Exophilosophy

This volume addresses philosophical questions raised by the possibility of alien life and extraterrestrial intelligence. The different philosophical perspectives and approaches presented across the chapters will provide a foundation for future work on exophilosophy.

Richard Playford is currently Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Ethics, and Religion at Leeds Trinity University. He holds a PhD from the University of Reading. His most recent publication, prior to this, co-authored with Stephen Bullivant and Janet Siefert, is God and Astrobiology (2024).

Introduction Richard Playford Part 1: Identity and Identification 1. Is Life Observable? Thomas Metcalf and Chelsea Haramia 2. How to Think About UFOs Robert CB Miller Part 2: Ethics and Values 3. We Come in Peace: Our Metaphysical Obligations to Aliens Richard Playford 4. Hegelian Aliens: A Call for Cosmic Completion Lewis Howeth 5. Music of the Spheres: Could Aliens Understand Music? Gregory Stacey Part 3: Communication 6. Alien Words: Some Difficulties with Pre-Dysonian SETI Robert CB Miller 7. If An Alien Could Talk, Could We Understand It? David Ellis Part 4: Religion 8. Dharmic Perspectives on Exophilosophy: The Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Traditions on the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life Jeffery D. Long 9. Abrahamic Perspectives on Exophilosophy: The Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Traditions on the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life Richard Playford 10. If Not God, then...Aliens? The Ancient Astronaut Hypothesis and Popular Atheism Stephen Bullivant