Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Does Intelligent Alien Life Exist?

By: Robert Lawrence Kuhn

Narrated by: Robert Lawrence Kuhn

Length: 1 hr and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Is there other intelligent life in the universe, or are we all alone? Now you can explore this question through 17 compelling conversations with leading experts on extraterrestrial life.

The prospect of alien intelligences has long captivated cosmologists, perplexed theologians, and provided rich fodder for science fiction writers. While we may doubt that the large-eyed, green-skinned figures of sci-fi films will one day descend to Earth in UFOs, it is far harder to reject wholesale the possibility that intelligent life - in some form yet unknown - exists.

Alongside host Robert Lawrence Kuhn of Closer to Truth (PBS), you’ll discover that whether or not we’re alone is but one of a myriad of questions raised by the possibility of other intelligent life forms.

Kuhn’s guest experts - among them renowned astrophysicists, computer scientists, and philosophers - explore various facets of alien life through key inquiries such as the following:

• If the probability that other intelligent life exists is so high, why is there no evidence of it?
• What effect would discovering other forms of life have on our culture and belief systems?
• If we are indeed alone, does that mean we’re destined to colonize the universe?

Taking you on a mind-bending journey through theories and galaxies, this audio series illuminates the profound implications of finding out if we are the universe’s sole travelers.

This course is part of the Learn25 collection.

©2019 Now You Know Media (P)2019 Now You Know Media

Like a feature documentary

Really surprised by the production quality. It’s not really an audiobook in the traditional sense, interviews and dramatic readings are woven into the recording. It feels like a great narrative, like audio from a high-end documentary that you hear. You don’t even need a picture, as the audio paints everything. Highly recommended!

Well produced & entertaining

In many ways this audiobook follows the format of a TV show, which I loved. I'd put it in the documentary genre. The narrator, who is also the author, speaks to different astronomers, scientists and other professionals to get their opinion on extraterrestrial life. One of the astronomers is Jill Tarter of SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence), so you really feel the author is speaking to some heavyweights in the field. The sound effects and music are effective and enhance the atmosphere in the same way we're used to from TV documentaries. I liked that the narrator speaks quite slowly, because it helps you digest what he's saying. For some people I guess the speech might be a bit too slow. It's just the narration, though – the people he's interviewing are passionate and speak very rapidly!

Great series of interviews

Have you ever wondered about intelligent extraterrestrial life? So have many of these interviewees who have far more experience and credentials on the subject. Enjoy being a fly on the wall for some incredibly in-depth discussions on the topic of extraterrestrial life.

Great series of interviews about ET Life

Kuhn's an ideal moderator for this type of program. He balances a passionate interest in the idea of ET life with a well-honed skepticism towards any argument lacking evidence. This balanced approach allows Kuhn to really probe his guests and ask some excellent follow up questions. The program content itself is interesting and well produced, having been previously aired on TV.

Enlightening and Engaging

I didn't know Kuhn or Closer to Truth before listening to this series, but I've become a big fan. Kuhn's interviews with experts in astronomy, cosmology, astrobiology, and more distill complex theories and research findings into captivating conversations that are comprehensible to the nonscientist. My favorite conversations were those that discussed not only whether it is possible that alien life exists, but what such existence would mean for us in terms of the human condition. Kuhn's reflections at the end of each interview stick with you long after each listen.

This is not an audiobook; it is a great journey

I loved everything about this audiobook. I feel a little weird calling it an audiobook; it is more like one of David Attenborough’s many documentaries, Carl Sagan’s cosmos, or Neil deGrasse Tyson’s cosmos. The interviews were great but the greatest part of this course is when the soundtracks and effects play along with Robert’s voice, which is so natural.

It is 2020. When I was 10 years old, I thought that in 2020, there would be aliens and we could visit other galaxies and planets the same way we travel from France to China.
I liked the arguments, especially when Robert argues with the scientists, philosophers, and cosmologists who do not believe that there are no aliens.
I love to call it a comprehensive guide for people’s questions about alien life. Robert succeeded in gathering as many questions as possible and tried to look for answers. I do not want to spoil any part but after like 10 minutes, you will get what I want to say.
Thank you, Robert, for this great documentary!

Fascinating!

In this series, Kuhn brings together a group of leading experts to discuss one of the biggest possible questions, are we alone in the universe? It's helpful to hear from such thoughtful people about the science and philosophical dimensions to this important question. I find his discussions lively, information-packed and well-balanced.