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Durham E-Theses The Charming Science of the Other: The cultural analysis of the scientic search for life beyond earth CAPOVA, KLARA,ANNA How to cite: CAPOVA, KLARA,ANNA (2013) The Charming Science of the Other: The cultural analysis of the scientic search for life beyond earth, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8516/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 The Charming Science of the Other The cultural analysis of the scientific search for life beyond earth by Klara Anna Capova Dissertation submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology Durham University October 2013 Abstract This dissertation presents the cultural study of scientific search for extraterrestrial life conducted over the past sixty years by the scientific community. It introduces an original piece of research that conceptualises the extraterrestrial life hypothesis as a significant part of the general world-view, constantly shaped by the work and discoveries of science. It sheds light on the ways in which alien life is imagined and theorised and presents its concept in both the scientific community and in popular culture. Drawing from anthropology of science it offers elaboration of ‘culture of science’ and ‘scientific culture’ and describes the scientific search for other life as a specific culture of science, here referred to as ‘charming science’. The three scientific search methods: message sending, analysing of cosmic signals and the search for extrasolar planets are conceptualised as the three search modes: messaging, listening and exploring respectively. This work introduces the extraterrestrial ‘Other’ as a profoundly cultural concept, firstly presented as the missing subject of ‘charming science’. Exploration of public understanding the extraterrestrial life and popular imagination of the ‘Other’ is intended to introduce the scientific search in broader social context and address the role of science in contemporary Western world. The dissertation draws on the multi-sited and multi-method ethnographic fieldwork conducted over two years in the UK. The research methods included interviewing (semi-structured face-to-face interviews and interviews conducted via email), participation (conferences and scientific meetings), and data collection from the global ‘online’ community including social networks. Keywords: science, extraterrestrial life, three modes, messaging, listening, exploring, anthropology of science, cultural analysis, multi-method and multi-sited fieldwork, visual anthropology, popular culture, cultural formations, scientific practices, SETI, astrobiology, Other, cosmology, Western world, culture of science, scientific culture Table of Contents List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................ i List of Tables............................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations.................................................................................................... v Statement of Copyright ............................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... vii Dedication ................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1: In Search of the ‘Other’ .............................................................................. 1 1.1. The Big Questions ......................................................................................... 3 1.2. The Two Cultures .......................................................................................... 5 1.3. Anthropology and the Significant ‘Other’ ..................................................... 8 1.4. Western Science as the Significant ‘Other’ ................................................. 10 1.5. The Interchangeability of Western and Scientific Culture .......................... 13 1.6. Introducing the Two Cultures ...................................................................... 16 1.7. Anthropology of the “Thing” at Home ........................................................ 18 1.8. Crossing the Boundaries of Time and Space ............................................... 20 1.9. Research Background .................................................................................. 21 1.10. Making First Contact with the Culture of Science .................................. 24 1.10.a. Semi-Structured Interviews .................................................................... 25 1.10.b. Observation and Participation ................................................................ 28 1.10.c. Scientific Messages ................................................................................ 28 1.11. Reading, Seeing, and Hearing the Scientific ........................................... 29 1.11.a. Film and TV as Ethnographic Material .................................................. 31 1.11.b. Tag It Research Method ......................................................................... 34 1.11.c. The Importance of the Internet and Social Networks............................. 35 1.12. Limitations ............................................................................................... 36 1.13. Dissertation Outline ................................................................................. 37 Chapter 2: The Two Cultures of the ‘Other’ Introduced............................................ 38 2.1. The ‘Other’: A Working Hypothesis ........................................................... 39 2.2. What Does Society Think? .......................................................................... 44 2.3. What Do Scientists Think? .......................................................................... 45 2.4. The Cultures of Science as Milestones of Western World .......................... 48 2.5. Imagining the ‘Other’ (Science Fiction Enters the Scene) .......................... 56 2.5.a. Star Trek ............................................................................................... 60 2.5.b. Identifying the Unidentified Objects .................................................... 62 2.6. Joking about the ETs – Witty Narratives .................................................... 64 2.7. Introducing the Three Modes of Charming Science.................................... 67 2.8. Search for Extraterrestrial Life – as a Science and a Culture ...................... 70 Chapter 3: The Naive Science of Messaging ............................................................. 72 3.1. The Naive and ‘Charming Science’ of Messaging ...................................... 75 3.2. American Blueprint of Interstellar Communication .................................... 78 3.2.a. Pioneers ................................................................................................ 79 3.2.b. Arecibo Broadcast ................................................................................ 79 3.2.c. Voyager’s Golden Record .................................................................... 82 3.3. The Witnesses of the Past: Time Capsule ................................................... 84 3.4. Speaking With the Intelligent ‘Other’ ......................................................... 87 3.5. The Lingua Cosmica - The Calling of the ‘Other’ ...................................... 90 3.6. Lingua Franca: Bringing the Differences .................................................... 96 3.7. Encapsulated Meanings: The Story of Life ............................................... 102 3.8. From All Over the Earth: The Collection of Curiosities ........................... 104 3.9. Where No Science Has Gone Before ........................................................ 108 3.10. The Inscribed – Tattooed – Scientific Knowledge ................................ 113 3.11. Concluding Remarks.............................................................................. 115 Chapter 4: Listening to the Sounds of Silence ......................................................... 117 4.1. A Brief History of SETI ............................................................................ 119 4.2. SETI Institute@work ................................................................................. 122 4.3. Meeting the SETI ...................................................................................... 124 4.5. Engaging Public: SETI@home ................................................................. 129 4.4. The Big Ear of the Arecibo Radio Telescope ............................................ 132 4.6. SETI Post-Detection Protocols