Cargo Cults and the Ethics of Active SETI
Abstract
The story of the cargo cult is one of contact between different groups of people with different types of technologies who interpret and construct a framework of interaction and communication that involves colonial officials, indigenous people, anthropologists, and military personnel. In this article, I use the idea of the cargo cult as a way of thinking about contact with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. The cargo cult idea represents a useful tool in thinking about how contact with a civilization from another planet might unfold, particularly if we assume that there is some level of commonality in the epistemological frameworks guiding thoughts and behaviors on both sides. I conclude that careful consideration of the cargo cult phenomenon suggests that from a policy perspective groups interested in active SETI should be cautious about both the construction and sending of interstellar messages and that from a moral perspective it may be prudent to refrain from active SETI for the time being. Given the fact that a variety of groups and individuals are undertaking active SETI projects, this is a topic that needs to enter the radar of government organizations.
- Publication:
-
Space Policy
- Pub Date:
- November 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.spacepol.2018.04.001
- Bibcode:
- 2018SpPol..46...18T
- Keywords:
-
- Active SETI;
- Cargo cults;
- Ethics;
- Anthropology;
- Astrobiology