Research repertoires and boundary work in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The idea of scouting the sky in search of extra-terrestrial signals (SETI) was first proposed in the late 1950s; soon afterwards, its scope was formalised in the so-called Drake Equation, a probabilistic argument to gauge the number of ‘civilisations’ capable of radio communication on the basis of astronomical, biological and cultural factors. Since then, radio telescopes around the world have been searching for an artificial signal from elsewhere in the universe, a sign of extraterrestrial communication. How have SETI practitioners claimed scientific legitimacy and epistemic authority over the search for extra-terrestrial life, a matter often regarded to be at the very periphery of science? And how have they succeeded (or failed) in maintaining them over time? The historical trajectory of SETI offers the opportunity to investigate how, over time, an interdisciplinary community coalesced around a research repertoire and navigated ebbs and flows of interest by rearticulating the methods and scope of their research. The ‘probability repertoire’ around which the SETI community coalesced is an evolving entity, entailing significant boundary work. As with every successful repertoire, it is a flexible but always entailing a recognisable alignment of material, social and epistemic components instrumental for a research community in gaining recognition and negotiating its epistemic positioning within the always shifting boundaries of science.