From the physical world to the biological universe: Democritus to Lowell -- Plurality of worlds and the decline of anthropocentrism -- Life in the solar system: the limits of observation -- Planetary systems: the limits of theory -- Extraterrestrials in literature and the arts: the role of imagination -- The UFO controversy and the extraterrestrial hypothesis -- The origin and evolution of life in the extraterrestrial context -- SETI: the search for extraterrestrial intelligence -- The convergence of disciplines: birth of a new science -- The meaning of life: implications of extraterrestrial intelligence -- Summary and conclusion: the biological universe and the limits of science
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 555-559) and index
