TY - BOOK ID - 119319375 TI - Meeting the alien : an introduction to exosociology AU - Anton, Andreas AU - Elliott, John AU - Schetsche, Michael PY - 2023 SN - 3658413174 3658413166 PB - Wiesbaden : Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden : Imprint: Springer VS, DB - UniCat KW - Extraterrestrial beings. KW - Human-alien encounters. KW - Alien encounters with humans KW - Alien-human contacts KW - Alien-human encounters KW - Close encounters of the third kind KW - Contacts of humans with extraterrestrial beings KW - Encounters of humans with extraterrestrial beings KW - Extraterrestrial encounters with humans KW - Extraterrestrial-human encounters KW - Human-alien contacts KW - Human contacts with extraterrestrial beings KW - Human encounters with extraterrestrial beings KW - Unidentified flying objects KW - Extraterrestrial beings KW - Alien beings (Extraterrestrials) KW - Aliens (Extraterrestrial beings) KW - Extraterrestrial intelligence KW - Extraterrestrials KW - Life on other planets KW - Human-alien encounters KW - Sightings and encounters KW - Culture. KW - Sociology. KW - Social sciences KW - Sociology of Culture. KW - Sociological Theory. KW - Social Theory. KW - Philosophy. KW - Social theory KW - Social philosophy KW - Cultural sociology KW - Culture KW - Sociology of culture KW - Civilization KW - Popular culture KW - Social aspects UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:119319375 AB - Is mankind alone in the universe? Will we ever encounter intelligent life beyond Earth? These questions have been asked for centuries. Recent advances in the fields of astrophysics, astronomy and astrobiology make it more likely than ever before, that Earth may not be the only inhabited planet, and that humanity may not the only intelligent species in the universe. What would be the consequences of contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence? This question is at the heart of the emerging discipline of exosociology. According to the authors, first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence poses enormous risks for humanity. These risks come not only from extraterrestrials, but above all from ourselves. We should be prepared. Michael Schetsche and Andreas Anton's comprehensive introduction to exosociology was first published in German in 2019. The book has been widely acclaimed in Germany and internationally. It is now available in English for the first time. The contents - Humanity in the cosmos - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligences - Problems of communication and understanding - Terrestrial consequences of first contact - Proto-sociology of extraterrestrial civilizations - Hot potatoes of scientific alien research The target groups The book addresses everyone who wants to deal scientifically with the position of humans in the cosmos and with the question of the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. ER -