SETI, Cultural Evolution, and the Star Trek Imaginary
Start Date
15-12-2020 9:40 AM
End Date
15-12-2020 10:00 AM
Description
This paper explores the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) as a practice of imagination expressed via an evolutionary eschatology where intelligent species are saved through the process of technological and social progress. I discuss a social imaginary associated with Star Trek which has significantly shaped the manner in which SETI scientists have thought about and justified their research. I show how a collection of sociotechnical entities such as scientists, fictional representations, and ideological tropes intertwine in the SETI context to form a coherent body of practice that is employed to justify and legitimize scientific practices related to SETI.
Recommended Citation
Traphagan, John, "SETI, Cultural Evolution, and the Star Trek Imaginary" (2020). Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology (SSoCIA) Conference. 15.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/ssocia/2020/schedule/15
SETI, Cultural Evolution, and the Star Trek Imaginary
This paper explores the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) as a practice of imagination expressed via an evolutionary eschatology where intelligent species are saved through the process of technological and social progress. I discuss a social imaginary associated with Star Trek which has significantly shaped the manner in which SETI scientists have thought about and justified their research. I show how a collection of sociotechnical entities such as scientists, fictional representations, and ideological tropes intertwine in the SETI context to form a coherent body of practice that is employed to justify and legitimize scientific practices related to SETI.