Encountering Life in the Universe: Ethical Foundations and Social Implications of Astrobiology

11. Astroethics: Engaging Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life-Forms - Ted Peters

200 chapter eleven Astroethics Engaging Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life-Forms Ted Peters Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union How might we frame ethical concerns that are likely to arise when we begin to engage interactively with extraterrestrial intelligence? Based upon terrestrial experience, can we export Earth ethics? To speak to such questions, we must speculate. Ethical deliberation in light of astrobiology will unavoidably extrapolate and imagine scenarios both in continuity and in discontinuity with what we are already familiar. Is it realistic to imagine that life exists elsewhere in our cosmos, either within our Solar System, within the Milky Way, or beyond? “There is growing scientific confidence that the discovery of extraterrestrial life in some form is nearly inevitable,” say Margaret Race and Richard Randolph (Race and Randolph 2002). “Almost beyond doubt, life exists elsewhere,” writes David Darling (2001). Might we at some point in the future find ourselves engaging with extraterrestrial intelligent life (ETIL)? Assuming the answer to be yes, I would like to speculate on appropriate frameworks for pursuing astroethics , what others might refer to as “space ethics” (Arnould 2005). The field of astroethics would encompass our search for extraterrestrial nonintelligent life (ETNL) forms, the terraforming of other habitats within our Solar System, listening for radio signals sent by intelligent civilizations, and imagining an even more speculative scenario in which all living creatures on Earth would find themselves working out a new relationship with an extraterrestrial civilization. It is the final item—engaging ETIL—that I Astroethics · 201 will address in this chapter. In anticipation of contact with ETIL in a form that reasonably resembles Homo sapiens on Earth, perhaps we could consider engagement with three possibilities: extraterrestrial biotic individuals who are inferior to us (less evolved), our peers (equally evolved), and superior to us (more highly evolved). Each of these three categories implies different foundations upon which to construct an appropriate ethical superstructure. The ethical orientation here will derive from a sense of moral responsibility . As suggested by the etymology of the Latin (respondere meaning “to answer”), responsibility ethics answers questions raised by our changing situation (Jonsen 1986). Establishing a new relationship with extraterrestrials would prompt many questions; and an ethic of responsibility would seek to spell out just how it would be best for earthlings to respond. Further , the idea of responsibility includes care, care for both the health and the welfare of planetary life on Earth but also the health and welfare of our new space neighbors. The conditions and imperatives arising from the new situation will suggest forms and frameworks within which to formulate our moral responsibilities. Distinguishing ETNL and ETIL In the event that we find life elsewhere, will we recognize it? Yes. NASA’ s Astrobiology Roadmap of 2003 assumes that life has continuity, even if it has one genesis on Earth and a different genesis elsewhere. This assumption permits research aimed at producing a universal theory of life, one that applies terrestrially and extraterrestrially. “The origin of life on Earth is likely to represent only one pathway among many along which life can emerge. Thus the universal principles must be understood that underlie not only the origins of life on Earth, but also the possible origins of life elsewhere” (NASA 2003). This is the first in a long list of assumptions we make that permits us to launch the astrobiological research agenda. We assume that a universal theory of life is possible, even though we do not have such a theory yet. To date, no one can explain the origin of life on Earth. We can explain the evolution of species once common descent has begun; but the origin of life is not included in the Darwinian or neo-Darwinian model of evolution. Yet we have accustomed ourselves to projecting both a second genesis of life as well as evolutionary development onto worlds elsewhere in space. 202 · Encountering Life in the Universe Now, assuming a continuity of life on Earth and elsewhere, we may draw a line between nonintelligent and intelligent life. More than likely, because of relative proximity, we will find extraterrestrial nonintelligent life (ETNL) forms nearby, within our Solar System. More than likely, if we are to passively receive contact from an extraterrestrial intelligent life (ETIL) form, it will signal us from elsewhere in the Milky Way. This suggests two distinctive domains within which to pursue astroethics. The search for ETNL looks quite different from the...