Category Archives: SETI, Aliens & Space

Things out of this world!

Why I believe we ought to build a spacefaring civilisation

Posted on February 8, 2018 by

The successful launch of the Falcon Heavy is a milestone, and it has raised again the important question: should we humans try to create a spacefaring civilisation, even if we could?   This is a philosophical question, and answers to … Continue reading →

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A “strong” AI might be impossible – otherwise we’d seen one by now

Posted on May 5, 2017 by

A recent critical essay by Kevin Kelly on the prospects of “strong” artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked some debate between those who believe that the emergence of a superhuman artificial intelligence is only a matter of time, and between those … Continue reading →

Posted in SETI, Aliens & Space | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Space system “Shuttle,” part of USA’s nuclear attack arsenal?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by

  The story of a white elephant colloquially known as the Space Shuttle is familiar to most students of the history of technology. The shuttle was originally touted as a cheap way to access space: being mostly reusable, it would … Continue reading →

Posted in History of technology, Nuclear energy & weapons, SETI, Aliens & Space | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

MAD with Aliens? Interstellar deterrence and its implications

Posted on February 5, 2013 by

Previously, I made the case why space aliens, or ETIs (short for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligences) would probably not exterminate humanity out of fear of future competition from us, because a) interstellar warfare either is an uncertain business at best, or, b) … Continue reading →

Posted in My publications, SETI, Aliens & Space | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Would E.Ts try to kill us off? (Nope. They’d be deterred.)

Posted on August 9, 2012 by

There has been some debate in the sciencey & science fictionish circles about whether searching for and contacting extra-terrestrial aliens is really such a great idea. No less a luminary than Stephen Hawking recently warned the humanity about the possible dangers … Continue reading →

Posted in Notes in process, SETI, Aliens & Space | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments