What caught my eye is the following paragraph:

Perhaps the most exciting development for xenologicians in this century is Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem. In 1931 an American mathematician named Kurt Gödel devised a brilliant proof that any system of logic must necessarily either be internally inconsistent or incomplete. Gödel's proof demonstrated for the first time that there exist statements that are unprovable in any logic system (even the Aristotelian system) and that all arithmetic as we know it is at best incomplete, at worst inconsistent. Further, it is logically impossible to construct a single grand "metalogic" capable of subsuming all other modes of logic while remaining consistent itself. So human mathematics–the language of the physical sciences–is incomplete.


In light of certain posts which are determined to idealize the definitions of reality be they scientific or otherwise, where chauvinistic applications of personal opinions and their expressions are focused on degrading information, their sources and the messengers, I find this statement revealing. Especially in light of the praise given to these 25 year old documents by some of those inclined to boast supreme idealism and pride in association to such a personal domain.

Another interesting tidbit was the reference to growing interest in the Seti project. In 1992, the U.S. government funded an operational SETI program, in the form of the NASA "Microwave Observing Program (MOP)". MOP was planned as a long-term effort, performing a "Targeted Search" of 800 specific nearby stars, along with a general "Sky Survey" to scan the sky. MOP was to be performed by radio dishes associated with the NASA Deep Space Network, as well as a 43-meter dish at Green Bank and the big Arecibo dish. The signals were to be analyzed by spectrum analyzers, each with a capacity of 15 million channels. These spectrum analyzers could be ganged to obtain greater capacity. Those used in the Targeted Search had a bandwidth of 1 hertz per channel, while those used in the Sky Survey had a bandwidth of 30 hertz per channel.

MOP drew the attention of the U.S. Congress, where the program was strongly ridiculed, and was canceled a year after its start.

Evidently Humanity is not ready to agree on any definitions of reality when it comes to extraterrestrial life, and I would surmise that such a state of evolutionary development would have to be preceded by some kind of evidence to the idea that terrestrial life could actually survive its own differences of opinion and the animosity of prejudice and pride contained within those personal opinions.

cool


I was addicted to the Hokey Pokey, but then I turned myself around!!