Towards a scientific and societal agenda on extra-terrestrial life 5-Oct-2010

Royal Society International Conference: Towards a scientific and societal agenda on extra-terrestrial life

Organised by Dr Martin Dominik and Professor John Zarnecki

Date: 4 & 5 October 2010

Place: Kavli Royal Society International Centre, Buckinghamshire, UK

Four panel debates include:
– Calling ET, or not even answering the phone?
– Societal questions raised by the detection of extra-terrestrial life
– What could studies of extra-terrestrial life tell us about the future of humanity?
– Extra-terrestrial life and arising political issues for the UN agenda

Panelists:

Ivan Almar, Stephen Baxter, James Benford, David Brin, Milan Cirkovic, Richard Crowther, Kathryn Denning, Steven Dick, Stephane Dumas, Frans von der Dunk, John Elliott, Lisa Kaltenegger, Claudio Maccone, Michael Michaud, Mazlan Othman, Ted Peters, Margaret Race, Seth Shostak, John Smart, Nicholas Tosca, Doug Vakoch, Clement Vidal, Felisa Wolfe-Simon, Alexander Zaitsev

Should extra-terrestrial life exist, upcoming efforts will provide living generations with a realistic chance of its detection. Even more than the scientific agenda, a corresponding complementary societal agenda needs to be debated. With a mix of invited talks and panel debates, we particularly look into the detection of life, the communication with potential extra-terrestrial civilizations, the implications for the future of humanity, and the political processes that are required.

Day 1, part 1