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The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, Antiquity to 1915: A Source Book

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Those interested in the history of ideas of extraterrestrial life (ETL)--and especially those who believe speculation on ETL began only in the 20th-century--may be happy to learn they are part of a tradition that goes back to antiquity. Michael J. Crowe, author of `The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900' now provides this primary Source Book containing selections of writings from the ancient Greeks through the beginning of the twentieth century, allowing readers to discover first hand what those in previous eras believed and debated about the possibility of extra-terrestrial intelligent life.

By reading these sources, we learn that notions of ETL were closely tied to contemporary theological, cultural and scientific beliefs. St. Augustine (354-430) for example argued against a notion of innumerable other worlds based solely on the Deity's own infinitude ("...if they imagine infinite spaces of time before the world, during which God could not have been idle, in like manner they may conceive outside the world infinite realms of space, in which...they must adopt Epicurus' dream of innumerable worlds...", p. 16); consider also Galileo (1564-1642), who suggested life on the moon was unlikely ("...the moon is alternately in sunshine and darkness for 15 continuous days of 24 hours...if our plants and animals...were plunged in [similar] cold and darkness, they could not possibly preserve themselves, much less produce and multiply. We must...conclude that, what would be impossible on our earth under the circumstances we have supposed to exist, must be impossible on the moon where those conditions do exist." p.53). Continuing with the moon, we find that William Herschel (1738-1822, discoverer of the planet Uranus) was quite sure it contained life ("...the thought of Forrests or Lawn and Pastures still remains exceedingly probable to me"; Herschel also observed what he thought were "roads, canals, and pyramids." p.179).

The book organizes these primary source selections according to the following chronology:
I. Antiquity to Newton
II. The Eighteenth Century
III. From 1800 to 1860
IV. From 1860 to 1915

In each of these periods, notions of ETL were altered and debated based on contemporary theological, cultural, intellectual, technological, and scientific trends.

In conclusion, this wonderful and nicely illustrated historical resource provides not only a scholarly addition to work already done on the history of the ETL debate, but it also makes for enjoyable browsing for the general reader with an interest in this topic. Crowe brings his own years of research on the history of the ETL debate to bear on his selection of primary sources with his helpful commentary on each source, thereby providing context that makes this Source Book more than just a collection of disparate parts.