Encoding Altruism: The Art and Science of Interstellar Message Composition

On March 23-24, 2003, the second in a series of international workshops on interstellar message design was held in Paris. The workshop focused on two broad themes: first, the interface of art, science, and technology in interstellar message design; and second, how to communicate concepts of altruism in interstellar messages. The workshop examined messages that could be transmitted across interstellar space by radio or laser signals. These communication techniques reflect the methods used by current observational programs in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

A distinguished group of scientists, artists, and scholars from the humanities discussed many facets of interstellar communication, including

• Creating interstellar messages that unfold and evolve in response to the "listener."
• Preparing for interstellar contact by studying animal communication.
• Expressing the human sense of beauty in interstellar messages.
• Uncovering the origins of language through archeology.
• Communicating religious views of altruism through artificial languages.
• Composing interstellar "music" inspired by the structure of DNA.
• Explaining the logic of altruism.

The workshop was sponsored by The SETI Institute; Leonardo Observatory for the Arts and TechnoSciences; The John Templeton Foundation; The International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST); and The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Permanent SETI Study Group.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Jerome H. Barkow, Professor of Sociology and Sociological Anthropology at Dalhousie University. Dr. Barkow is a prominent advocate of evolutionary approaches to understanding human psychology and culture, and he is the lead editor of The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture (Oxford University Press). In his address, "Evolution, Altruism, and Ethnocentrism among Extraterrestrials," Dr. Barkow examined whether we should expect intelligence beyond Earth to be altruistic.

Media interested in reporting on the workshop should send inquiries to altruism@seti.org.

WORKSHOP PROGRAM COMMITTEE

• Annick Bureaud, Executive Director, Leonardo/OLATS, France
• Richard Clar, Director, Art Technologies, France/USA
• Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, University of Cambridge, UK
• Steven Dick, Historian and Astronomer, U.S. Naval Observatory, USA
• Roger Malina, Chairman of the Board, Leonardo/ISAST; Director of the Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale, France
• David Rosenboom, Dean of the School of Music, California Institute of the Arts, USA
• Jeffrey Schloss, Professor of Biology, Westmont College, USA
• Beau Takahara, Director and CEO, ZeroOne-The Art of Technology Network, USA
• Douglas Vakoch (Workshop Chair), Interstellar Message Group Leader, SETI Institute, USA
• Arthur Woods, President, OURS Foundation, Switzerland