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The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence Audiobook
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(3.04) - 319 listener ratings
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Fifty years ago, a young astronomer named Frank Drake pointed a radio telescope at nearby stars in the hope of picking up a signal from an alien civilization. Thus began one of the boldest scientific projects in history, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). But after a half century of scanning the skies, astronomers have little to report but an eerie silence—eerie because many scientists are convinced that the universe is teeming with life. The problem, argues leading physicist and astrobiologist Paul Davies, is that we've been looking in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in the wrong way. Davies should know. For more than three decades, he has been closely involved with SETI and now chairs the SETI Post-Detection Taskgroup, charged with deciding what to do if we're confronted with evidence of alien intelligence. In this extraordinary book, he shows how SETI has lost its edge, then offers a new and exciting road map for the future.
Davies believes that our search so far has been overly anthropocentric: we tend to assume an alien species will look, think, and behave like us. He argues that we need to be far more expansive in our efforts, and in this book he completely redefines the search, challenging existing ideas of what form an alien intelligence might take, how it might try to communicate with us, and how we should respond if we ever do make contact. A provocative and mind-expanding journey, The Eerie Silence will thrill fans of science and science fiction alike.
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"Davies knows his shit when it comes to SETI, since he's one of, like, the current head honchos. He puts forth numerous arguments for and against the likelihood of intelligent extraterrestrials. I get the feeling that his heart's saying yes, while his head's saying no. Yes, that is a Christina Aguilera reference. No, I haven't been able to get the chorus of Genie in a Bottle out of my head for ten years. But that's the topic of another essay. So yeah, read this book if you have even a passing interest in the subject of extraterrestrial life."
— Travis (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Paul Davies imagines the unimaginable.... A [must-listen] for anybody fascinated by the most profound of questions: are we alone?
— Stephen Baxter, author of Manifold
The Eerie Silence Listener Reviews
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" A bit dry, but an interesting reassessment of what SETI is and should be. Did I mention it was dry, though? "
— Jason, 2/1/2014 -
" Good overview of the search for other intelligent life in the universe. Good, interesting read. "
— Tom, 1/31/2014 -
" Best overview of the SETI project, mostly critical of it but Davies also provides a long list of unexplored fields of research. Probably the most interesting point he makes is that if we find life abundant in the universe but no advanced civilizations then we are almost certainly doomed. "
— Ryan, 1/3/2014 -
" A nifty deconstruction of SETI with some ideas on how to better do the job. A good read. "
— Michael, 1/2/2014 -
" Filled me with awe and wonder. "
— Chris, 12/22/2013 -
" I enjoyed this one. Davies covered many points of veiw on how likely it is that other life is out there, and what it could be like. Some of it was very speculative and imaginative. "
— Tracy, 12/3/2013 -
" Woo science. Kind of a convoluted path to the main subject matter, but the detour is worth reading. The author packs hundreds of interesting facts and stories into this book. I may be a radio frequency geek, but this was a good book, I think, for everyone. "
— Leah, 10/19/2013 -
" It was pretty good... Davies tends to digress off in multiple directions, but you don't mind when it is good. "
— Servius, 8/7/2013 -
" Brief review to come. A spirited, engaging read, and not just because it talked about the Mekons. "
— Mike, 6/30/2013 -
" A good read for anybody interested in the SETI projects. Davies makes some interesting points as to how our search methods are flawed, and what we can do to improve them. "
— Zack, 3/2/2013 -
" Paul Davies is one of my favorite science authors, and always provides a balanced view on topics that are often contentious. In spite of the theories about Area 51 and the probabilities of life on other worlds, where are they? So many possibilities, explained quite well by Davies. "
— Jimagn, 2/3/2013 -
" Unfortunately I didn't finish this book which doesn't hapen to me very often. Although the author was wicked smart, the massive amounts of info blew my mind. A little too deep for but a very fascinating subject. "
— Alison, 7/27/2012 -
" There's is not so much to say about aliens in scientific terms. Davies presents in this book some interesting speculations based on what science has discovered so far. His conjectures are intriguing and as realistic as possible. Very nice book indeed. "
— Federico, 2/9/2012 -
" A very interesting look at alien life, if it exists and what form it may take. I like this because it realistically looks at how alien life might exist in the universe, and the slim chances that it may be intelligent. Reads easily. "
— Libby, 10/25/2011 -
" A bit dry, but an interesting reassessment of what SETI is and should be. Did I mention it was dry, though? "
— Jason, 5/9/2011 -
" Woo science. Kind of a convoluted path to the main subject matter, but the detour is worth reading. The author packs hundreds of interesting facts and stories into this book. I may be a radio frequency geek, but this was a good book, I think, for everyone. "
— Leah, 2/25/2011 -
" Filled me with awe and wonder. "
— Chris, 8/27/2010 -
" Davies isn't the happy optimist, but his thinking is incredibly forward and objective. He's got great points and will more than likely change the way you think about SETI. If you think about it at all. Which, I'm sure most of you don't. But, I'm a dork, what can I say? "
— Dane, 8/18/2010 -
" I enjoyed this one. Davies covered many points of veiw on how likely it is that other life is out there, and what it could be like. Some of it was very speculative and imaginative. "
— Tracy, 6/25/2010 -
" Good overview of the search for other intelligent life in the universe. Good, interesting read. "
— Tom, 6/19/2010 -
" Both Davies and Shostak agree that anything past us has hit ' post-biological ' a long time ago ( so what we're looking for are machines ) <br/> <br/>He also agrees that sending signals ( METI ) is a very bad idea. ( But you can't stop anyone with the capabiliy to do so from doing it ) "
— Cavolonero, 6/1/2010 -
" Unfortunately I didn't finish this book which doesn't hapen to me very often. Although the author was wicked smart, the massive amounts of info blew my mind. A little too deep for but a very fascinating subject. "
— Alison, 6/1/2010 -
" It was pretty good... Davies tends to digress off in multiple directions, but you don't mind when it is good. "
— Servius, 5/12/2010
About Paul Davies
Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He also chairs the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Post-Detection Taskgroup, so that if SETI succeeds in finding intelligent life, he will be among the first to know. The asteroid 1992OG was officially renamed Pauldavies in his honor. In addition to his many scientific awards, Davies is the recipient of the 1995 Templeton Prize—the world’s largest annual prize—for his work on science and religion. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Mind of God, About Time, How to Build a Time Machine, and The Goldilocks Enigma. He lives in Tempe, Arizona.
About George K. Wilson
George K. Wilson is a working actor in stage, film, television, and commercials with almost one hundred audiobook narrations to his credit. He began in broadcast journalism with American Forces Radio and Television and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He had a lead role in the cult film classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and appeared on television’s One Life to Live, Ryan’s Hope, and The Doctors and has been heard on voice-overs for The Guiding Light and The Cosby Show, as well as many television and radio commercials.