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The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence
50 years ago, a young astronomer named Frank Drake pointed a radio telescope at nearby stars in the hope of picking up a signal from an alien civilization. Thus began one of the boldest scientific projects in history, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). But after a half century of scanning the skies, astronomers have little to report but an eerie silence—eerie because many scientists are convinced that the universe is teeming with life. The problem, argues the leading physicist-astrobiologist Paul Davies, is that we’ve been looking in the wrong place, at the wrong time & in the wrong way. Davies should know. For more than three decades, he's been closely involved with SETI & now chairs its Post-Detection Taskgroup, charged with deciding what to do if we’re confronted with evidence of alien intelligence. In this extraordinary book, he shows how SETI has lost its edge & offers a new exciting road map for the future. Davies believes our search so far has been overly anthropocentric: we tend to assume an alien species will look, think & behave like us. He argues that we need to be far more expansive in our efforts, & in this book he completely redefines the search, challenging existing ideas of what form an alien intelligence might take, how it might try to communicate with us & how we should respond if it does. A provocative & mind-expanding journey, The Eerie Silence will thrill fans of science & science fiction alike.
241 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2010
123 people are currently reading
2152 people want to read
About the author
Paul C.W. Davies
76 books574 followersPaul Charles William Davies AM is a British-born physicist, writer and broadcaster, currently a professor at Arizona State University as well as the Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He has held previous academic appointments at the University of Cambridge, University of London, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Adelaide and Macquarie University. His research interests are in the fields of cosmology, quantum field theory, and astrobiology. He has proposed that a one-way trip to Mars could be a viable option.
In 2005, he took up the chair of the SETI: Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup of the International Academy of Astronautics.
In 2005, he took up the chair of the SETI: Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup of the International Academy of Astronautics.
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October 8, 2017Are we alone in the great big fat universe?
It's presented as if it's a real lonesome thing. Just us nine billion, no one to talk to but each other. And true, when you put it like that - who would want to spend their life with no one except human beings? You'd have to be a psycho. Human beings? Eww. Give em a planet and what do they do with it? Only thing they're good at is making more human beings.
But anyway. I don't get why people cudgel their brains about this question are we alone in the universe. Here are the facts :
1) The universe is big. It could be bigger than we think it is. It might turn out to be the biggest thing there is. Imagine that - or don't, you might hurt yourself! And - and - and - could be this is only one of a million universes. Cool. Could be new universes are popping into existence all the time. Pop! There goes one.
2) Everything is a really long way from everything else. Nothing is near. There are no corner shops in space, no local Sainsburys. There's sod all. Deep space facilities, in that respect, are poor. It would take centuries to get to anywhere. You'd have to have a massive ipod. When you look at the universe, you just think... nah. Let's stay in.
3) So... just imagine along with me ... that means that if life started in a gazillion places apart from Earth... imagine, imagine.... we're never going to find out because in order to discover each other then one of the civilisations has to have invented Warp Factor Five or whatever and then they have to happen to be living in the same galaxy as another civilisation and at the same time which is a little unlikely - it means that civilisations trying to discover each other is like one red grain of sand on a yellow beach wanting to find another red grain of sand which might appear on a different beach in 500 million years. Crazy! Just never gonna happen. Like me and that girl way back in the sixth form. Never gonna happen in a million years, and we were in the same year!
4) So therefore of course there's life out there - what, you think you're so unique? Oh stop it.
But we'll never find out. Ever.
The end.
Stop writing books about this foolishness!
It's presented as if it's a real lonesome thing. Just us nine billion, no one to talk to but each other. And true, when you put it like that - who would want to spend their life with no one except human beings? You'd have to be a psycho. Human beings? Eww. Give em a planet and what do they do with it? Only thing they're good at is making more human beings.
But anyway. I don't get why people cudgel their brains about this question are we alone in the universe. Here are the facts :
1) The universe is big. It could be bigger than we think it is. It might turn out to be the biggest thing there is. Imagine that - or don't, you might hurt yourself! And - and - and - could be this is only one of a million universes. Cool. Could be new universes are popping into existence all the time. Pop! There goes one.
2) Everything is a really long way from everything else. Nothing is near. There are no corner shops in space, no local Sainsburys. There's sod all. Deep space facilities, in that respect, are poor. It would take centuries to get to anywhere. You'd have to have a massive ipod. When you look at the universe, you just think... nah. Let's stay in.
3) So... just imagine along with me ... that means that if life started in a gazillion places apart from Earth... imagine, imagine.... we're never going to find out because in order to discover each other then one of the civilisations has to have invented Warp Factor Five or whatever and then they have to happen to be living in the same galaxy as another civilisation and at the same time which is a little unlikely - it means that civilisations trying to discover each other is like one red grain of sand on a yellow beach wanting to find another red grain of sand which might appear on a different beach in 500 million years. Crazy! Just never gonna happen. Like me and that girl way back in the sixth form. Never gonna happen in a million years, and we were in the same year!
4) So therefore of course there's life out there - what, you think you're so unique? Oh stop it.
But we'll never find out. Ever.
The end.
Stop writing books about this foolishness!
November 28, 2014
Paul Davies does a really good job here of illustrating the issues of SETI's lack of success, and Fermi's Paradox. He goes into the science and philosophy of it in depth, explaining all the terms and generally making it crystal clear. What amazes me is that he's still somewhat optimistic about finding intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, given all the things he says in this book -- I'm now almost completely sure that even if intelligent life has arisen elsewhere (and that's still a big if) that we'll have trouble finding it because of the issue of the sheer amount of time and space involved.
Not that I don't think the search is worth doing. Even if we'll never manage to communicate with intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, we might find signs of it, and understand more about how life begins. There's so much we can learn along the way, and maybe the idea that we may not be unique will keep us a little bit more humble.
Or not.
Not that I don't think the search is worth doing. Even if we'll never manage to communicate with intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, we might find signs of it, and understand more about how life begins. There's so much we can learn along the way, and maybe the idea that we may not be unique will keep us a little bit more humble.
Or not.
January 22, 2020
I had to edit this review to put in this comment:
I think it's important to note that both Paul Davies and Stuart Kauffman seem to be laboring under the idea that if life is emergent or has a predetermined plan to unfold, then it's in the realm of religion or dualism. If something is predetermined then it's not physical. But it is. We can change our ideas about the blueprint for life and for anything else that emerges without having to worry about religion or dualism. Those things don't belong in science. There is some really important work in this book and in the later books of both Davies and Kauffman, but you are going to have to ignore their concerns about emergence and simply accept it like the next generation of scientists will. You are going to have to accept that they grew up in a time where if you suggested there was anything predetermined, that meant god or something nonphysical. Let those ideas die and let's move on and just do science, whether it shows a predetermination or not.
Review:
If there is no signal from alien life, why even search? This is an actual concern for policy makers who fund projects like SETI. The first answer from Davies is, "Logic!" How many signals could we have missed? With our limited toolset (in 2010 no less), our limited time residing on this planet in the whole history of the universe, it seems very reasonable that we might not be in an optimal position to detect a signal. That doesn't mean we should stop trying. He gives all the standard arguments about why we should fund SETI and keep looking. First Life research will certainly go a long way to helping this cause.
It is interesting to read this 2010 book in light of my current knowledge about his work with Sara Imari Walker and others in trying to define and synthesize life so that humans can keep searching for it on other planets. His definitions of life are not as detailed as what you will find in his textbook with Imari Walker titled From Matter to Life, but this 2010 discussion is still food for thought.
I really could have done without Chapter Nine in which he spent way too much time trying to win over the religious folks. I realize how many people still subscribe to magical thinking -- while actively thinking scientific fact is too absurd to believe-- and realize some of those people have power to make policy. So, I get why it's important to discuss it. But, I am so tired of being anchored to that outdated concept that only serves to pull our focus away from continuing to gather facts and progress. Davies went all in and tried to introduce the religiously interested to Swedenborg. One of my best friends grew up in the New Church, complete with its own little Swedenborg only community. It's more progressive than Catholicism but it's still severe in its magical thinking. I just don't want any more of my head space taken up by this nonsense. (Though I did enjoy his discussion of whether Frank Drake's equation is really a religion).
Davies is concerned that, since we don't know what is out there, should we so thoughtlessly keep sending out signals? I am in the camp that wants to keep sending out signals but I really do understand how that could get us all killed if there is more advanced life out there.
Davies' argument about how life might be more ethically advanced was worrisome to me. He thinks being more advanced might mean having GMO'd the evil out of people to prevent them from being criminals. That is so short sighted and ignores the social situations on Earth that marginalize entire groups of people and then targets them and put them in jail for ***the same crimes** committed by non marginalized people who get away with it. It's our justice system that needs fixing, not people's genes. There might be some rarer cases of genetic determinism, but it's not the rule and it was a dangerous thing to imply.
Overall, this is a more worthwhile book that it might appear because he is really working toward something extremely important, namely updating our idea of what life is and fitting it into the frame work of not only biology but in physics where it surely belongs. Only when physicists join the discussion of, 'What is Life;, can we really understand life on our planet as well as what life in general on any planet -- or anywhere in the universe -- means.
I think it's important to note that both Paul Davies and Stuart Kauffman seem to be laboring under the idea that if life is emergent or has a predetermined plan to unfold, then it's in the realm of religion or dualism. If something is predetermined then it's not physical. But it is. We can change our ideas about the blueprint for life and for anything else that emerges without having to worry about religion or dualism. Those things don't belong in science. There is some really important work in this book and in the later books of both Davies and Kauffman, but you are going to have to ignore their concerns about emergence and simply accept it like the next generation of scientists will. You are going to have to accept that they grew up in a time where if you suggested there was anything predetermined, that meant god or something nonphysical. Let those ideas die and let's move on and just do science, whether it shows a predetermination or not.
Review:
If there is no signal from alien life, why even search? This is an actual concern for policy makers who fund projects like SETI. The first answer from Davies is, "Logic!" How many signals could we have missed? With our limited toolset (in 2010 no less), our limited time residing on this planet in the whole history of the universe, it seems very reasonable that we might not be in an optimal position to detect a signal. That doesn't mean we should stop trying. He gives all the standard arguments about why we should fund SETI and keep looking. First Life research will certainly go a long way to helping this cause.
It is interesting to read this 2010 book in light of my current knowledge about his work with Sara Imari Walker and others in trying to define and synthesize life so that humans can keep searching for it on other planets. His definitions of life are not as detailed as what you will find in his textbook with Imari Walker titled From Matter to Life, but this 2010 discussion is still food for thought.
I really could have done without Chapter Nine in which he spent way too much time trying to win over the religious folks. I realize how many people still subscribe to magical thinking -- while actively thinking scientific fact is too absurd to believe-- and realize some of those people have power to make policy. So, I get why it's important to discuss it. But, I am so tired of being anchored to that outdated concept that only serves to pull our focus away from continuing to gather facts and progress. Davies went all in and tried to introduce the religiously interested to Swedenborg. One of my best friends grew up in the New Church, complete with its own little Swedenborg only community. It's more progressive than Catholicism but it's still severe in its magical thinking. I just don't want any more of my head space taken up by this nonsense. (Though I did enjoy his discussion of whether Frank Drake's equation is really a religion).
Davies is concerned that, since we don't know what is out there, should we so thoughtlessly keep sending out signals? I am in the camp that wants to keep sending out signals but I really do understand how that could get us all killed if there is more advanced life out there.
Davies' argument about how life might be more ethically advanced was worrisome to me. He thinks being more advanced might mean having GMO'd the evil out of people to prevent them from being criminals. That is so short sighted and ignores the social situations on Earth that marginalize entire groups of people and then targets them and put them in jail for ***the same crimes** committed by non marginalized people who get away with it. It's our justice system that needs fixing, not people's genes. There might be some rarer cases of genetic determinism, but it's not the rule and it was a dangerous thing to imply.
Overall, this is a more worthwhile book that it might appear because he is really working toward something extremely important, namely updating our idea of what life is and fitting it into the frame work of not only biology but in physics where it surely belongs. Only when physicists join the discussion of, 'What is Life;, can we really understand life on our planet as well as what life in general on any planet -- or anywhere in the universe -- means.
February 29, 2020
The organization SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) was funded by the US government for a short while. It was soon decided that the money could be used for better things. SETI continues to operate with private funding. The author, Paul Davies, heads a special committee at SETI. Davies argues that the search is too narrow. SETI has been searching with radio telescopes for over 50 years without a bite. Using radio telescopes to listen for ET's is like using only a twitter account to check for messaging from everyone on Earth. Not everyone tweets. (My words, not Davies :-) ) Davies presents alternative methods of communication and I found it fascinating.
Davies doubts that Earthlings would panic if we heard a general message that said "Hello, we're here!" but if we got a specific message just for us "Hello Earth, how are you? Please respond" there might be trouble. Should we answer? I adore speculations like this. Davies writes that as of now there is zero scientific evidence that ETI exists. How disappointing. I want it to be true, be damned the consequences.
Davies doubts that Earthlings would panic if we heard a general message that said "Hello, we're here!" but if we got a specific message just for us "Hello Earth, how are you? Please respond" there might be trouble. Should we answer? I adore speculations like this. Davies writes that as of now there is zero scientific evidence that ETI exists. How disappointing. I want it to be true, be damned the consequences.
August 14, 2025
Very informative (but maybe slightly outdated since it's 15 years old) book about the SETI program, but it's about much more than that, as Davies branches out into other areas of science and speculation about our place in the universe. His ultimate opinion about alien life is somewhat surprising, but well thought out. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys films like Contact or The Arrival, or hell even Independence Day.
February 19, 2017
This was a good book on how and why we need to think out-of-the-box while keeping the search ongoing for ETs (Extra Terrestrials). Paul Davies does a good job of mentioning the various ways in which we can do this, or what to look out for, where do we as intelligent beings need to think anew, and stay away from anthropomorphism and our mindsets based upon the past and present dogmas.
A pretty delightful read for people who always have questions and thoughts regarding the possibilities of intelligent life-forms away from our planet.
Having to read this alongside Jim Marss' Alien Agenda: Investigating the Extraterrestrial Presence Among Us was kind of interesting . :)
A pretty delightful read for people who always have questions and thoughts regarding the possibilities of intelligent life-forms away from our planet.
Having to read this alongside Jim Marss' Alien Agenda: Investigating the Extraterrestrial Presence Among Us was kind of interesting . :)
September 23, 2015
There are but very few instances where you pick a gem that many mistook for just a dusty rock. How could this book be so unpopular. Maybe thats the most compelling evidence for the eerie silence.
The intellectual orgasm was quite similar to that from the movie Interstellar. Its like a thousand classic science fictions distilled to just over 200 pages. The shadow biosphere, the great filter, neutrino beacons, nanoprobes... Oh baby, it's Christmas. And it reaches its pinnacle when Paul convinces you almost certainly why biological intelligence is to quantum processers as apes are to humans. The stepping stone in evolution. Phew.. And to end it all consider three choices to reason the eerie silence. Either we, as earthlings, are really special to hold life, Or really really special to hold intelligent life, Or are just the next iteration in an often repeating cosmic cycle of self destructing intelligence.
By reading popular reviews you may feel that this book mainly discuss Fermi paradox and the impact of alien contact on religion. Not at all. This book about the search. Why it began, why the silence, what's the probability of success, where should we look, what to do when the contact happens and its impact. It's Bible for anyone remotely interested in aliens.
The intellectual orgasm was quite similar to that from the movie Interstellar. Its like a thousand classic science fictions distilled to just over 200 pages. The shadow biosphere, the great filter, neutrino beacons, nanoprobes... Oh baby, it's Christmas. And it reaches its pinnacle when Paul convinces you almost certainly why biological intelligence is to quantum processers as apes are to humans. The stepping stone in evolution. Phew.. And to end it all consider three choices to reason the eerie silence. Either we, as earthlings, are really special to hold life, Or really really special to hold intelligent life, Or are just the next iteration in an often repeating cosmic cycle of self destructing intelligence.
By reading popular reviews you may feel that this book mainly discuss Fermi paradox and the impact of alien contact on religion. Not at all. This book about the search. Why it began, why the silence, what's the probability of success, where should we look, what to do when the contact happens and its impact. It's Bible for anyone remotely interested in aliens.
August 20, 2019
___________________________________
******ET can’t come to the phone right now.******
___________________________________
The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence is an exploration of whether there is intelligent life out there among the stars, or for that matter, any life at all.
Davies is a highly respected physicist and astrobiologist who at the time the book was written was the chairman of a SETI committee that was given the task of developing protocols for how we should respond if alien contact is ever made. If you are looking for a book that supports the view that the aliens are among us here on Earth, this isn’t the book for you. Davies makes it clear in the first few pages that he thinks it extremely unlikely that beings from an advanced alien civilization would spend 130,000 years to get to Earth just so they could play aerial chicken with airliners, mutilate cattle, act like gods to primitive cultures, or play grab ass with random humans on lonely country roads.
This does not mean that Davies arrogantly dismisses the possibility that intelligent beings live in other star systems. He doesn’t. Instead, he tackles this intellectual problem in a logical manner and with an open mind. Here are some of the issues he explores:
There is great deal more information in this book that I’d like to tell you about, but the mothership is going to be here in less than 4 hours, and I haven’t even begun to pack.
___________________________________
Sometimes I think that the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. ---Bill Watterson
___________________________________
******ET can’t come to the phone right now.******
___________________________________
The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence is an exploration of whether there is intelligent life out there among the stars, or for that matter, any life at all.
Davies is a highly respected physicist and astrobiologist who at the time the book was written was the chairman of a SETI committee that was given the task of developing protocols for how we should respond if alien contact is ever made. If you are looking for a book that supports the view that the aliens are among us here on Earth, this isn’t the book for you. Davies makes it clear in the first few pages that he thinks it extremely unlikely that beings from an advanced alien civilization would spend 130,000 years to get to Earth just so they could play aerial chicken with airliners, mutilate cattle, act like gods to primitive cultures, or play grab ass with random humans on lonely country roads.
This does not mean that Davies arrogantly dismisses the possibility that intelligent beings live in other star systems. He doesn’t. Instead, he tackles this intellectual problem in a logical manner and with an open mind. Here are some of the issues he explores:
* How many planets are there in our galaxy that could support the development of life as we know it? (According to an article that I read yesterday [8/19/19], a statistical extrapolation of data from the Kepler telescope and other sources predicts that there about 10 billion such planets.)
* Given a suitable planet, how difficult is it for life to spontaneously come into being? (Well, when a non-living mommy chemical and a non-living daddy chemical love each other very much…)
* If life does develop on a planet, what are the odds that intelligent beings will evolve? (It happened at least once, right? Or did it? Maybe the jury is still out. )
* If highly advanced civilizations exist, why don’t they at least call once in a while? (This is why the book is entitled The Eerie Silence.)
There is great deal more information in this book that I’d like to tell you about, but the mothership is going to be here in less than 4 hours, and I haven’t even begun to pack.
___________________________________
Sometimes I think that the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. ---Bill Watterson
___________________________________
July 22, 2014
This is a great book. The greatest potentially answerable question 'are we alone in the universe?' is explored from every imaginable perspective and with its possible ramifications. I don't think any one explains science to non-scientist better than Paul Davies does. He excels at giving both sides of an argument to a dilemma and lets the reader make the informed decision.
The book doesn't just look at radio astronomy but considers all the other evidence or lack of evidence for what it takes for other intelligence to be elsewhere in the universe. For example, the lack of evidence for non-DNA based life on earth or other planets in our solar system implies that life might not be as easily created as some might state. No systematic harnessing of black hole energy through out parts of the galaxy implies we just might be alone.
The narrator is the same one who read "The Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil. That is good since the themes between the books overlap so much and my mind would naturally go back to that book as I was listening to this book. He gives the best refutation to the Fermi Paradox I've seen so far.
This book is much more than what the title implies. He covers everything related to "are we alone?" and fairly provides all relevant arguments to the table. He has his opinions and states them but always realizing that it's just his opinion and there are not necessarily right answers.
The book doesn't just look at radio astronomy but considers all the other evidence or lack of evidence for what it takes for other intelligence to be elsewhere in the universe. For example, the lack of evidence for non-DNA based life on earth or other planets in our solar system implies that life might not be as easily created as some might state. No systematic harnessing of black hole energy through out parts of the galaxy implies we just might be alone.
The narrator is the same one who read "The Singularity is Near" by Ray Kurzweil. That is good since the themes between the books overlap so much and my mind would naturally go back to that book as I was listening to this book. He gives the best refutation to the Fermi Paradox I've seen so far.
This book is much more than what the title implies. He covers everything related to "are we alone?" and fairly provides all relevant arguments to the table. He has his opinions and states them but always realizing that it's just his opinion and there are not necessarily right answers.
February 6, 2021
I had to read this book for an astronomy class, but I actually enjoyed it way more than I thought I would! Yes it was a bit tricky to keep up with as the language was sometimes a bit too academic and... sciency? (lol) But the actual content was very fascinating and I'm glad I got "forced" (voluntarily) to read it! I feel like I've learned a lot and I will definitely carry a lot of these things with me from now on. It has really widened my views on how I look at space and how I think of myself and our planet in the vastness of the universe.
July 19, 2022
“The Eerie Silence” is an interesting, fun, and relatively short read, and is recommended for anyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the science and philosophy behind it. Paul Davies is a well-respected physicist and popular science writer, and does an excellent job explaining a myriad of complex issues in a way the non-scientist can follow.
In a mere 208 pages of text, Davies discusses the SETI (radio signal monitoring) program, the origin of life, the origin of intelligence, UFOs, the Drake Equation, the Great Filter, the Fermi Paradox, and various other factors involved in predicting the likelihood and possible characteristics of alien life and intelligence. There’s even discussion of what we might expect to happen should an alien message be received.
There’s a lot of speculation going on—but given the number of unknowns, this seems unavoidable in the discussion. Besides, it’s fun (and head-spinning) to imagine the possibilities! One thing is for sure: it’s extremely difficult for us to overcome our anthropocentric biases, even in imagining what alien intelligence might be like. For this, I think we can be forgiven since we are all we know, and we have no other frame of reference.
The fact is, at present, we residents of Planet Earth are the one and only example we have of life (intelligent or otherwise) in our universe. Are we it? Maybe, maybe not. Will we ever know for sure? Nobody knows, but the question remains an open and fascinating one. This book showed me the complexity of many factors to consider in being able to answer these questions.
In a mere 208 pages of text, Davies discusses the SETI (radio signal monitoring) program, the origin of life, the origin of intelligence, UFOs, the Drake Equation, the Great Filter, the Fermi Paradox, and various other factors involved in predicting the likelihood and possible characteristics of alien life and intelligence. There’s even discussion of what we might expect to happen should an alien message be received.
There’s a lot of speculation going on—but given the number of unknowns, this seems unavoidable in the discussion. Besides, it’s fun (and head-spinning) to imagine the possibilities! One thing is for sure: it’s extremely difficult for us to overcome our anthropocentric biases, even in imagining what alien intelligence might be like. For this, I think we can be forgiven since we are all we know, and we have no other frame of reference.
The fact is, at present, we residents of Planet Earth are the one and only example we have of life (intelligent or otherwise) in our universe. Are we it? Maybe, maybe not. Will we ever know for sure? Nobody knows, but the question remains an open and fascinating one. This book showed me the complexity of many factors to consider in being able to answer these questions.
September 1, 2015
I can't imagine there is anyone else in the world (this world) who knows more about this subject than Paul Davies. A fascinating and comprehensive survey of what the "eerie silence" might or might not mean. E.g., either we haven't looked in the right places/ways; or "they" have already been here (and left their presence in our DNA or viruses); or there is very bad news in store for the future of our species. Cool book.
September 14, 2018
Paul Davies is an astrobiologist who (at the time of this book at least) was the chair of SETI's Post-Detection Taskgroup, so if you're interested in the question of "Are we alone?" this book offers a number of unique and necessary insights.
For most of the book, Davies carefully avoids offering his opinion on whether or not there is other intelligent life in the universe, giving instead numerous possibilities of what non-Terrestrial life might look like, or why it might not even be there. He goes back and forth between optimistic and pessimistic about the chances of life existing elsewhere, but one thing he says for certain is that if intelligent life does exist out there, SETI currently is very unlikely to find signs of it.
One of the big questions, he says, comes down to whether life is common in the universe or life is rare in the universe, and with our sample size of 1 we have no way of really answering that question yet. But he does put forth various reasons why he believes it is either very common or very rare: he does not believe there is a middle ground in this case. He suggests that if the genesis of life is common, it may well have happened more than once here on Earth (an idea that never occurred to me before!) and that studying our own planet more may determine whether or not SETI is worth it.
SPOILERS (if you want to know what position he ends up taking at the end of the book):
For most of the book, Davies carefully avoids offering his opinion on whether or not there is other intelligent life in the universe, giving instead numerous possibilities of what non-Terrestrial life might look like, or why it might not even be there. He goes back and forth between optimistic and pessimistic about the chances of life existing elsewhere, but one thing he says for certain is that if intelligent life does exist out there, SETI currently is very unlikely to find signs of it.
One of the big questions, he says, comes down to whether life is common in the universe or life is rare in the universe, and with our sample size of 1 we have no way of really answering that question yet. But he does put forth various reasons why he believes it is either very common or very rare: he does not believe there is a middle ground in this case. He suggests that if the genesis of life is common, it may well have happened more than once here on Earth (an idea that never occurred to me before!) and that studying our own planet more may determine whether or not SETI is worth it.
SPOILERS (if you want to know what position he ends up taking at the end of the book):
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2017
The very best thing that can be said about Eerie Silence is how it dexterously manages to hook even a casual visitor to a book store with the very first chapter. I am myself sort of a very selective reader who can engorge tomes in a matter of two-three days if the content is thoroughly fascinating enough , yet struggle to finish a generic 300 page crime fiction novel as a result of growing too weary of plot or writing style.
ES,on its part, bears pretty much the hallmarks of a good general science non-fiction book along the lines of the excellent must-reads as "Broca's Brain" or "The Dragons of Eden" ,both by Carl Sagan . This enables the reader to be fully welded to the core ideas and scientific principles guiding the current search for Extra Terrestrials(ET) , a fascinating subject in itself, while avoiding any hazard of information overload for the brain on account of too much in depth academic discussions or a plethora of theoretical formula .So it was no wonder my mind, craving for new stimulating input ,found Paul Davies' work to be the perfect opiate.
The merits of "Eerie Silence" ,an entertaining quick read overall,I feel are to broad to pin down in a short review.So I would rather comment on two particular facets of the book that I felt were a letdown from giving it a perfect 4 rating.
FIRST:Chapter 6,titled" Evidence for a Galactic Diaspora" appeared to have allocated more pages to a lot of pure speculation of interstellar alien travel rather than sit firmly with more credible and acceptable theories and then extrapolate some fantastic but plausible science fiction idea from them.This was a sharp contrast to the other chapters that took the time to bring up more factual ideas from history and science that actually lent credibility to an educated introspection of alien life for the average reader.
SECOND:In the section titled"Is Science Inevitable" of Chapter 4," How Much Intelligence is Out There", the author examines how likely science is to manifest in an alien civilization so that it can attempt to create the technology to start sending us messages across space. As is known,theoretical physics,the observation and mathematical modelling of physical phenomena,has its roots in the Renaissance of Europe.It is theoretical physics that ultimately spawned technology like radio that could enable humans an opportunity to contact far off civilizations. So ,given an alternate history where Paris of the Renaissance was wiped out by an asteroid thereby destroying "European culture", could other cultures like the Chinese or the Hindus still have managed to finally brought about the current scientific advances? The author here definitely takes a subtly biased stance against all non European historical scientific endeavors when he argues that it was because Renaissance Europeans followed a monotheistic religion espousing a linear universal time and governed by God as a central lawmaker that they could arrive at the groundwork for the laws and equations of theoretical physics. In his own words: "Without belief in a single omnipotent rational lawgiver,it is unlikely that anyone would have assumed that nature is intelligible in a systematic quantitative way ,mirrored by eternal mathematical forms" . Personally ,such a line of reasoning, connecting a civilization's faith to its scientific inclinations, has as much ground as some of those whimsical what-if claims ,like had Sir Isaac Newton's parents never met, the laws of classical mechanics would surely never have been formulated. I think it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to look at ALL the contemporary factors that in fact led to advent of theory based science in the West before in the East. The bubonic plague that swept medieval Europe and changed the mindset of religious people into having a more rational outlook, the opening up of trade between the various European nations, the growth of banks and rich families like the Medici who financed scientific progress for economic gains, the advent of peer reviewed technical journals, these are a handful of the factors that culminated in Western science as we know it today.Not just a mere reliance on a monotheistic religion ,which surely would have actually brought about theoretical physics much Earlier in European history, using the author's logic itself.
Barring this perceived bias,this book was in general,really well worth the time and effort and a break from the usual fare I was getting into ,aimlessly wandering around book shops.Don't miss out on it!!
ES,on its part, bears pretty much the hallmarks of a good general science non-fiction book along the lines of the excellent must-reads as "Broca's Brain" or "The Dragons of Eden" ,both by Carl Sagan . This enables the reader to be fully welded to the core ideas and scientific principles guiding the current search for Extra Terrestrials(ET) , a fascinating subject in itself, while avoiding any hazard of information overload for the brain on account of too much in depth academic discussions or a plethora of theoretical formula .So it was no wonder my mind, craving for new stimulating input ,found Paul Davies' work to be the perfect opiate.
The merits of "Eerie Silence" ,an entertaining quick read overall,I feel are to broad to pin down in a short review.So I would rather comment on two particular facets of the book that I felt were a letdown from giving it a perfect 4 rating.
FIRST:Chapter 6,titled" Evidence for a Galactic Diaspora" appeared to have allocated more pages to a lot of pure speculation of interstellar alien travel rather than sit firmly with more credible and acceptable theories and then extrapolate some fantastic but plausible science fiction idea from them.This was a sharp contrast to the other chapters that took the time to bring up more factual ideas from history and science that actually lent credibility to an educated introspection of alien life for the average reader.
SECOND:In the section titled"Is Science Inevitable" of Chapter 4," How Much Intelligence is Out There", the author examines how likely science is to manifest in an alien civilization so that it can attempt to create the technology to start sending us messages across space. As is known,theoretical physics,the observation and mathematical modelling of physical phenomena,has its roots in the Renaissance of Europe.It is theoretical physics that ultimately spawned technology like radio that could enable humans an opportunity to contact far off civilizations. So ,given an alternate history where Paris of the Renaissance was wiped out by an asteroid thereby destroying "European culture", could other cultures like the Chinese or the Hindus still have managed to finally brought about the current scientific advances? The author here definitely takes a subtly biased stance against all non European historical scientific endeavors when he argues that it was because Renaissance Europeans followed a monotheistic religion espousing a linear universal time and governed by God as a central lawmaker that they could arrive at the groundwork for the laws and equations of theoretical physics. In his own words: "Without belief in a single omnipotent rational lawgiver,it is unlikely that anyone would have assumed that nature is intelligible in a systematic quantitative way ,mirrored by eternal mathematical forms" . Personally ,such a line of reasoning, connecting a civilization's faith to its scientific inclinations, has as much ground as some of those whimsical what-if claims ,like had Sir Isaac Newton's parents never met, the laws of classical mechanics would surely never have been formulated. I think it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to look at ALL the contemporary factors that in fact led to advent of theory based science in the West before in the East. The bubonic plague that swept medieval Europe and changed the mindset of religious people into having a more rational outlook, the opening up of trade between the various European nations, the growth of banks and rich families like the Medici who financed scientific progress for economic gains, the advent of peer reviewed technical journals, these are a handful of the factors that culminated in Western science as we know it today.Not just a mere reliance on a monotheistic religion ,which surely would have actually brought about theoretical physics much Earlier in European history, using the author's logic itself.
Barring this perceived bias,this book was in general,really well worth the time and effort and a break from the usual fare I was getting into ,aimlessly wandering around book shops.Don't miss out on it!!
October 12, 2022
This book was written so well. It lays out the evidence and reasoning and ties it into the Fermi paradox... if we're not alone in the universe, and this book suggests the science for how we most likely aren't, then where the f*ck are all the aliens? I'm by no means a scientist or physicist or astronomer or astrophysicist but the information was so clear and well-broken down that I understood all of it! It's the worst when you can't understand the science in a non-fiction book and you KNOW that you're missing out on the entire effect of it.
Thankfully with this book that is a fear you will not have to face.
p.s.- if there's an alien reading this somehow, please visit us. even if you destroy us or something at this point the length of our search is getting a bit pathetic and our self-esteem is diminishing.
merci.
Thankfully with this book that is a fear you will not have to face.
p.s.- if there's an alien reading this somehow, please visit us. even if you destroy us or something at this point the length of our search is getting a bit pathetic and our self-esteem is diminishing.
merci.
August 23, 2018
Siguiendo con mis lecturas de Astrobiología, y luego Gramáticas extraterrestres, este libro divulgativo lo considero el colofón final para profundizar sobre los factores a favor, en contra, implicaciones, etc. de la posibilidad de vida extraterrestre y que puede leer el gran público. Grado de desarrollo, posibilidades, acciones de post-detección, absolutamente todo es tratado en esta obra con una mezcla del mejor carácter científico mezclado con una especulación sana (no imposible, aunque a menudo sorprendente). La imparcialidad a favor y en contra es muy buena. La lectura es muy recomendada para tener una idea de cuánto está de desarrollado este tema, más aún para aquellas personas que se preguntan sobre ello y afirman cosas a la ligera. Más lecturas como esta y menos Iker Jiménez es lo que hace falta. Recomiendo en particular las dos obras anteriores antes que esta, cada una enfocada en diferentes aspectos y entre todas cerrando todos los resquicios a tratar. La obra posee numerosas referencias a otras, de modo que puede ser el inicio para otras lecturas interesantes. Una referencia a otro libro que tengo en progreso de lectura es La singularidad está cerca de Ray Kurzweil, cuyas predicciones sobre el progreso tecnológico exponencial, aplicadas a posibles inteligencias extraterrestres, teniendo en cuenta las edades y distancias del universo, implican una desigualdad tan grande que seguramente no fueran reconocibles (y si lo fueran, ya las tendríamos que haber detectado). Otro ejemplo de implicación para la humanidad es que trata el problema del Gran Filtro, como el propio título de la obra indica: el silencio, si la vida inteligente es común, podría implicar que algo mata la vida sistemáticamente en el universo, no siendo esto buena noticia para nosotros, quizá. Singularidad tecnológica y Gran Filtro son solo dos ejemplos de la profundidad con que se trata el tema y sus relaciones con otras variables aparentemente distintas. Le daría un 5 si no fuera por algunos argumentos a favor de "La Tierra Rara" con los que no estoy de acuerdo, pero es algo personal. Hay otros argumentos sin embargo convincentes, como la ausencia en la Tierra de una segunda biogénesis (todos los organismos descendemos de un solo organismo) que efectivamente apoyan la extrema rareza de la vida. En resumen, muy recomendable, da que pensar.
June 1, 2017
Paul Davies, the chair of SETI's Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup, wrote The Eerie Silence in 2010, a short time after the Kepler space telescope launched. Back then a handful of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) had been discovered. Since then Kepler alone has confirmed over 2,300 exoplanets and estimates for the observable universe go as high as 5.3 trillion.
That's a lot of planets.
And yet seven years later, the eerie silence Davies wrote about persists. You might think that over 50 years of observation by SETI failing to yield any tangible results would be disheartening and indeed, Davies does admit it can be a little depressing when you focus solely on the lack of any clear signal that we are not alone in the universe. But he remains hopeful that life here is not a one-time fluke among the billions of star systems. That hope is tempered by his adherence to the scientific method, of observation and testing, with minimal speculation.
It is that speculation, though, that forms the heart of the book. Davies presents comprehensive scenarios on how other planets might support life, what that life might be like, how alien races might communicate with us--or if they would even bother. He takes a dim view on fictional portrayals of aliens as malevolent beings looking to wipe us out and constantly warns against falling into the trap of anthropocentric thought. H notes that we might not even recognize aliens because they could exist in a state we can't comprehend.
Davies also spends time covering how SETI and others would handle the world-changing confirmation of other intelligent life (he doesn't put much stock in politicians or government handling it well).
In all, this is a wonderfully detailed and engaging look into the possibility of life beyond Earth. Davies keeps coming up with unique angles on how to approach looking for signs of communication--whether intentional or incidental, on how other intelligent beings might act and evolve, and why he is still passionate about continuing the search for other intelligent species beyond the confines of our solar system.
Highly recommended.
That's a lot of planets.
And yet seven years later, the eerie silence Davies wrote about persists. You might think that over 50 years of observation by SETI failing to yield any tangible results would be disheartening and indeed, Davies does admit it can be a little depressing when you focus solely on the lack of any clear signal that we are not alone in the universe. But he remains hopeful that life here is not a one-time fluke among the billions of star systems. That hope is tempered by his adherence to the scientific method, of observation and testing, with minimal speculation.
It is that speculation, though, that forms the heart of the book. Davies presents comprehensive scenarios on how other planets might support life, what that life might be like, how alien races might communicate with us--or if they would even bother. He takes a dim view on fictional portrayals of aliens as malevolent beings looking to wipe us out and constantly warns against falling into the trap of anthropocentric thought. H notes that we might not even recognize aliens because they could exist in a state we can't comprehend.
Davies also spends time covering how SETI and others would handle the world-changing confirmation of other intelligent life (he doesn't put much stock in politicians or government handling it well).
In all, this is a wonderfully detailed and engaging look into the possibility of life beyond Earth. Davies keeps coming up with unique angles on how to approach looking for signs of communication--whether intentional or incidental, on how other intelligent beings might act and evolve, and why he is still passionate about continuing the search for other intelligent species beyond the confines of our solar system.
Highly recommended.
September 15, 2010
This was a fascinating, thought-provoking, and entertaining book. I've thoroughly enjoyed every Paul Davies book I've read. I like the way he pursues highly speculative topics but still maintains a reassuringly rational, critical, and intelligent point of view. I had previously considered the search for extraterrestrial intelligence to be an exhausted and cliched subject, but I learned so many new things from this book. For example, the possibility of a "shadow biosphere" (life that originated separately from the dominant life on earth) right here on the same planet and how that affects the likelihood of extraterrestrial life. And I like the way Davies shoots down the widespread misconceptions about how easy it is for life to begin spontaneously, even given hospitable conditions. And the discussions of the pessimistic ideas of Brandon Carter, et al, based on probabilities are mind-blowing and compelling. This book is a nice companion piece to his earlier book The Fifth Miracle.
March 22, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this philosophical roller coaster by Paul Davies. I love to think about our place in the universe and Davies presents compelling evidence for and against intelligence in the universe.
He presents what he thinks life would look like and their potential motives if they are an interstellar species.
SETI is profoundly important to our need as a species to know our fate. I hope that someday we will know that the future is bright.
He presents what he thinks life would look like and their potential motives if they are an interstellar species.
SETI is profoundly important to our need as a species to know our fate. I hope that someday we will know that the future is bright.
not-in-a-million-years
June 3, 2023Scientists still use the term ‘organic chemistry’, even though we now know that the laws of chemistry are the same whether a molecule is located inside or outside an organism.
Now this just pisses me off. First of all, I would like to say that i didn't read the book, just saw the quote, but as a person who has a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, this is NOT the definition of organic chemistry.
The simplified definition is this: Organic chemistry focuses on molecules mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen.
Do you see somewhere that are mentioned organisms? No? Thats because organic chemistry doesn't care if the compound is inside or outside an organism, it is still an organic compound. Methane, ethanol and benzene are a few examples.
September 13, 2017
The eerie silence is mostly a primer in the the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) focused around the US program formerly run by NASA. In addition Davies, who is part of that program, adds a fair amount of his own opinions and ideas on why and how this search should be done.
In total its become a nice easily read book mostly for those already interested in the search.
In total its become a nice easily read book mostly for those already interested in the search.
February 2, 2018
As intimately involved with the SETI project as Paul Davies is, you might well imagine this book to be a cheerleading campaign for the program in general. Well not so much. He is unexpectedly candid about the many shortcomings he sees in how the search is currently being conducted. By succinctly explaining just how narrow the search parameters are and how limited the scope, Davies shows that it is hardly surprising that 50 years of listening to the stars has yet to yield any positive result. Upon this premise he then frames a rather compelling argument for broadening the search beyond radio astronomy by employing myriad technological advances to seek out tell-tale physical signs of intelligent alien activity. While searching for signs such as the relative distribution of magnetic monopoles isn't nearly as sexy as intercepting an ET radio broadcast, the chance of success is much greater and will begin to populate the SETI database with something other than the dearth of interstellar communication signals. Davies arguments are stated in a fairly straight forward and not overly technical manner. He can be a bit preachy at times, but for the most part what is presented is quite approachable and reader friendly. My only real beef with the case being made is Davies' insistent dwelling on the idea that intelligent aliens will be thousands if not millions of years more technologically advanced than earthbound humanity. Sure, that is a possibility. But it is only one possibility. Prospective intelligent alien societies anywhere technologically between humankind and those millennially advanced super ETs are conspicuously absent from the discussion. He makes a much better point in calling for a shift away from the current anthropocentric approach to the search. Regardless of relative technological advancement, assuming human-like behavior from a truly alien intelligence is not only severely constraining, it is also quite unreasonable. Some good thought provoking stuff that encourages some fun mental exercises along the way. An enjoyable read all around.
September 19, 2022
A bit Eurocentric for my tastes, but absolutely fascinating, even if most of the sciencey mumbo-jumbo went right over my head.
March 15, 2013
This is a fantastic book for anybody interested in the SETI project and Fermi's Paradox. The biggest take home point I got out of reading this book is the question of what side of the "Great Filter" we are on (read the wiki article on the Great Filter for further info) and what profound implications it has whether the filter is already behind us or if the filter is in our future. If the filter is behind us and the rare earth hypothesis is correct, the future looks bright for our descendants and the possibility of our descendents (whether biological or machines) being able to make it to a neighboring star system in the millions of years to come before the sun swallows the Earth is somewhat hopeful. On the other hand, if the filter is ahead of us, it is possible that there may be many technological civilizations scattered through the galaxy but none of them ever develop the capability to travel to a neighboring star system. As hopeful as I am that there is somebody out there, the science is pretty discouraging so far and although I still think the SETI project is a worthwhile endeavor, it is extremely unlikely we will ever be able to find any alien signals. There just isn't anyway around the inverse square law of radio signal propagation and the distances are far too vast. It was a good read. I may have to read "50 solutions to Fermi's Paradox" soon.
December 31, 2015
One of those books which serves justice to the title ("The Eerie Silence").
I was someone like the author's grandmother, who asked, why spend so much time, effort and money on such endeavors? But this book gave me reasons after reasons why I was being naive. It made gave me an insight into the endless possibilities related to ET life and it's discovery.
Now, I can't take a step forward without looking at my surrounding for signs of ET life. After being done with the book, my curiosity is now at an altogether different level.
I never imagined people were capable of forecasting so much into future. Especially on how aliens would try to contact us and also on their shapes.
I could go through this book again and again without getting bored.
One of the strong points of the book is that, even though the author is a scientist, he didn't try to establish that alien life exists. He was always open minded in his approach. This serves particularly well for a reader like me who isn't aware of such possibilities.
This is a must read for everyone who watches science fiction movies and has a thing for it.
I was someone like the author's grandmother, who asked, why spend so much time, effort and money on such endeavors? But this book gave me reasons after reasons why I was being naive. It made gave me an insight into the endless possibilities related to ET life and it's discovery.
Now, I can't take a step forward without looking at my surrounding for signs of ET life. After being done with the book, my curiosity is now at an altogether different level.
I never imagined people were capable of forecasting so much into future. Especially on how aliens would try to contact us and also on their shapes.
I could go through this book again and again without getting bored.
One of the strong points of the book is that, even though the author is a scientist, he didn't try to establish that alien life exists. He was always open minded in his approach. This serves particularly well for a reader like me who isn't aware of such possibilities.
This is a must read for everyone who watches science fiction movies and has a thing for it.
July 3, 2018
Excelente introducción al proyecto SETI y a sus perspectivas futuras. Así como a todas sus incógnitas como la paradoja de Fermi o El Gran Filtro, así como el hecho de que quizá las ondas de radio sean la manera más primitiva e ineficiente para la comunicación interestelar. ¿Entonces qué debemos emplear para la comunicación con inteligencias extraterrestres? ¿Qué señales cósmicas de ingeniería galáctica nos indicarían la presencia de supercivilizaciones? Estas y otras preguntas encuentran respuestas sorprendentes. Así mismo se habla de la posibilidad de que seamos realmente la primera consciencia del Universo... o la única. Imprescindible para adentrarse en el tema de la búsqueda de inteligencia extraterrestre.
March 8, 2016
Hey guys, guess what!
If the fact that we've never detected extraterrestrial intelligence is indicative of the non-existence of such*, there are two possibilities:
1) The development of intelligent life is exceptionally rare even in the vastness of the cosmos, and it was extraordinally unlikely that the human race would ever have come into being. The fact that we exist is a minor miracle!
2) The development of intelligent life happens all the time. It just doesn't survive long enough to make contact with other intelligent life. In which case, we're probably doomed in the very near future.
Have a nice day!
* - there are plenty of reasons that it might not be.
If the fact that we've never detected extraterrestrial intelligence is indicative of the non-existence of such*, there are two possibilities:
1) The development of intelligent life is exceptionally rare even in the vastness of the cosmos, and it was extraordinally unlikely that the human race would ever have come into being. The fact that we exist is a minor miracle!
2) The development of intelligent life happens all the time. It just doesn't survive long enough to make contact with other intelligent life. In which case, we're probably doomed in the very near future.
Have a nice day!
* - there are plenty of reasons that it might not be.
November 20, 2014
Thought it was time for something a little more challenging than some of the fiction I've been reading lately, but this might have been pushing it a bit. Fascinating book full of deep ideas and complex science, it was ultimately a bit of a slog. That said, probably THE book to read if you are really, really into SETI.
January 2, 2022
Świetny przegląd dotychczasowych prac i teorii dotyczących życia pozaziemskiego, od pesymistycznych po optymistyczne. Autor próbuje "leczyć" ludzi z antropocentryzmu, tzn. myślenia o innych cywilizacjach przez pryzmat naszej. Książka daje do myślenia i poszerza horyzonty. Polecam!
July 8, 2010
I enjoyed this one. Davies covered many points of veiw on how likely it is that other life is out there, and what it could be like. Some of it was very speculative and imaginative.
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