Extraterrestrial Civilizations [Paperback]

Isaac Asimov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 1980

The master of science fiction speculates about life on other planets...

"Intriguing"--Publishers Weekly 

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 12, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449900207
• ISBN-13: 978-0449900208
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Logical Conclusion, Logically Arrived At..., December 31, 1999

By 

"siphonix" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Extraterrestrial Civilizations (Paperback)

For me, the best thing about picking up almost any 'non-fiction' book by Isaac Asimov is the fore-knowledge that you aren't going to be affronted by a barrage of technical "facts and figures," simply thrown out of nowhere at the reader (like 'name-dropping'), for the purpose of advancing, in a self-serving way, the author's own 'pet theories' on a given subject. With Asimov, you KNOW he will walk you through everything, from start through finish, in chronological sequence and with historical context thrown in (free of charge, always), in order to build his case for something in a methodical, well-ordered, and logical manner. I've sometimes thought the 'Good Doctor' was himself surprised at some of the conclusions he 'found himself arriving at', on certain subjects, simply because the 'weight of the evidence' and his own 'chain of reasoning' from it, simply LED him there, compelling him to adopt that viewpoint, not unlike the outcome of a rigorous mathematical formula... Then again...I suppose that goes for everyone! But for rational reasons! (There IS a distinction!) 'Extraterrestrial Civilizations' is a brave and fascinating book. Brave, in its scope, for a book originally published 20 years ago, before we had our present-day scientific confirmation that other stars do, in fact, HAVE planets (which was assumed by the majority of the scientific community, but not known, 20 years ago - no 'Hubble Telescope' existed back then, when Asimov wrote this book). Our recent findings, however, both vindicate and bolster two (and ONLY two) of Isaac's most crucial case-assumptions in this book, along with other scientist's conjectures-, early on in his 'chain of reasoning'). The book is Fascinating, in that the theories Asimov both summarizes and expounds still represent the 'cutting edge' of the best scientific thought there is on this subject today. We have, as yet, progressed no further. Cover-to-cover, and detailed step-by-step, this book builds up an argument based upon the well-known and meticulous Asimovian 'chain of reasoning'. It incorporates (though significantly modifies it, since Asimov doesn't seem to accept the narrowed parameters) the 'Drake Equation', which is a 'sign of the times' (1979 times 'best science'). It's too bad the subsequent 'conclusion' is given away on the soft-cover jacket (at least on the Avon Books edition, which I have), because the book itself reads and unfolds like the best of detective stories, with the facts presented (which progressively fall into place), and, chapter by chapter, the 'clues' and suppositions mount, then pile up, one upon another...ultimately leading to... ? Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in 'exobiology'(You know...the 'science without a subject'...yet). Aspects of almost every related science discipline are considered here (or at least are mentioned in passing), along with inherent implications/applications. A 'complete' work ('in progress'), until someone else comes along and 'updates' us, or suggests something different or more 'progressive'. So far, everyone's still waiting....

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, even 25 years later, June 29, 2005

By 

Christopher Gregg "tofergregg" (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Extraterrestrial Civilizations (Hardcover)

I found this book at a used bookstore, and having just finished Foundation, I thought I'd dive into a non-fiction book by Asimov. I have always admired Asimov's brilliant and lucid writing style, and his other non-fiction works are wonderful (particularly Understanding Physics, which is an outstanding treatment of the standard physics canon). In Extraterrestrial Civilizations, Asimov steps readers through a series of observations about the development of intelligent life here on Earth, and he extrapolates the data we have about ourselves into the question of whether or not intelligent life is probable somewhere in the rest of the Universe. I was concerned that a 25-year old book on the topic might feel antiquated--especially considering the advancement of astronomy in general and the data from the Hubble telescope in particular--but as with much of Asimov's work, his ideas are as fresh today as they were in 1979. To be sure, he does make some statements that aren't true today or that have been modified (i.e., he states that we have no direct evidence of planets around other stars, and he also says that neutrinos have zero mass), but he is also careful to comment frequently that "this could change at any moment, even tomorrow." His conclusions are quite interesting, and I was captivated by his "storytelling of the Universe" as well as by his commentary about why we know what we do. If you want a primer on "who might be out there," buy this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still one of the best rigorously scientific works on the sub, March 27, 2003

By 

Ventura Angelo (Brescia, Lombardia Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Extraterrestrial Civilizations (Paperback)

This book was written about 20 years ago. Asimov's scientific rigour and marvelouly clear divulgative prose guides us to what we know of the possible existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. Had he written this book today, he would have been less optimistic, perhaps, but most of his reasoning wouldn't have changed. For an updated equivalent of this book,read
Stephen Webb's Fifty solutions to Fermi's Paradox.