 |
Membership Services General Info Financial Info Activities Awards Coordinators Director's Info Members' Info Policies Forms Publications Official Publications Director's Publications Ask Dr. SETI ® Fiction Non-Fiction Reviews Reading Lists Technical Support Systems Antennas Amplifiers Receivers Accessories Hardware Software Press Relations Fact Sheets Local Contacts Editorials Press Releases Photo Gallery Newsletters Internet Svcs |
 |
Even if there are highly advanced civilizations out there (and I believe there are), isn`t it unlikely that we will ever find them because of the vastness of our universe? If we as a society ever make contact with an alien civilization, wouldn`t you think that it will most likely be hundreds if not thousands of years from now (and that's if we even still exist as a society then)? John and Sheila, via email
The Doctor Responds: The Search may well take generations, so the sooner we start, the better. SETI is not the kind of enterprise which offers much to he or she who demands instant gratification. As for whether or not we will still exist as a society, I'm a physical scientist, not a sociologist, therefore not qualified to judge. But it seems to me that to abandon the search on such grounds as these would be to express a level of pessimism that I am unwilling to embrace.
|
