NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Astrosociobiology

Astrosociobiology (also referred to as exosociobiology and xenosociology) is the speculative scientific study of extraterrestrial civilizations and their possible social characteristics and developmental tendencies. The field involves the convergence of astrobiology, sociobiology and evolutionary biology. Hypothesized comparisons between human civilizations and those of extraterrestrials are frequently posited, placing the human situation in the same context as other extraterrestrial intelligences. Whenever possible, astrosociobiologists describe only those social characteristics that are thought to be common (or highly probable) to all civilizations. Thus far, it is entirely theoretical. The existence of extraterrestrial life remains hypothetical though human beings continue to search Extraterrestrial life is life that may exist and originate outside our planet Earth. ... Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field, combining aspects of astronomy, biology and geology, which considers the question of whether extraterrestrial life exists and if so, then what are its origin, distribution, and evolution. ... Sociobiology is a synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain behaviour in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages of social behaviours. ... Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change over time, i. ...

Methodologies

Evolutionary Psychology (AKA Sociobiology) attempts to explain animal behavior, group behavior and social structure in terms of evolutionary advantage or strategy and using techniques from ethology, evolution and population genetics. Sociobiologists are especially interested in comparative analyses, especially in studying human social institutions and culture. Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour considered as a branch of zoology. ... Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. ... Population genetics is the study of the distribution of and change in allele frequencies under the influence of the five evolutionary forces: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, migration and nonrandom mating. ...

Astrobiology is the speculative field within biology that considers the possible varieties and characteristics of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiologists speculate about the possible ways that organic life could come into being in the universe and the potential for artificial and postbiological life. Artificial life, also known as alife or a-life, is the study of life through the use of human-made analogs of living systems. ... Transhumanism is an emergent philosophy analysing or favouring the use of science and technology, especially neurotechnology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition. ...

Astrosociobiologists, like evolutionary biologists and sociobiologists, are concerned with the phenomenon of convergent evolution--the evolutionary process in which organisms not closely related independently acquire some characteristic or characteristics in common, usually (but not necessarily) a reflection of similar responses to similar environmental conditions. Examples include physical traits that have evolved independently (e.g. the eye), ecological niches (e.g. pack predators), and even technological innovations (e.g. language, writing, the domestication of plants and animals, and basic tools and weapons). Astrosociobiologists take the potential for convergent evolution off-planet and speculate that certain ecological and sociological niches may not be Earth-specific or human-specific and are archetypal throughout the universe. In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution describes the process whereby organisms not closely related independently acquire similar characteristics while evolving in separate and sometimes varying ecosystems. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ...

However, there may be limits to this kind of speculation--particularly if there is a dearth of comparable habitats to our own across the galaxy. Some thinkers, while acknowledging that biological and social evolution may follow similar patterns across the universe, also note the problem of evidence and the absence of extraterrestrial contact. Simon C. Morris, in his book, Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe, notes life's "eerie" ability to repeatedly navigate to a single solution. "Eyes, brains, tools, even culture: all are very much on the cards," he writes. "So if these are all evolutionary inevitabilities, where are our counterparts across the galaxy? The tape of life can only run on a suitable planet, and it seems that such Earth-like planets may be much rarer than hoped. Inevitable humans, yes, but in a lonely Universe." The rare Earth hypothesis is a response to the Fermi paradox which explains why we might expect a planet such as Earth to be very rare. ...

Assumptions

In order for astrosociobiologists to embark on speculations about the condition and characteristics of extraterrestrial civilizations, a number of assumptions are necessarily invoked:

In other words, astrosociobiologists assume that intelligent life arises from similar environmental conditions and similar evolutionary processes as humanity. Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. ...

It is currently difficult to tell if these are valid assumptions. For example, the Rare Earth hypothesis and the Fermi Paradox suggests that we might be alone in the galaxy. It's also conceivable that aliens and their civilizations may scarcely resemble our own. Astrosociobiology also involves a fair degree of environmental determinism. Astrosociobiologists counterargue that all of these points can be countered by the Copernican principle and the self-sampling assumption (a variant of the anthropic principle). We shouldn't assume, they argue, that we're unique and we should start from the premise that we are very typical. The rare Earth hypothesis is a response to the Fermi paradox which explains why we might expect a planet such as Earth to be very rare. ... Radio telescope observations play a role in researching the Fermi paradox The Fermi paradox is a paradox proposed by physicist Enrico Fermi that questions the probability of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life. ... Environmental determinism is the view that the physical environment, rather than social conditions, determines culture. ... The Copernican Principle is the philosophical statement that no special observers should be proposed. ... In philosophy, the anthropic principle in its most basic form states that any valid theory of the universe must be consistent with our existence as carbon-based human beings at this particular time and place in the universe. ...

Possible extraterrestrial characteristics

Given these assumptions, astrosociobiologists attempt to make predictions about those characteristics that may be common to all extraterrestrial societies. For example, based on human experience, astrosociobiologists conclude very broadly that all civilizations go through similar developmental stages, including agrarian culture, industrialization, democratization, globalization, and an information age (this being said, it's still not an absolute certainty that democracy is here to stay, nor that ETIs are able to maintain it either; totalitarian and quasi-authoritarian tendencies may in fact be the norm). Similar assumptions are made about the development of technological innovations (universal technological archetypes) and scientific breakthroughs (including the rough chronological order in which these advancements are developed). The possibility also exists for the existence of common cultural and meta-ethical characteristics of advanced societies (i.e. the notion that advanced societies will independently reach the same conclusions about ethics, morality and social imperatives). Agrarian has two meanings: It can mean pertaining to Agriculture It can also refer to the ideology of Agrarianism and Agrarian parties. ... Democratization is the transition from authoritarian or semi-authoritarian systems to democratic political systems, where democratic systems are taken to be those approximating to universal suffrage, regular elections, a civil society, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary. ... Globalization (or globalisation) is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that result from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange. ... Information Age is a term applied to the period where movement of information became faster than physical movement, more narrowly applied to the late 20th century (post 1970) and early 21st century. ... Cultural studies developed in the late 20th century, in part through the re-introduction of Marxist thought into sociology, and in part through the articulation of sociology and other academic disciplines such as literary criticism. ... Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. ...

Astrosociobiologists also theorize about the existence of developmental mechanisms that constrain and give directionality to the evolution of organisms and society itself. One such guiding evolutionary force is the notion of the megatrajectory. Posited by A. H. Knoll and R. K. Bambach in their 2000 collaboration, "Directionality in the History of Life," Knoll and Bamback argue that, in consideration of the problem of progress in evolutionary history, a middle road that encompasses both contingent and convergent features of biological evolution may be attainable through the idea of the megatrajectory: This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. ...

According to Knoll and Bambach, the six megatrajectories outlined by biological evolution thus far are:

Some astrosociobiologists, such as Milan Ćirković and Robert J. Bradbury, have taken the megatrajectory concept one step further by theorizing that a seventh megatrajectory exists: postbiological evolution triggered by the emergence of artificial intelligence at least equivalent to the biologically-evolved one, as well as the invention of several key technologies of the similar level of complexity and environmental impact, such as molecular nanoassembling or stellar uplifting. Transhumanism is an emergent philosophy analysing or favouring the use of science and technology, especially neurotechnology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition. ... Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. ... Artificial intelligence (also known as machine intelligence and often abbreviated as AI) is intelligence exhibited by any manufactured (i. ... Molecular Nanotechnology (MNT) is a hypothetical (that is, not yet existent) field in which nanotechnology would be used for molecular manufacturing, an anticipated technology based on positionally-controlled mechanosynthesis guided by molecular machine systems. ... ). Stellar uplifting refers to the theoretic prospect of converting lifeless stellar matter into intelligent and sentient substrate. ...

Along similar lines, historian of science Steven J. Dick, in his 2003 paper "Cultural Evolution, the Postbiological Universe and SETI," posited a central concept of cultural evolution he called the Intelligence Principle: 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Intelligence Principle is a hypothetical central concept of cultural evolution. ...

It is through the application of this principle, argues Dick, that speculations about the developmental tendencies of advanced civilizations can be made.

The difficultly of engaging in such speculation, however, is that it is highly theoretical; there is very little empirical evidence. Moreover, humanity hasn't progressed through these later developmental stages. Astrosociobiologists currently have no data to support the idea that human civilization will continue on into the foreseeable future. Indeed, in considering the Fermi Paradox, scientists may actually have a data point suggesting a limitation to how far advanced civilizations can develop. Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... A datum is a statement accepted at face value (a given). Data is the plural of datum. ...

However, with each advancing step that the human species takes, astrosociobiologists will assume that extraterrestrials--both past and present –will have gone through similar stages.

Civilization types

A method for classifying civilization types was introduced by Russian astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964. Known as the Kardashev scale, classifications are assigned based on the amount of usable energy a civilization has at its disposal and increasing logarithmically: An astronomer or spmething i cant inderstand is a scientist whose area of research is astronomy or astrophysics. ... Nikolai Kardashev Nikolai Semenovich Kardashev (ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð°ÌÐ¹ Ð¡ÐµÐ¼Ñ‘Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ ÐšÐ°Ñ€Ð´Ð°ÑˆÑ‘Ð²) (born April 25, 1932) is a Russian astrophysicist, and is the deputy director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kardashev scale projections ranging from 1900 to 2100. ... A civilization or civilisation has a variety of meanings related to human society. ... Value A logarithmic scale is a scale of measurement that gives the logarithm of a physical quantity instead of the quantity itself. ...

Human civilization has yet to achieve full Type I status, as it is able to harness only a portion of the energy that is available on Earth. Carl Sagan speculated that humanity's current civilization type is around 0.7. A planet in common parlance is a large object in orbit around a star that is not a star itself. ... The Pleiades star cluster A star is any massive gaseous body in outer space. ... NGC 4414, a typical spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is about 56,000 light years in diameter and approximately 60 million light years distant. ... A respected astronomer and dogged critic of pseudoscience, Carl Sagan is best known for his enthusiastic efforts at popularizing science. ...

A major criticism directed at the Kardashev scale is that the difference between a Type II and Type III civilization is ten orders of magnitude and that significant civilization types likely reside within that range. Moreover, given the seemingly extreme energy sources available to Type II and III civilizations, the question as to why we haven't seen evidence of these advanced societies remains unanswered, a possible indication that no such civilizations exist.

The Drake equation (also known as the Green Bank equation or the Sagan equation) is a famous result in the speculative fields of xenobiology, astrosociobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. ... Astrobiology (in Greek astron = star, bios = life and logos = word/science), also known as exobiology (Greek: exo = out) or xenobiology (Greek: xenos = foreign) is the term for a speculative field within biology which considers the possible variety of extraterrestrial life. ... Radio telescope observations play a role in researching the Fermi paradox The Fermi paradox is a paradox proposed by physicist Enrico Fermi that questions the probability of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life. ... The SETI Institute has received limited telescope time at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. ... Sociobiology is a synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain behaviour in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages of social behaviours. ... Posthumanism is an emergent philosophy. ... Transhumanism is an emergent philosophy analysing or favouring the use of science and technology, especially neurotechnology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition. ...

External links

Related sites

Astrosociobiologists

Categories: Astrophilosophy | Extraterrestrials | Protoscience | SETI | Sociology Professor Frank Drake Frank Drake (born May 28, 1930, Chicago, Illinois) is an American astronomer and astrophysicist. ... Freeman Dyson at Harvard University in 2004 Freeman John Dyson (born December 15, 1923) is an English-born American physicist and mathematician, famous for his work on nuclear weapons design and policy, and for his futurism viewpoints and science fiction concepts. ... Nikolai Kardashev Nikolai Semenovich Kardashev (ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð°ÌÐ¹ Ð¡ÐµÐ¼Ñ‘Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ ÐšÐ°Ñ€Ð´Ð°ÑˆÑ‘Ð²) (born April 25, 1932) is a Russian astrophysicist, and is the deputy director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. ... A respected astronomer and dogged critic of pseudoscience, Carl Sagan is best known for his enthusiastic efforts at popularizing science. ... Frank J. Tipler is a professor of mathematical physics at Tulane University, New Orleans, physicist, theologian and cornucopian philosopher. ...

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