Debate 3. May 5 (Th) last chance to serve on panel!!

Panel members:

Kevin Hengst

Landon Graham

Justin Ratliff

Austin McCallon

Olivia Lemmons

CONTACT!
Search and implications for detections of alien civilization(s)

Audience: come prepared with questions.

Suggested Topics: 

1. Contact: what are implications if we somehow establish "contact" with alien civilizations, in the form of receiving non-natural radio messages or other irrefutable evidence of alien presence. What do you think would be the implications for our society? Mass panic? World peace? What would be the consequences for religion, society in general, war and peace, unification of nations?

2. Where are they and should we be searching for them? The Fermi paradox: if the Universe is teeming with life, as some would have it, Enrico Fermi asked in the 50s, then where is everyone? Surely, some civilizations would have advanced far more than we have by now so why are they not here?

What do you think? Can you make a case for why they would not be here? Is interstellar travel simply too difficult? Are they not interested? Or are they here and we don't know it? Make your case. Or do they not exist at all?

3. Never: Is the chance we will ever establish contact negligible? Based on what we have learned in this course or what you may have learned elsewhere, you may argue that the chances of ever establishing "Contact" are essentially negligible. If so, argue about the implications for us: e.g. will we then do be forever bound to this Earth, or should we assume that we can and should colonize space and find ways to get to planets around other stars? What would it imply for our long-term future if we never were to establish contact?

Panel members will prepare a half-to-one page statement on one or two of these issues that they will read to the audience to stimulate discussion of these topics. Audience members will take part in the discussion by asking questions and advocating their views.

Instructor will moderate discussion and try to prevent the aliens from Proxima Centauri dominating the debate.