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 will be held in Paris. The workshop will
focus 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 will focus
on 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 will discuss 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 is being 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 will be 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 will examine whether we should
expect intelligence beyond Earth to be altruistic.
Participation in the workshop is by invitation only. Interested journalists
should send inquiries to altruism:seti.org. Limited space will be available
for media to be present on-site, but interviews outside of the workshop
can also be arranged.
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
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