Customer Reviews

Science, Society, and the Search for Life in the Universe

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Written by Professor Bruce Jakosky, who has been involved in several space missions including the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory rover, Science, Society and the Search for Life in the Universe introduces readers to the field of astrobiology - the fairly new but rapidly growing discipline of striving to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Chapters address the questions of "Is there life elsewhere?" "What is life?" and "Why do we do science?" as well as the intersection between issues of astrobiology, science, and religion. Accessible to lay readers and scholars alike, Science, Society and the Search for Life in the Universe stresses the importance of adherence to the highest-level quality scientific principles above all, in the quest for greater understanding. Highly recommended for anyone genuinely interested in a serious, scholarly, non-metaphysical discussion of life in outer space.

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"My goal [for this book]...is to explore...philosophical and societal issues in astrobiology [the branch of biology that investigates the existence of living organisms on planets other than Earth], to encourage members of the scientific community to do so themselves, and to begin a multidimensional dialogue between astrobiologists, people from other disciplines such as the humanities, and the public. The issues at the heart of this discussion deal with the nature of science as an intellectual endeavor and how the science of astrobiology is carried out, the parallel question of why we do science (why the public values it and why the federal government supports it, the philosophical and societal significance of finding (or of searching for and not finding) it, and the theological and religious implications of the potential for life elsewhere."

The above is taken from the preface of this extremely interesting and slim book by Dr. Bruce Jakosky, Associate Director of Science in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado (at Boulder).

This book asks a lot of questions and tries to answer those questions.

Here is the main theme of each of its chapters:

Chapter (1): Asks scientific questions and answers them. For example, what is it about the nature of life on Earth that suggests that there could be life elsewhere? What processes are responsible for producing the present architecture of our solar system? How did these same processes play out in other planetary systems and thus what is the potential for life beyond our solar system?

(2): Explores the question, "What is life?" This is a difficult question to answer but this chapter does a good job in answering it.

(3): Discusses the question, "Is astrobiology a science?" (The author defines astrobiology as "a discipline that involves trying to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life within the universe.") Explains how science works in general and what science is.

(4): In this chapter, the nature of what is called "historical science" is explored along with examples taken from recent astrobiological thought.

(5): Why we do science is discussed in this chapter. This topic touches on a variety of key issues. Examples include the roles of basic science versus applied science, personal and societal motivations for science, the role of astrobiology in the process of exploring the universe, and the role that this exploration plays in our society.

(6): "Would the discovery of life [including intelligent life] elsewhere have an impact on religion?" The answer to this question has important implications for how society deals with the relationship between religion and science.

(7): "Astrobiology...touches in significant ways on the larger society. [Astrobiologists] do research that touches on issues with strong intellectual and emotional connections to the public." This chapter explores some of these connections. Also looks at how scientists expend little effort to discuss their work as it relates to society and what can be done about this.

This is, in my view, a unique, well-written, and engaging book that examines the philosophical and societal issues in science in general and in astrobiology in particular.

Finally, I found that there were two omissions in this book:

(i) This book contains no pictures! Pictures, I feel, would have added to this book and perhaps reduced its wordiness. (By the way, the strange picture on the book's cover (dispalayed above by Amazon) has the title of "DNA Galaxy.")

(ii) As mentioned, this book also discusses the possibility of finding intelligent life elsewhere. Thus, I was perplexed that there was no mention of the SETI Institute. (SETI stands for "Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.") The scientists at this institute have been searching for over twenty years. I thought not mentioning some of the work of this institute was a major oversight.

In conclusion, this is a rare book that blends science, society, and the emerging discipline of astrobiology. I leave you with this book's final sentence:

"Understanding the universe and the potential and actual distribution of life within it will illuminate our own existence here on Earth and help us to comprehend our own species, our own society, and our own individual lives."

(first published 2006; preface; introduction; 7 chapters; main narrative 140 pages; references and additional reading; index; about the author)

<<Stephen Pletko or "Uncle Stevie," London, Ontario, Canada>>

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