What is the problem of communication with aliens, according to Peters - Term Paper Example

What Is The Problem of Communicating With Aliens According to Peters? The debate on individual identities and how it is constructed has formed part of philosophical and sociological reasoning for some time now since the belief in self-identity constructs an individual’s self-belonging. Otherness is the condition in which an individual develops the belief of being different or possessing another form as compared to the majority around him/her. The notion of otherness in philosophy has been advanced since the debate on the existence of extraterrestrial beings and other unidentified objects within space. The feeling of otherness exists in a number of situations and depends on an individual state of being, experiences and level of knowledge and exposure (Peters 231). In the development of the otherness feeling, two classification of individuals arises which includes the 'us' versus 'them' feeling, one which is currently dominant in the discourse of aliens and terrestrial life. The out-group, which in this situation happens to be the aliens, is coherent as a group due to the opposition it receives from the in-groups, which are the human beings. One common example of the feeling of otherness arises from the western versus others feeling which is created by the strong belief that the west are more superior to the others. In this ethnic discourse, the feeling of otherness is strengthened by binary logic, which is more attached to the strong principle of self-identity. Within this set of argument, 'us' and 'them' hypothesis and reasoning is created from the grouping that exists in us and the distinctions from their groupings. For example, the division of one group into heterosexuals and homosexuals while the other group forms the male and female dichotomy forms the basis behind the advancement of this notion (Peters 243). The preoccupation with alien invasion and the need to develop communication means with the extraterrestrial beings has led to the establishment of the communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, which seeks to develop communication protocols. Just like the craze for developing human-animal communication processes, alien communication has grown since the 20th century. In case of any alien encounter, attempts to communicate will occur due to human instinct power but communication will not be the end of the problem. Just as human-animal communication has been described as one way communication, human-alien communication can also fall into this category. In an attempt to understand and discern the information from the aliens, human may be subjected to erroneous fabrication and interpretation of the message from the aliens. It is common knowledge that the desire to communicate with extraterrestrial beings is capped with dialectic enlightenment. Human have shown interest in communicating with the aliens and the number of studies that followed the telephone signal that was received from space demonstrates this. According to Peters in his speaking to the space discourse, there is no other kind of communication other than that with the aliens, a statement that he supports in his writing. Whenever we speak, we speak to the air and the aliens are the real occupants of space according to this discourse. The electromagnetic communication that occurs from voice vibration results into the travel of sound into space, which incites the aliens. All communication, whether between ourselves may seem to be internal communication but it is all directed to the others who are not part of the ‘us’ (Peters 235). With communication, misunderstanding occurs from several avenues and this may be possible in instances where there is no otherness. However, miscommunication with aliens does not occur as a result of the semantics as words have the same meaning but from figuring out what is meant by otherness. Through this statement, Peters refers to the fact that without misrepresentation of the words from the aliens, it would be possible to understand each other’s. However, the lack of oneness in us and the view of aliens as otherness make it difficult for us to make communication successful. We are reasoning is thus shrouded with misconceptions about them that affect our ability to understand the communication signals from aliens and the other way round. The essential nature of communication between man and the aliens is affected thus by our inability to come into fellowship with otherness. The intelligence levels of the two forms of life found on earth and other parts of space affects the ability to pass any form of communication and this is one challenge that we may face in case of alien encounter. According to Peters’ solipsism, an individual knowledge is refined to his individual thinking and modification and that such knowledge is confined to the feeling that the self is the only existent thing. This is bordered on self-egocentrism and the belief that an individual’s self is all that matters to him and not the existence of others. The thinking and the happening of the external world is unknown and does not define what exist within our own minds. The argument of whether solipsism is escapable has been discussed in a number of discourses and Peter used this forum to highlight the extent by which an individual can escape this feeling that is capped in egocentrism. Solipsism can be escaped through a clear understanding of the human mind and the operation of the thinking and reasoning. It is common knowledge that the brain has similar functionality across all human beings, with memories as the only distinguishing factor in human brains (Peters 230). Just like computers that are currently used in all spheres of life have similar operations with differences arising from inputs, the human brain is similar and can thus be made to escape from the feeling of solipsism. Overcoming solipsism may not be an easy endeavor as it may require the study of personality and individual thinking but Peters agrees that through practice, it can be possible to escape from egocentric solipsism. The belief that nothing exist except an individual is capped by the belief in an immortal God or something that an individual’s considers is outside the confines of themselves. Under the ideals of solipsism, the feeling of possessing a more powerful and influential mind which is divorced from the mind an individual is using to experience the world is rife. This creates major challenges to those who attempt to eliminate the feeling of solipsism in human thus creating room for more egocentric feelings. Rene Descartes made an argument on whether the last person left alive in the world would be solipsist who would have stronger personal feelings and disregard for the others. In disqualifying this notion, Descartes strengthened the belief of Peters that solipsism can be escaped and that any last person left alive would have a number of confrontations to deal with. Solipsist however believes that in the event of individual survival, his personal consciousness would be the only surviving one (Peters 234). In democracy, the existence of the constitution is appreciated and every action taking by the government plus its agencies appreciates the tenets of democracy. Communication with the aliens and the development of extraterrestrial intelligence must be guided by true democratic ideals of a country. In attempting to understand the communication approaches of the aliens and any unidentified objects within space, we must first appreciate their existence and delineate it from our fears and threats they present to us. Peters believe that true democracy first appreciates the existence of other forms of otherness and respects their own contribution without showing forms of disrespect and regard (Peters 228). Peter argues that true democracy or even full democracy will grow into a transgender, Tran species, Tran’s race, Tran’s region and Tran’s age movement. Any practice that go beyond this practice will thus not be considered as true democracy as the process of appreciating the role played by all races, regions,, genders and species is essential. I fully agree with this notion and its extent of application in establishing communication with the terrestrial creatures. We must appreciate our existence by giving space to others to exist in their own way. Work Cited Peters, John. Machines, animals, and aliens: horizons of incommunicability. Chicago: University of Chicago press, 1999. Print. Read More