Abstract:
The concept of extra-terrestrial intelligence was first mooted by philosophers
like Aristotle and Lucretius as well as natural scientists like
Huygens and Whewell. It is considered whether UFO reports rather
than indicating something real provide a symptom of the current religious
cultural situation in Europe. Should rational life elsewhere in the
universe be real, it is argued that biological life would be a neccessary
condition. The divergence and convergence hypotheses are examined.
The fundamental prerequisite is the existence of other solar systems with
planets other than our own. Insights from biology and astronomy are
placed in the context of philosophical discourse.
