Kelly C. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- June 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190915650
- eISBN:
- 9780197506066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190915650.003.0013
- Subject:
- Biology, Bioethics
This chapter assesses the ethical justification for attempting to message extraterrestrial intelligence (METI). Most of the discussion within the space community concerning METI has been about the ...
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This chapter assesses the ethical justification for attempting to message extraterrestrial intelligence (METI). Most of the discussion within the space community concerning METI has been about the level of risk it poses. Addressing the empirical dimensions of METI risk is a useful exercise, to be sure, but it is often unappreciated that these details just do not resolve key questions. In particular, if one looks at METI through an ethical lens, the central question is not what the level of risk is but whether those who are exposed to that risk agree to it. Rather than simply allowing anyone with access to the necessary resources do whatever they wish, people need to involve public policy, social science, humanities, and other fields of expertise to develop explicit best practices and then work to enshrine these in soft law.Less
This chapter assesses the ethical justification for attempting to message extraterrestrial intelligence (METI). Most of the discussion within the space community concerning METI has been about the level of risk it poses. Addressing the empirical dimensions of METI risk is a useful exercise, to be sure, but it is often unappreciated that these details just do not resolve key questions. In particular, if one looks at METI through an ethical lens, the central question is not what the level of risk is but whether those who are exposed to that risk agree to it. Rather than simply allowing anyone with access to the necessary resources do whatever they wish, people need to involve public policy, social science, humanities, and other fields of expertise to develop explicit best practices and then work to enshrine these in soft law.
