Why science?
Science is our most reliable objective tool for understanding reality. In epistemology, a classical distinction exists between the two primary sources of knowledge: rationalism and empiricism.
Rationalism holds that reason is the primary source of knowledge. According to rationalists, certain truths can be known a priori — that is, independently of sensory experience. Such truths often arise from logic and mathematics, which are regarded as self-evident through reason alone. Notable proponents of rationalism include René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
In contrast, empiricism maintains that all knowledge originates in sensory experience. Empiricists argue that the human mind begins as a blank slate (tabula rasa), forming concepts and beliefs through observation and experience. Key figures in this tradition, especially in early modern British philosophy, include John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume.
Science can be viewed as a synthesis of these two schools. It is empirical in that it relies on observation and experimentation, and rational in that it employs logic and mathematics to construct and test theories.
Thus, science provides a solid foundation on which we can build our understanding of the world. It helps correct for our cognitive limitations and biases, offering a method to overcome subjectivity and error. One of science’s most significant achievements has been its capacity to dispel false beliefs and superstitions, especially in areas where imagination and wishful thinking can easily mislead us. The search for life beyond Earth is one of those subjects where our minds are free to imagine the most incredible scenarios.
Why this book?
This book emerges from a deep curiosity about life’s greatest mysteries. As I grow older—and ever more aware of my own mortality—I find myself compelled to seek answers to the questions humanity has pondered since its dawn. While the existence of God or the fate that awaits us beyond death lie beyond scientific proof, one question is firmly within our grasp: are we alone in the universe?
Its answer holds the power to illuminate those deeper mysteries. If, after decades of searching, we truly find ourselves alone, then we occupy a universe more astonishing—and stranger—than we can imagine. We would be the improbable winners of a cosmic lottery with staggering odds. In exploring every possible avenue, we stand to learn not only about distant worlds but about our own place in the grand tapestry of existence.
Are we the product of blind chance, or is there a deeper purpose guiding our existence? One possibility is a theistic interpretation of our origins; another is the provocative suggestion—advanced by some thinkers—that we inhabit a computer simulation.
Alternatively, if other intelligent civilizations exist—perhaps far more advanced than our own—then our cosmic significance diminishes. Such a discovery would extend the Copernican revolution: just as Copernicus displaced Earth from the center of the cosmos, finding extraterrestrial minds would displace humanity from the center of existence.
Regardless of which path the evidence leads us down, the search for life beyond Earth opens a vast and fertile field of scientific inquiry and philosophical reflection. Each new insight has the potential to redefine our understanding of reality—and ourselves.
You have presented various reasons why we haven’t detected intelligent life on other planets. Do you think we ever will?
I believe we are not alone. As Carl Sagan famously observed, 'It would be an enormous waste of real estate if we were alone.' Although the search for extraterrestrial life remains in its infancy, future technological advances—particularly in AI—will dramatically expand our capabilities.
A single confirmed detection would settle the question: we would know that at least some forms of life exist beyond Earth. Given the vast number of planets, it seems almost inevitable that simple organisms have arisen elsewhere. And by extension, a small fraction of those life-bearing worlds could have given rise to intelligent, technologically advanced species.
I expect that such civilizations would dispatch probes—or even autonomous AI explorers—into interstellar space, just as we envision sending our own. These probes need not result in face-to-face contact; an encounter with alien technology alone could spark profound cultural and scientific exchange.
By analogy, our own ancestors wandered in search of new resources and climates. Along the way, they met diverse peoples—sometimes to the detriment of one group, sometimes to the mutual benefit of both through trade, ideas, and technology. Similarly, any contact with extraterrestrial intelligence—whether direct or mediated by machines—could transform our civilization in unforeseeable ways.
What’s next?
I am interested in writing a book that expands on some of the arguments I touched upon in the previous book. This depends on a variety of factors, including my energy level, my job, and other projects I am working on, as well as the public's interest in the book. The book is a compilation of topics that are directly or indirectly related to the existence of intelligent life in the universe. A single topic could easily fill many books. The book took two full years and required hundreds of readings.
What’s exciting you at the moment?
A series of recent observations by the James Webb Space Telescope is challenging our current understanding of cosmic history. The standard Big Bang theory estimates the universe's age to be approximately 13.8 billion years, based on the cosmic microwave background radiation and the observed expansion rate of space. However, JWST has detected what appear to be surprisingly mature galaxies at very high redshifts — meaning they existed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, yet show signs of being far more evolved than expected. The formation of such galaxies should take much longer in light of our understanding of nature’s physical laws.
These early galaxies exhibit characteristics such as high stellar mass, well-formed structures, and chemical complexity that are not expected to be present so soon after the universe’s origin, according to current models. This discrepancy has led some scientists to question whether the Big Bang timeline needs revision or whether our models of galaxy formation are incomplete.
In response to these puzzling findings, some researchers have begun to explore alternative cosmological theories. One such idea is that the universe may be older than previously thought, or that its early expansion was faster or more complex than current inflationary models suggest. Others propose more radical alternatives, such as modifications to the theory of gravity or entirely new frameworks for cosmic evolution. A recent theory suggests that our universe may be contained within a black hole. In any case, we live in exciting times where our view of the world is rapidly changing.
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