Lonely Minds in the Universe

The Historical and Philosophical Perspectives.- The Religious Perspective.- The Astrobiological Perspective.- The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.- Interlude: The Search for Extraterrestrial Stupidity.- The Possibility of Contact.

The possibility that humans are not alone in the Universe is one of the most intriguing unanswered questions for mankind. Distant Encounters provides a discussion of the scientific and technical implications, including possible faster-than-light space travel and radio communication, as well as the philosophical and religious ones of extraterrestrial intelligent life. It gives a summary of the chemical and biological evolution of the Universe to demonstrate, as a counterbalance to the rare earth theory, why intelligent life might exist somewhere else in the Universe, apart from on Earth.

From the reviews:



"Books on astrobiology and alien intelligence ... are beginning to multiply rapidly. ... Genta (mechanics, Politecnico di Torino, Italy) brings in a different dimension by adding the religious and philosophical aspects of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in an excellent treatment that covers both sides of each issue. ... He also offers a very interesting discussion on how biology and morphology relate to the possible evolution of intelligence. ... For anyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial intelligences. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels." (P. R. Douville, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (7), 2008)

"It has been a pleasure to read ... this beautifully written book which begins with two brief but fascinating chapters on 'The Historical and Philosophical Perspectives' and 'The Religious Perspective' of extraterrestrial intelligence. ... This highly intelligent and beautifully written book is highly recommended to all readers ... ." (Fernande Grandjean and Gary J. Long, Physicalia Magazine, Vol. 30 (4), 2008)

"It first gives an account of our current scientific understanding of the origins of the Universe, Galaxy, Solar System, planets, Earth, Moon, and life on Earth. ... It is a solemn, scholarly, and intensively serious book, carefully and very well-written in English. ... Every reader, even those who are not especially enthused by the prospect of extraterrestrials, is likely to appreciate this splendid portrait of humankind's cosmic origins and of how we fit into the grand scheme of existence." (Peter V. E. McClintock, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 50 (3), May-June, 2009)