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Essays
Explaining Which International Organizations Can Best Contribute to the Success of Economic Sanctions
Smaller international organizations do sanctions better, Bryan Early has found. Indeed, sanctions from the United Nations are commonly useless.
Essays
SETI, METI and the paradox of extraterrestrial life: is there a libertarian perspective?
David Brin criticizes the possibly reckless turn in recent SETI research. He also speculates on what the great silence may say about human societies.
Essays
Should Earth Shut the Hell Up?
Robin Hanson does a cost-benefit analysis on yelling into the cosmos.
Essays
Extraterrestrial Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology explains how we have the societies we do. It will also probably work with extraterrestrials, says Jerome H. Barkow.
Essays
The Importance of Active SETI
Douglas Vakoch argues that sending messages to possible extraterrestrials is a worthwhile endeavor and not to be feared.
Essays
“Trust Me, I Know Exactly What’s Out There!”
David Brin challenges those who think they know what we might find out there in the universe: Our expectations have been dashed before.
Essays
Pascal’s Alien Wager
Robin Hanson uses Pascal's Wager as a tool to think about communicating with extraterrestrials.
Essays
Slow Growth Is Plenty Fast
Robin Hanson argues that slow-growing alien civilizations would still have plenty of time to get to the stars, if nothing interferes.
Essays
Adapted Aliens
Robin Hanson discusses what aliens might be like if they are millions of years removed from their ancestral, evolutionary environment.