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120 “If we already knew what we were looking for,” said Jill Tarter, “we could plan exactly how you would verify that what you got is what you intended to find. But it will most likely be the case that something tantaliz- ingly new will arise. There will be a lot of unanticipated events.”** Another factor may complicate the search: ambiguity. The scientific history of the Mars rock suggests that, although some observers might interpret a signal or a pattern they find in the heavens as evidence of extra- terrestrial intelligence, others will challenge that conclusion. Astronomer Peter Boyce warned that the elusive signal is likely to be at the very edge of detectability; its very existence may be doubtful. It is ambiguous evidence, psychology professor Albert Harrison observed, that encourages us to rely on our preconceptions and biases.” Asking the question “are we alone in the universe?” is as revolutionary as the removal of the Earth from the center of the solar system, and the removal of the solar system from the center of the Galaxy, declared Otto Struve. This revolution is already under way, although it would be acceler- ated by an actual discovery.*° In one world view, cosmic evolution commonly ends in planets, stars, and galaxies (the physical universe). In the other, it commonly ends in life, mind, and intelligence (the biological universe). Steven Dick thought that the proof of one of the two worldviews will change everything; it already has begun to change everything in anticipation of the outcome.”! The mere fact that belief in the existence of sentient aliens can be scien- tifically justified broadens human horizons to a cosmic perspective. Five SETI scientists put the case in transcendental terms: To be part of this search is to partake of a dream that binds us temporally with our past and future, spatially with the cosmos, and culturally with our destiny.” Canadian scholar Allen Tough saw several positive consequences of searching: enlarging our view of ourselves and enhancing our sense of meaning; feeling a kinship with the civilizations we are trying to detect; thinking about how extraterrestrials might perceive us, giving us a fresh perspective on our society; stimulating thought and discussion about fun- damental questions; serving as a useful educational tool; giving us techni- cal spin-offs; encouraging international scientific cooperation; stimulating us to think about detection scenarios and their consequences."* Antici- pating contact encourages us to consider what is good for our species as a whole, to gain shared perspectives on our future. Even if a long dedicated search fails, we will not have wasted our time. A NASA workshop report foresaw that we will have developed important technology, with applications to many other aspects of our own civilization. We will surely have added greatly to our knowledge of the physical uni- Should We Continue the Search? The Consequences of Searching