When and Why Did People Start Believing in Aliens?

Hello again, dear readers… and listeners and watchers too! I’m back with the second installment in the “Hinternet Symposion” podcast series, on a topic I’ve taught and thought a lot about over the years. I hope you’ll find it interesting.

I’m still experimenting with video podcasting possibilities, learning what works and what doesn’t, so as I implored you before, please be patient when you encounter any remaining glitches and hitches.

I’m going to do something I never thought I’d do, and share here, above the fold, Riverside Studio’s AI-generated “show notes”. Do you hate them? They certainly do not sound like they were written by me, do they? And yet, as Leibniz might have said, they do the drudge work, of transmitting the essential idea of what this show is about, so that I can do the enjoyable work of bringing the topic to life.

Below the fold I will include a bibliography for further reading. Please upgrade to a paid subscription to access it, or to access the podcast itself. For now I’m still making podcasts available to all paid subscribers, but once the “Deep Dives” start I will be making all podcast content available only to “Hinternet Symposion” subscribers, so I recommend upgrading as soon as you can.

Thanks for your support, friends.

—JSR

AI-Generated Show Notes

Summary: In this episode, Justin Smith-Ruiu discusses the history and philosophy of astrobiology, focusing on antiquity through the 18th century. He explores the reasons why people started talking about aliens at a certain moment in history and how it is connected to the collapse of the sublunar and superlunar boundary. He also touches on the current state of astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life. The concept of extraterrestrials has evolved over time, from celestial intelligences to more animal-like entities. The representation of aliens as reptilian may be connected to the rise of the theory of evolution.

Keywords: astrobiology, history, philosophy, antiquity, 18th century, aliens, extraterrestrial life, sublunar, superlunar, celestial intelligences, reptilian, evolution

Takeaways:

• The history and philosophy of astrobiology can be traced back to antiquity through the 18th century.

• The concept of extraterrestrial life has evolved over time, from celestial intelligences to more animal-like entities.

• The collapse of the sublunar and superlunar boundary in the 17th century transformed the perception of celestial intelligences.

• The representation of aliens as reptilian may be connected to the rise of the theory of evolution.

• The search for extraterrestrial life is limited by our current understanding and assumptions about life forms.

Sound Bites:

• “Why did people start talking about aliens at a certain moment in history?”

• “The collapse of the sublunar and superlunar boundary transformed the perception of celestial intelligences.”

• “The representation of aliens as reptilian may be connected to the rise of the theory of evolution.”

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:51 The Current State of Astrobiology

07:55 The Collapse of the Sublunar-Superlunar Boundary

14:59 The Biologization of Celestial Intelligences

24:55 Reptilian Aliens and the Theory of Evolution

35:01 The Limitations of Our Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

47:52 Conclusion

Below the fold: Recommendations for further reading, in the form of a syllabus for a 14-week course (or indeed a podcast “deep dive”) that I hope to launch soon.