Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life

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Searching for Alien Life in Space Engine

About Product Details Praise It's been nearly four decades since Carl Sagan first addressed the general public from a scientist's perspective, confronting the possibility of extraterrestrial life. HarperCollins e-books On Sale: Grinspoon has succeeded marvelously at producing a comprehensive, enjoyable overview of astrobiology. A masterful synthesis of the history, science, philosophy, and even theological implications of extraterrestrial life.

Brief Candle in the Dark by Richard Dawkins. Lonely Planets by David Grinspoon.

. . : : Lonely Planets : David Grinspoon : : . .

The Evolution of Everything by Matt Ridley. To Explain the World by Steven Weinberg. Pieces of Light by Charles Fernyhough. Maralinga by Alan Parkinson. Year Year Lonely Planets begins with a lightweight history of thinking about the universe and the possibility that life may be scattered through it.

Grinspoon's quick reviews of planetary exploration, comparative planetology, and panspermia will be useful to those who have not studied those subjects. He devotes a large section of the book to a discussion of what life is and how it might exist in other environments. His slant on these issues is more original than most.

Grinspoon briefly describes SETI and the paradox associated with Fermi he was not the first to think of it , concluding that it is premature to rule out any present or past alien presence in our solar system.


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Grinspoon give us a humorous treatment of ufology, and a somewhat less whimsical approach to astrotheology. His recognition of Russian cosmism is welcome, but his attempt to outline his own version of natural philosophy will leave most readers confused. The author intrudes too much into his subject matter through his frequent self-references.


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Too often, he sounds like an insider whose personal connections are as important as his ideas. His assumption that all of his readers share the musical tastes of Baby Boomers ignores the other seventy-one per cent of the population. This is a fabulous book. It is geared towards readers with an interest in life beyond earth, but not necessarily a graduate education in the physical sciences. It is very readable to a layman. The author does a wonderful job of explaining complex topics without oversimplifying them.

It is extremely engaging, and sprinkled with humor. I have read numerous books on this topic, several of which Dr. Grinspoon references, but there were still several "ah-hahs" for me, such as: This book presents a different view than that of "Rare Earth" another excellent book. I enjoyed this book immensely! Just the right mix of science, humor, and spirituality! One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. Great read , dated , as astro-science tends to get Outstanding service, great product!! Grinspoon is a terrific tour guide to the universe -- he's part Everyman and part Einstein.

You'll remember details from this book months and years later just because of the vivid manner in which he presents information.

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A must read for anyone who enjoys thinking about space, the universe and "what's out there" -- or not. This review is only for tell that Kindle edition does not have all the images, and some of them are necessary for the text understanding. Other way, the book is excelent. See all 27 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. Published 8 months ago. Published on May 20, Published on October 2, Published on August 4, Published on July 29, Published on January 17, Published on November 3, What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

There's a problem loading this menu right now. Get fast, free shipping with Amazon Prime. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Apr 09, Sarah rated it really liked it. Imagine one hundred thousand worlds, all with some form of 'intelligent life' at roughly our current level. Certain qualities will aid survival, and these will be selected for.

Eventually some worlds will live to reproductive age and spread life to other worlds, as Gaia may soon start to do. Technical advancement without spiritual progress creates a dangerous and unstable condition that will be selected against. Natural selection on a galactic level will favour those living worlds where technical and spiritual advancement proceed together.

Cosmic spiritual advancement by Darwinian natural selection! Grinspoon demonstrated none of the arrogance or dismissiveness common amongst scientists when discussing views which are typically irritating to the field creationism, various new age philosophies, etc but instead lays out his arguments with humble rationality and an impressively open mind.

This book was well-written, even inspiring, and contains a hopeful message for humanity, along with a great deal of interesting and educational from a layperson's perspective information about cosmic evolution. I recommend it to anyone curious about humanity's place in the cosmos. Jun 17, Steven Williams rated it really liked it.

LONELY PLANETS: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life

Overall, I really liked it. The history and science sections seemed very good. However when it came to his philosophy I was not fully convinced of his point of view. I don't follow with Gaia or Noospheres and such. His idea of spirituality does resonate with mine in that he sees it in the connections we have with others and god is not neeeded for this. I would add that it involves are connections to the world as well. My personal idea is that spirituality is the search for order and has nothing Overall, I really liked it. My personal idea is that spirituality is the search for order and has nothing to do with god who I believe does not even exist.

This is a very readable blend of science, history, and sociology focused on the study of life in the universe. Specifically, of life on earth and the possibility of life beyond our planet. Since this was published in , some of the information is outdated, such as Pluto still being classified as a planet, but that doesn't change the big question - is there life out there and how can we detect it if there is?

My one complaint is that the images weren't formatted properly in the kindle version. Mar 04, H. Contino rated it it was amazing. This book was obviously thoroughly researched. The author provided lots of insights into the theories involving how life got started on Earth, how it evolved, and the ways it may have evolved on other planets or moons.

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He also discussed the possible reasons why we have yet to discover definitive proof of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. There's even a fun chapter on UFO theories, crop circles, and government conspiracies. The book was a great read. I'd definitely recomme Fascinating!

I'd definitely recommend it to others! Sep 08, Chris Forbes rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Grinspoon is a comparative planetologist and uses a variety of scientific disciplines to speculate about how life on other planets may have developed. After a fairly intensive exploration of the ways in which life might have developed on the earth, and a comparison between the earth and other planets in out solar system he is able to make some fascinating conjectures about the possibilities for life elsewhere in our universe.

The book is enjoyable, but marred by a too smarmy and self-referential Grinspoon is a comparative planetologist and uses a variety of scientific disciplines to speculate about how life on other planets may have developed. The book is enjoyable, but marred by a too smarmy and self-referential tone in places.

Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life

Sep 14, Greg Schumaker rated it it was amazing. Prepare for the occasional existential breakdown.


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    4. Mar 30, Gabriel rated it liked it Shelves: I love the premise of this book and was inspired by its logic and reasoning. However, it flags in intensity and tended towards repetition as it progresses so I found it overlong for its scope and sometimes light on the hard science necessary to support its conclusions. Worth the read but not best in class. Jan 01, Regina rated it really liked it. I think it is pretty good, mostly philosophy in the forst chapter. I liked cartoony charts and some basic explanations. Nov 13, Anne rated it it was amazing Shelves: I loved how Grinspoon has his feet and head in both the scientific and philosophical worlds Jul 18, Sarah Williams is currently reading it Recommends it for: Still getting to the extraterrestrial part Sep 03, Kevin added it Shelves: Interesting, sometimes amusing presentation on the Where, When, Why and How of the probabilities and possibilities of alien life in the universe.

    Chad rated it really liked it Jan 07, Ergo rated it really liked it Nov 17, Vasilis Dalianis rated it it was amazing Jun 12,