Visions of human futures in space and SETI

We discuss how visions for the futures of humanity in space and SETI are intertwined, and are shaped by prior work in the fields and by science fiction. This appears in the language used in the fields, and in the sometimes implicit assumptions made in discussions of them. We give examples from artic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of astrobiology 2018-04, Vol.17 (2), p.177-188
Main Authors: Wright, Jason T., Oman-Reagan, Michael P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Afrofuturism
Civilization
Culture
Dark matter
Extraterrestrial life
Fields
Funding
Futures
Galaxies
Imagination
Intelligence
Interdisciplinary aspects
Laboratories
Science fiction
Science fiction & fantasy
Scientists
Solar system
Stars & galaxies
Universe
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Summary:We discuss how visions for the futures of humanity in space and SETI are intertwined, and are shaped by prior work in the fields and by science fiction. This appears in the language used in the fields, and in the sometimes implicit assumptions made in discussions of them. We give examples from articulations of the so-called Fermi Paradox, discussions of the settlement of the Solar System (in the near future) and the Galaxy (in the far future), and METI. We argue that science fiction, especially the campy variety, is a significant contributor to the ‘giggle factor’ that hinders serious discussion and funding for SETI and Solar System settlement projects. We argue that humanity's long-term future in space will be shaped by our short-term visions for who goes there and how. Because of the way they entered the fields, we recommend avoiding the term ‘colony’ and its cognates when discussing the settlement of space, as well as other terms with similar pedigrees. We offer examples of science fiction and other writing that broaden and challenge our visions of human futures in space and SETI. In an appendix, we use an analogy with the well-funded and relatively uncontroversial searches for the dark matter particle to argue that SETI's lack of funding in the national science portfolio is primarily a problem of perception, not inherent merit.
ISSN:1473-5504
1475-3006
DOI:10.1017/S1473550417000222