.
Conversely, we still haven't detected extraterrestrial intelligence since then, either. :P
Some might be put off by Seth Shostak's breezy writing style, peppered with puns and humor, but I felt he always pulled back just in time to let the hard science and sober speculation take over. And if you've seen Shostak on TV--having more than a casual interest in astronomy, aliens or some combination thereof makes it likely, as he's not just SETI's senior astronomer, he's also their main go-to for interacting with the media--then the light tone is not surprising. He is passionate about his work, but he is a wonderfully droll person. I suppose that may help when you're willing to offer straightforward commentary on episodes of Ancient Aliens.
Despite being nearly a decade old at the time of this review, the book remains a thorough examination of SETI's history, its goals, and its then-current operations. Shostak brackets the nuts and bolts of SETI with his own background leading up to joining the group, and offers tidbits from his work as an advisor on films like Contact and the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (he helped them make the scientists sound more like real people and less like jargonbots).
A lot of the book centers around the inevitable questions arising from SETI--what would SETI do if a signal was confirmed? How might the public react? What would aliens look like? How long will it take to scan the visible galaxy? Is it all just a goofy waste of time?
People who favor the "waste of time" side may not be moved by Shostak's arguments, but most others are likely to come away with an appreciation of SETI's work, and perhaps even a sense of hope in the continuing search for signs of intelligent life somewhere out in space.
Recommended. (But an updated version would be spiffy.)
Conversely, we still haven't detected extraterrestrial intelligence since then, either. :P
Some might be put off by Seth Shostak's breezy writing style, peppered with puns and humor, but I felt he always pulled back just in time to let the hard science and sober speculation take over. And if you've seen Shostak on TV--having more than a casual interest in astronomy, aliens or some combination thereof makes it likely, as he's not just SETI's senior astronomer, he's also their main go-to for interacting with the media--then the light tone is not surprising. He is passionate about his work, but he is a wonderfully droll person. I suppose that may help when you're willing to offer straightforward commentary on episodes of Ancient Aliens.
Despite being nearly a decade old at the time of this review, the book remains a thorough examination of SETI's history, its goals, and its then-current operations. Shostak brackets the nuts and bolts of SETI with his own background leading up to joining the group, and offers tidbits from his work as an advisor on films like Contact and the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (he helped them make the scientists sound more like real people and less like jargonbots).
A lot of the book centers around the inevitable questions arising from SETI--what would SETI do if a signal was confirmed? How might the public react? What would aliens look like? How long will it take to scan the visible galaxy? Is it all just a goofy waste of time?
People who favor the "waste of time" side may not be moved by Shostak's arguments, but most others are likely to come away with an appreciation of SETI's work, and perhaps even a sense of hope in the continuing search for signs of intelligent life somewhere out in space.
Recommended. (But an updated version would be spiffy.)
August 28, 2017
I had the extreme honor of sharing a 2 hour car ride with Seth. This was sometime in the 1990s, when I believe SETI was still part of NASA. I was DJing at a weekend-long rave in Kentucky. The promoters were huge X-Files and sci-fi fans, so they booked Seth to give a speech on the outdoor stage under the stars. Here I was, having a conversation with the main person on the planet in charge of searching for alien life. One of the coolest experiences in my life. I remember him predicting that the first ET contact would be with artificial intelligence that had left their planet of origin and were now floating through space. He does go into that possibility in this book, along with the history of the SETI program(s) and some of his own background. The reasoning for monitoring radio signals over other technologies is explored, as well as potential options as costs drop and technical capabilities improve over time. The biggest hurdle to any sort of contact, aside from being focused in that specific direction, at that specific time, at the correct range of frequencies, is the time that it takes for signals to make it to us. By the time we detect a signal, interpret any included message, and develop a way to send a signal back, who knows if the intended species (or ours) will still be around. Still, it's good to know there are dedicated scientists/explorers like Seth that are able to do the tedious work needed to even have a slim hope of finally answering the question of whether or not we are along in the universe.
Funny story, I ran into Seth again at the rave and, nodding to the ravers around us, said "I think you found some aliens."
Funny story, I ran into Seth again at the rave and, nodding to the ravers around us, said "I think you found some aliens."
January 6, 2019
He seguido desde la década de los 90 el programa SETI. Cuando lanzaron seti@home, lo bajé apenas un mes después y empecé a buscar señales de radio y a contemplar el protector de pantalla que indicaba el avance del proceso. Mis amigos decían que estaba buscando marcianos, que parecía una ufóloga desatinada. Quizá por eso siempre sentí simpatía por todos los miembros de la Planetary Society, en especial, por Jill Tarter y Seth Shostak, que en su podcast enriquece cualquier tema con su inagotable energía y su dad-humor, su investigación y deseos de compartir el proyecto.
Por eso, al escuchar este audiolibro, me quedé perpleja por el tono: si se dirigía a los seguidores de siempre o cualquier persona interesada en la cosmología, astronomía o ciencias del espacio y la búsqueda de vida en otros planetas, entonces no hubo casi nada nuevo que valiera la pena. Pero si el libro tiene un interés divulgativo dirigido a novatos en el tema, entonces el tono, las anécdotas y las críticas que Shostak hace pueden llegar a caer como plomo y espantar a cualquiera.
Es una pena, pues Shostak es un investigador apasionado e incansable en su misión. Encontrar aliados resulta más difícil que encontrar señales de vida extraterrestre.
Por eso, al escuchar este audiolibro, me quedé perpleja por el tono: si se dirigía a los seguidores de siempre o cualquier persona interesada en la cosmología, astronomía o ciencias del espacio y la búsqueda de vida en otros planetas, entonces no hubo casi nada nuevo que valiera la pena. Pero si el libro tiene un interés divulgativo dirigido a novatos en el tema, entonces el tono, las anécdotas y las críticas que Shostak hace pueden llegar a caer como plomo y espantar a cualquiera.
Es una pena, pues Shostak es un investigador apasionado e incansable en su misión. Encontrar aliados resulta más difícil que encontrar señales de vida extraterrestre.
February 5, 2021
What. A. Slog.
I picked this one up at a library sale back in 2019, and ended up being rather surprised by how little I enjoyed it. I was definitely expecting more of a scholarly approach to discussion about equipment, space itself, and potential extraterrestrials. Instead, this book wavers between forced lightheartedness (think high school principals trying to sound cool at a cookout) and academic pretension. I did not find it to be engaging and was rather stunned by the colonizer mindset the book has overall. This is likely my fault for not reading reviews first, but the capitalistic ideologies and overall tone of the writing had me rolling my eyes on more than one occasion. Relieved to be finished.
I picked this one up at a library sale back in 2019, and ended up being rather surprised by how little I enjoyed it. I was definitely expecting more of a scholarly approach to discussion about equipment, space itself, and potential extraterrestrials. Instead, this book wavers between forced lightheartedness (think high school principals trying to sound cool at a cookout) and academic pretension. I did not find it to be engaging and was rather stunned by the colonizer mindset the book has overall. This is likely my fault for not reading reviews first, but the capitalistic ideologies and overall tone of the writing had me rolling my eyes on more than one occasion. Relieved to be finished.
August 9, 2022
Disenfranchised
I am more educated on the history and workings of SETI. I think that this effort makes a lot of very far reaching assumptions. I have become disenfranchised with the whole concept of SETI. I did gain a lot of knowledge about the possibilities of life on other planets and a better understanding of the science behind radio waves. However, this seems like a fruitless effort due to the number of events that would have had to happen to make a detection possible let alone a response. I also was put off by a highly opinionated rant the author made that seemed as close minded as the religious zealot referenced in the book. While the scientific explanation after was more reasonable, it we seemed hypocritical.
I am more educated on the history and workings of SETI. I think that this effort makes a lot of very far reaching assumptions. I have become disenfranchised with the whole concept of SETI. I did gain a lot of knowledge about the possibilities of life on other planets and a better understanding of the science behind radio waves. However, this seems like a fruitless effort due to the number of events that would have had to happen to make a detection possible let alone a response. I also was put off by a highly opinionated rant the author made that seemed as close minded as the religious zealot referenced in the book. While the scientific explanation after was more reasonable, it we seemed hypocritical.
July 15, 2023
This book had a lot of information and some speculation. It was a rather drawn out book with words used that are not everyday common ones, making this read a bit more boring to an everyday average person. It almost seemed that the author decided to try words he himself didn't often use, for the sake of sounding more intelligent(?) It came across as kind of annoying to be honest, not because I didn't understand what I was reading, but because the words chosen seemed forced, if that makes sense, instead of a natural flow of speaking. I am in no way saying the author isn't intelligent, as I believe he is very intelligent, it just seemed he was trying to make himself seem so when he didn't have to use certain words, if that makes sense.
March 20, 2020
Comprehensive and well thought out guide to the search for extra terrestrial intelligence. It is very well written, highly informative but a little bit annoying. I suspect the author needs some sensitivity training. The author peppers the text with what I'm sure he thinks are highly amusing and witty remarks, but they borderline on being insensitive and are often inappropriate. Using words like "psycho" is not very good. It was a little bit hard to finish this book, because these comments appeared almost every second page, which detracted from the book's very thorough and well thought out overview of what is in fact a very exciting area.
January 31, 2021
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Author, balancing between skepticism and hope, or rather, trust in science, tells us of his life’s work, and does his best to answer the age old question, and every other that arises out of it: so are we alone in the universe?
My Opinion: It’s well written, but sometimes forgets about such mere mortals as myself, with gaps in either knowledge or education. Still, was interesting. Just, I guess, not what I expected or wanted.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Author, balancing between skepticism and hope, or rather, trust in science, tells us of his life’s work, and does his best to answer the age old question, and every other that arises out of it: so are we alone in the universe?
My Opinion: It’s well written, but sometimes forgets about such mere mortals as myself, with gaps in either knowledge or education. Still, was interesting. Just, I guess, not what I expected or wanted.
August 2, 2022
I love the irony of the title!
The hunter is a person that is going to resist the elements, evade the predators, and find his prey. Usually that implied that the hunter only ate if he could catch something.
Shostak is an overweight White male, who sits in a large office, at a desk. He is eating the taxpayer's money, hence the few extra pounds. For him, the elements is that 2 minute walk from his AC car, to his AC building. And, unlike the hunter, as time passes with ZERO results, his pay increases.
These confessions are the 21st century crap the tailors were giving to the Emperor's servants. Hunter for the Emperor.
The hunter is a person that is going to resist the elements, evade the predators, and find his prey. Usually that implied that the hunter only ate if he could catch something.
Shostak is an overweight White male, who sits in a large office, at a desk. He is eating the taxpayer's money, hence the few extra pounds. For him, the elements is that 2 minute walk from his AC car, to his AC building. And, unlike the hunter, as time passes with ZERO results, his pay increases.
These confessions are the 21st century crap the tailors were giving to the Emperor's servants. Hunter for the Emperor.
January 28, 2018
The content is good, particularly the first half. The style, however, quickly grates. How many similes does the author need on each page? Is there really no other way to indicate size, or difficulty, or temperature, or any other kind of measurable stuff, than a failed attempt to a humorous comparison?
October 21, 2017
More of a Shostak Memoir but does give us an inner look at SETI and others who work to find life in the Universe.
November 11, 2017
This book is largely around the SETI project (using radio telescopes to look for signals from other worlds), but covers a range of related topics. Very interesting.
March 11, 2022
A very nice history of (western) humanity's musings about and search for life on other worlds. It was published in 2009, however, so it's missing some recent history.
September 26, 2023
Take out every speculative sentence in this book, and you are left with, "I'm Seth Shostak".
The 'logic' which passes for science makes me cringe.
The 'logic' which passes for science makes me cringe.
January 22, 2025
Fun insight into a friend's career. Happy to have a signed copy of this.
September 3, 2015
My favorite science fiction novel about aliens is The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. My second favorite science fiction novel about aliens is Roadside Picnic by Russian writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which has been reissued in 2012 in an excellent new English translation. In the 1970s, aliens land in a few places on Earth, taking off a few days later and leaving behind artifacts and phenomena that apparently violate the laws of physics as Earth scientists know them, looking as strange to them as a twentieth-century laser would to Sir Isaac Newton. These artifacts and phenomena illuminate the workings of the human society dealing with them like a beetle placed on an anthill illuminates the workings of the ant society. Defense contractors are interested in a deadly colloid that turns all organic matter it touches into itself; a perpetual battery strong enough to power a car that reproduces by fission revolutionizes industry. A businessman character who is also an agent of an FBI-like agency has a conversation about the aliens with a physicist character. He is surprised that the aliens haven't contacted humanity in a take-me-to-your-leader routine or even noticed that Earth is inhabited by intelligent beings. The physicist answers that there is no agreed-upon definition of intelligence; the aliens apparently did not consider humans intelligent or worthy of contact.
Seth Shostak spent his life searching for a radio signal sent by aliens from nearby stars using radio telescopes. A few days before writing this review I drove past a radio telescope array in Northern California that is still doing this search. Never mind the question, why beings that are presumably less similar to humans than spirochetes would want to send a radio signal to humans. Earth has three genera of intelligent creatures that are closely related to humans: chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Primatologists such as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas have studied the nonhuman great apes in their natural habitat; other humans have put them in zoos, hunted them for meat, conducted medical experiments on them. Humans have not attempted, for example, to give the chimpanzees better hunting technologies than what they already possess. Why would aliens want to contact humans and give us technologies? It is a trope of science fiction that intelligent aliens and intelligent humans are one kind of beings, and unintelligent animals are another. It contradicts the biological fact that humans and the nonhuman great apes are essentially the same kind of being, and humans have not contacted the nonhuman great apes the way science fiction imagines aliens contacting humans. As I understand it, before we can start searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, we should first define intelligence based on Earth models, human and especially nonhuman, and it is a job for biologists, not radio astronomers.
Seth Shostak spent his life searching for a radio signal sent by aliens from nearby stars using radio telescopes. A few days before writing this review I drove past a radio telescope array in Northern California that is still doing this search. Never mind the question, why beings that are presumably less similar to humans than spirochetes would want to send a radio signal to humans. Earth has three genera of intelligent creatures that are closely related to humans: chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Primatologists such as Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas have studied the nonhuman great apes in their natural habitat; other humans have put them in zoos, hunted them for meat, conducted medical experiments on them. Humans have not attempted, for example, to give the chimpanzees better hunting technologies than what they already possess. Why would aliens want to contact humans and give us technologies? It is a trope of science fiction that intelligent aliens and intelligent humans are one kind of beings, and unintelligent animals are another. It contradicts the biological fact that humans and the nonhuman great apes are essentially the same kind of being, and humans have not contacted the nonhuman great apes the way science fiction imagines aliens contacting humans. As I understand it, before we can start searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, we should first define intelligence based on Earth models, human and especially nonhuman, and it is a job for biologists, not radio astronomers.
January 30, 2014
Gérald Lizée Comprehensive presentation of human ET search
Seth Shostak's book answered many questions I had about extraterrestrial intelligence and scientific endeavour to find it. The SETI organization became active only a few decades ago: its goal, detect intelligent signals emanating from distant planets surrounding one of the 100 billion stars of our galaxy, the Milky Way, or coming from one of the other 80 billion galaxies in the universe. Using radiotelescopes and optical telescopes, astronomers have pointed their apparatus and listened. Current result: nothing. The SETI endeavour is perceived useless by many politicians and individuals, because it is a waste of money; contrary to some religious beliefs, because it is not written in the Sacred books. It has been very difficult to finance and only United States government has given support from the beginning. Other countries are starting to join the effort since more and more exoplanets are being discovered every day: a few of them could even be lifefriendly and habitable.
The SETI project is justified by 3 facts: physical matter and laws have been proven to be the same in all the galaxies of the universe; the cosmos is really big with 100 billion stars in our galaxy and 80 billion galaxies in the universe; using different techniques, the scientists have already found a few thousand planets orbiting other stars.
But the most interesting part for me was Seth Shostak's most plausible scenario for ET physical apperance: aliens are most probably immortal sentient machines. He gives them different names: apparatus, cogitating constructions, synthetic sentients, thinking machines, protean intellects, brainiacs, cerebrating hardware, synthetic brains, superior minds, cosmic brainiacs, thinking machines, synthetic intelligence, supersentient, synthetic sentients.
ET is an intellectual genius, a quasi-immortal being, improving continuously his abilities and knowledge. He has no biological body and the newbuilt ET knows everything from the moment he is brought to life.
I recommand this book to everybody interested in getting an answer to the following fundamental question: are we alone in this vast universe?(less)
13 hours, 31 min ago · delete
Seth Shostak's book answered many questions I had about extraterrestrial intelligence and scientific endeavour to find it. The SETI organization became active only a few decades ago: its goal, detect intelligent signals emanating from distant planets surrounding one of the 100 billion stars of our galaxy, the Milky Way, or coming from one of the other 80 billion galaxies in the universe. Using radiotelescopes and optical telescopes, astronomers have pointed their apparatus and listened. Current result: nothing. The SETI endeavour is perceived useless by many politicians and individuals, because it is a waste of money; contrary to some religious beliefs, because it is not written in the Sacred books. It has been very difficult to finance and only United States government has given support from the beginning. Other countries are starting to join the effort since more and more exoplanets are being discovered every day: a few of them could even be lifefriendly and habitable.
The SETI project is justified by 3 facts: physical matter and laws have been proven to be the same in all the galaxies of the universe; the cosmos is really big with 100 billion stars in our galaxy and 80 billion galaxies in the universe; using different techniques, the scientists have already found a few thousand planets orbiting other stars.
But the most interesting part for me was Seth Shostak's most plausible scenario for ET physical apperance: aliens are most probably immortal sentient machines. He gives them different names: apparatus, cogitating constructions, synthetic sentients, thinking machines, protean intellects, brainiacs, cerebrating hardware, synthetic brains, superior minds, cosmic brainiacs, thinking machines, synthetic intelligence, supersentient, synthetic sentients.
ET is an intellectual genius, a quasi-immortal being, improving continuously his abilities and knowledge. He has no biological body and the newbuilt ET knows everything from the moment he is brought to life.
I recommand this book to everybody interested in getting an answer to the following fundamental question: are we alone in this vast universe?(less)
13 hours, 31 min ago · delete
August 5, 2009
Shostak, a senior astronomer for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, chronicles the search for extraterrestrial life in this well-written, wide-ranging book covering the inner workings, physics and philosophy behind SETI.
What I loved best about this book was the clear, logical practical tone of the author's voice. I expected a book about SETI to be either unbelievable dry and political or overblown and ridiculous. Instead, this is a marvelously well-grounded, evidence-based scientific exploration of how the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is being conducted. Shostak is a person who's logical thinking is so based in rationality and a healthy skepticism that you can't help but agree with him once you have followed his thoughts. Don't think this book is pedantic though, he uses analogies and plenty of wit to keep the book interesting and accessible to laypeople.
For those who like to speculate, there are plenty of "what if?" questions posited, including a discussion of what the aftermath of discovering an extraterrestrial signal might be.
After finishing this book, you may find yourself going out in the backyard to look up at the stars, sharing in Shostak's passion and deep determination to continue looking and listening, in the hope that someday the search will be successful.
What I loved best about this book was the clear, logical practical tone of the author's voice. I expected a book about SETI to be either unbelievable dry and political or overblown and ridiculous. Instead, this is a marvelously well-grounded, evidence-based scientific exploration of how the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is being conducted. Shostak is a person who's logical thinking is so based in rationality and a healthy skepticism that you can't help but agree with him once you have followed his thoughts. Don't think this book is pedantic though, he uses analogies and plenty of wit to keep the book interesting and accessible to laypeople.
For those who like to speculate, there are plenty of "what if?" questions posited, including a discussion of what the aftermath of discovering an extraterrestrial signal might be.
After finishing this book, you may find yourself going out in the backyard to look up at the stars, sharing in Shostak's passion and deep determination to continue looking and listening, in the hope that someday the search will be successful.
December 18, 2011
That's just me: I found very little new information in this book, but that's because I have been interested in all things SETI for many years. I was particularly interested in one number that I have struggled to find a reference for: Up to what distance would we be able to detect a civilization with the same capabilities as our own, i.e. a civilization that broadcasts the same amount of inadvertent stray radiation into space as we do?
The answer is »a few dozen light years«, but the book does not get any more precise than that.
The one really new piece of information, which I was quite astounded by, is the remark that if we would detect an alien signal in the near future, we could find out little more than its existence. In order to actually decipher an alien radio transmission, it is likely that much more sensitive receivers would have to be built, and we can only hope that the funding for those would be available as soon as a signal has been identified that is undoubtedly of intelligent origin.
The book is written in a popular, very casual tone but perhaps a little too much of that. It gave me an occasional chuckle, but I think it would have improved the book if Shostak had kept his sitcom-style jokes a little more at bay.
The answer is »a few dozen light years«, but the book does not get any more precise than that.
The one really new piece of information, which I was quite astounded by, is the remark that if we would detect an alien signal in the near future, we could find out little more than its existence. In order to actually decipher an alien radio transmission, it is likely that much more sensitive receivers would have to be built, and we can only hope that the funding for those would be available as soon as a signal has been identified that is undoubtedly of intelligent origin.
The book is written in a popular, very casual tone but perhaps a little too much of that. It gave me an occasional chuckle, but I think it would have improved the book if Shostak had kept his sitcom-style jokes a little more at bay.
July 4, 2009
An overview of the SETI project, covering history, purpose, and projected future, written by the chair of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Permanent Study Group.
I found the author's style a bit distracting. The book is peppered with colorful metaphors ranging from the very evocative "as adaptable as a little black dress" to so current they'll be dated tomorrow "observed as closely as Lindsay Lohan's social schedule". The book is so full of pop culture references that I think the author is terrified of being considered 'dry'.
Despite this, he does manage to include some interesting content. The history of SETI is intriguing. His interactions with the UFO enthusiasts are described amusingly, and his descriptions of what would happen if SETI were to find a definite signal are enlightening.
He explains current thinking on the sort of intelligence that SETI might find, as well as on humanities own future, but he seems to forget that it's still just extrapolation of current knowledge, and could well become as quaint as the Barsoomians he is so fond of reminding are not likely to be out there.
A good read, but not a great one.
I found the author's style a bit distracting. The book is peppered with colorful metaphors ranging from the very evocative "as adaptable as a little black dress" to so current they'll be dated tomorrow "observed as closely as Lindsay Lohan's social schedule". The book is so full of pop culture references that I think the author is terrified of being considered 'dry'.
Despite this, he does manage to include some interesting content. The history of SETI is intriguing. His interactions with the UFO enthusiasts are described amusingly, and his descriptions of what would happen if SETI were to find a definite signal are enlightening.
He explains current thinking on the sort of intelligence that SETI might find, as well as on humanities own future, but he seems to forget that it's still just extrapolation of current knowledge, and could well become as quaint as the Barsoomians he is so fond of reminding are not likely to be out there.
A good read, but not a great one.
January 9, 2010
Considering that the SETI program has had no successes and only occasional 'near misses,' it might seem that there's not much material for a book. Shostak demonstrates in Confessions that this is markedly not the case, providing not brief but interesting snippets of history about the SETI program itself but also a wealth of information on the how and the why of the SETI program, with plenty of speculation on the nature and motives of alien life thrown in for a dash of spice.
I ended up disagreeing with Shostak on only one thing -- his premise that humanity will be subverted by Artificial Intelligence in roughly a century or so, and that this is virtually certain to happen in any technologically advanced society. I find it hard to believe the universe is in fact filled with Transformers rather than flesh and blood aliens.
Regardless of this quibbling point, the book was a quick and enjoyable read that covered a lot of ground. I'm hoping Shostak is right that by 2030 there will be a successful 'hit' on an intelligent civilization!
I ended up disagreeing with Shostak on only one thing -- his premise that humanity will be subverted by Artificial Intelligence in roughly a century or so, and that this is virtually certain to happen in any technologically advanced society. I find it hard to believe the universe is in fact filled with Transformers rather than flesh and blood aliens.
Regardless of this quibbling point, the book was a quick and enjoyable read that covered a lot of ground. I'm hoping Shostak is right that by 2030 there will be a successful 'hit' on an intelligent civilization!
December 2, 2024
This book acts mainly as an introduction to SETI, and it's probably going to be most useful for people who are looking for that and/or have misconceptions about what SETI actually is. I think the title led me to expect a more in-depth and personal account of Shostak's daily life and experiences as a SETI researcher, so in that way it was disappointing. As far as the science in the book, I wasn't introduced to a lot of concepts that I wasn't already familiar with, but that's probably my "fault," as I've read other popular science books in the same vein recently and also regularly listen to science podcasts that cover many of the same topics. The order in which the subject matter was presented didn't seem to have as much of a logical flow as I would have liked, and overall the book felt somewhat disjointed (like a group of essays put together), but I suppose that might reflect the reality of the current state of SETI. As some other reviewers have mentioned, the abundance of cheesy similes could be distracting at times.
January 25, 2013
This is a strong introduction to the history and aims of the SETI project, the search for life on other worlds, and the field of radio astronomy, written by a man who's been there from the beginning. As the senior astronomer and public face of SETI, Seth Shostak is the ideal person to write a book about the search for life on other worlds. He tackles all the key issues and controveries, such as the Fermi paradox, the role of Moore's Law in driving SETI, and the question of whether extraterrestrial life is already here (Shostak is, unsurprisingly, a skeptic). Anecdotes ranging from the EQ Peg incident to Shostak's involvement in several Hollywood productions are also fascinating, amusing and illustrative.
Shostak's greatest strength as a writer and science communicator is his ability to make technical details understandable to the layperson. I never felt out of my depth reading this book, despite the complexity of the scientific and technical issues explored and my lack of familiarity with them. That's a remarkable achievement, and this is an excellent book.
Shostak's greatest strength as a writer and science communicator is his ability to make technical details understandable to the layperson. I never felt out of my depth reading this book, despite the complexity of the scientific and technical issues explored and my lack of familiarity with them. That's a remarkable achievement, and this is an excellent book.
November 14, 2012
I hardly judge books by their covers, but I'm glad in this case, because I would have missed out hadn't I picked this up.
Shostak talks about his work for SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence throughout. The book begins with a general introduction about the developments in astronomy, to the eventual acknowledgement it's a good possibility other intelligence is out there somewhere. Then Shostak discusses techniques used by SETI to find signals of said intelligence, and even goes into depth about what we might expect if we do in fact find a signal and even aliens.
Shostak has a tendency to lighten things up with funny comparisons and so on. He also likes to work out just how expensive certain alien technology would be in Earth currencies... Bottom line, hella expensive.
Anyway, this was a fun and interesting read.
Shostak talks about his work for SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence throughout. The book begins with a general introduction about the developments in astronomy, to the eventual acknowledgement it's a good possibility other intelligence is out there somewhere. Then Shostak discusses techniques used by SETI to find signals of said intelligence, and even goes into depth about what we might expect if we do in fact find a signal and even aliens.
Shostak has a tendency to lighten things up with funny comparisons and so on. He also likes to work out just how expensive certain alien technology would be in Earth currencies... Bottom line, hella expensive.
Anyway, this was a fun and interesting read.
December 18, 2011
Most of the issues broached in this book wasn't very new to me. The reason for this is very easy to fathom: I'm a long time listener to the SETI institute podcast that Seth coshosts, "Big Picture Science" aka "Are we alone?". Nevertheless, I found this book very enjoyable. I like Seth's style and wit, but more importantly, the book is written in a engaging fashion about such interesting topics as the history and future of search for aliens in the context of modern astronomy and the current rapid march of technology. Of course, if you've picked up this book, you can be assumed to have an interest in SETI or astronomy in general. In such a case, this book can't be recommended highly enough.
October 29, 2013
Shostak's "confession" is that despite his years as a scientist and involvement with SETI, he doesn't think we're going to find ETI any time soon. 2049 appears to be the earliest date he's willing to suggest we could make contact. Even then, he says it will only happen when we can both detect a message being sent by intelligent beings and send one of our own for them to pick up.
The book is well-written and gets readers up to date on the history of SETI, but sadly, it didn't tell me what I wanted to hear-- that any day now, we'll know for sure that we're not alone. He's also wary of those who'll contact us, when they finally do. They may just want our... What--? Men? Oil?
The book is well-written and gets readers up to date on the history of SETI, but sadly, it didn't tell me what I wanted to hear-- that any day now, we'll know for sure that we're not alone. He's also wary of those who'll contact us, when they finally do. They may just want our... What--? Men? Oil?
February 3, 2014
I didn't get to learn what the extra-terrestrials really look like. All kidding aside - what were you expecting. The book has a lot of hypothesizing and conjecture, but then again, what can you expect reading about a subject that has - to all evidence - never been observed.
An entertaining read - good to see some de-bunking of 'government intervention'.
I was puzzled regarding why extra terrestrials might always choose to manifest themselves in a location in the United States, and why the United States government would be somehow involved with a - supposed - appearance of 'aliens' somewhere on earth. They always choose USA? weird.
An entertaining read - good to see some de-bunking of 'government intervention'.
I was puzzled regarding why extra terrestrials might always choose to manifest themselves in a location in the United States, and why the United States government would be somehow involved with a - supposed - appearance of 'aliens' somewhere on earth. They always choose USA? weird.
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