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The Role of the Social Sciences in SETI

Since its inception, the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has been recognized as an interdisciplinary effort. It has attracted people not only from the physical and biological sciences, but also from the behavioral and social sciences. There are many areas where anthropologists, economists, futurists, historians, philosophers, psychologists, political scientists, and sociologists can assist with SETI. Salient interdisciplinary topics include public beliefs in extraterrestrial intelligence and support for SETI; the conduct of the search; signal detection, decryption, and interpretation; news dissemination and rumor control; and both shortand long-term impact of detection on societies, institutions, and individuals. Factors that militate against greater participation of social scientists include unfamiliarity with SETI, disciplinary biases that tend to focus research on a limited range of research topics, and the lack of a suitable infrastructure such as an extensive literature base, dedicated conferences and journals, and adequate funding. This essay suggests various ways to publicize SETI and various techniques for strengthening the infrastructure, such as increasing funding, sponsoring conferences, publishing in disciplinarybased refereed journals, developing new publication outlets, and building a high-profile peer group. Furthermore, we can involve social scientists as consultants, train graduate students whose interests encompass SETI, encourage piggyback projects that serve both mainstream disciplinary and SETI interests, and provide both role models and social support for newcomers.