Course Details

In a famous exchange during the Manhattan Project in WWII, several eminent scientists were discussing the fact that the universe evidently consists of billions upon billions of stars, with presumably an even greater number of planets, and that these planets have been in existence for over 10 billion years. The apparently obvious conclusion was there must be many millions, if not billions, of instances of life in the universe, with an untold number of these made up of advanced civilizations with beings capable of space travel. Enrico Fermi, a Noble

Laureate in physics, and remembered as the finest scientist of his time, is recorded as saying in response to this assertion: “So, where are they?”

The fact is that then, as now, there is no clear evidence that we have ever been visited by alien beings, and, further, that we have detected no evidence of communication from any advanced civilization, despite concentrated efforts to detect such communications. So here lies “Fermi’s Paradox”: no one disputes the fact that the universe contains billions of planets, with millions having superficial qualities similar to earth, and with most having been in existence longer than earth, yet we have no evidence that any advanced civilization is “out there”. What’s going on? Here we will examine the specific circumstances of our planet earth, and ask the question whether our position in the universe could possibly be unique: is the existence of intelligent life on earth a result of inevitable biology/chemistry that is easily replicated on vast numbers of planets in the universe, or, is the history of the earth a story that has such improbable circumstances that permit life to evolve that it is reasonable that these particular circumstance are indeed “a one off”. The course will follow the book “If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens, Where is everybody? Seventy-Five Solutions to Fermi’s Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life” by Stephen Webb, an eminent astrophysicist in the UK. There will be writing assignments, student presentations, and a term paper.