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The astrobiological landscape [electronic resource] : philosophical foundations of the study of cosmic life / Milan M. Ćirković

Author
Ćirković, Milan M.
Published
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, [2012]
Copyright Date
©2012
Physical Description
1 online resource (viii, 266 pages) : illustrations
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Series
Contents
Machine generated contents note: 1.Astrobiology: `The Colour Out of Space?' -- The Canonical Three -- Prides and prejudices -- Copernicanism and the promise of synthesis -- 2.Cosmology, life and duration of the past -- Wallace's valiant attempt -- Six eras and the (New) standard cosmology -- Infinite past(s) and the Davies-Tipler argument -- Time and chance: historical parallel of cosmology and astrobiology -- 3.Cosmology, life and selection effects -- Non-controversial observation selection: extrasolar planets -- Non-controversial observation selection: two examples -- Somewhat controversial observation selection: fine-tuning arguments -- Controversial observation selection: Olum's problem -- The `real thing': the astrobiological landscape -- 4.Cosmology, life and the Archipelago -- Multiverse: a universal solvent -- The Archipelago of Habitability -- A joint venture of fundamental physics and astrobiology -- On two views of anthropic reasoning: a dialogue -- 5.Astrobiology as a natural extension of Darwinism -- Galactic Darwinism? -- Replaying the replay -- Is convergence useful? -- Testing convergence -- A promising partnership -- 6.Rare Earths and the continuity thesis -- Rare Earth - a key piece of the landscape? -- Unphysical ceteris paribus -- Further arguments against REH -- The continuity thesis: `neither chance nor design' -- Haldane's ladder and noogenesis -- 7.SETI and its discontents -- The `Big Three': classic anti-SETI arguments -- The argument from biological contingency -- Carter's argument -- Beyond epistemology: the context of the campaign -- Insufficiency of philosophical criticism -- Towards a coherent philosophy of noogenesis and SETI -- 8.Natural and artificial: the cosmic Domain of Arnheim -- Unconscious intelligence? -- `... It was only by analogy that they called it colour at all' -- The strangeness of astroengineering -- 9.Astrobiology as the neo-Copernican synthesis?.
Summary
Introducing new, multidisciplinary concepts, this book explains how we have reached a critical threshold in the study of astrobiology.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9780511667404 (electronic bk.)
9781139518253 (electronic bk.)
1139518259 (electronic bk.)
Note
AVAILABLE ONLINE TO AUTHORIZED PSU USERS.
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Technical Details
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
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