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Some see the extraterrestrial life controversy—especially the debate about alien intelligence—as the last battle over anthropocentrism. Steven Dick thought that we already have passed through the stages of elaboration, opposition, and exploration of implications. If contact takes place, the intellectual turmoil following the twelfth-century renaissance, and the Copernican and Darwinian worldviews, is sure to be duplicated. Eventually—if the evidence bears scrutiny—there will be final confirma- tion that over the long term will overwhelm the skeptics.' Detecting another technological civilization could dash forever any belief that we are a chosen species, completing the process begun by Copernicus four and half centuries ago. It would tell us that intelligence may be a common product of cosmic evolution. We might see ourselves as just one example of biocosmic processes, one facet of the universe becom- ing aware of itself. In Shapley’s words, this would be the “Fourth Adjust- ment,” after the shifts to the geocentric, heliocentric, and galactocentric worldviews.” Some believe that it would be a long time, perhaps centuries, before this impact would be fully felt. In that sense, Billingham suggested, contact would be similar to the Copernican revolution, which did not affect the lives of ordinary people very much until many decades, or even centuries, had gone by.* This assumes the remote contact scenario; direct contact could drastically shorten our adjustment time. Scientists and philosophers may find the death of anthropocentrism not only logical but also desirable. For average citizens, it may be unsettling. Edward Harrison, writing about world pictures unhinged by a transforma- tion of our conceptions of the universe, described a transitional period in which the most disturbed people revert to antiquarian religions, flock to political creeds that purport to give cosmic significance to life, rally to extremist groups, form iconoclastic movements against this and down- with-that, grieve in counterculture communities, or retreat into autistic worlds of secret knowledge.* 248 Mixed Emotions Anthropocentrism Good-bye