Douglas Vakoch, Ph.D. President of METI–Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, disrupting conventional science as “The Man Who Speaks for Earth.”

The history of scientific progress provides a blueprint for developing disruptive technologies. While much of the day-to-day work of scientists focuses on well-defined puzzles already identified by the broader scientific community, sometimes the standard assumptions that guide a field become obstacles to innovation. Progress requires jettisoning the old framework and tackling obstinate mysteries of the universe from a new angle. Even in the face of startling new revelations about previously unsolved problems, the majority of scientists may be unconvinced or even hostile to new paradigms, perhaps even unable to comprehend alternatives that challenge their traditional methods and conclusions.

Drawing on his own experiences leading the disruptive science of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), Dr. Vakoch highlights the categories of opposition we can expect both from peers and from the broader public whenever we reformulate old problems and offer new solutions. Disruption elicits fear, and unless we address that fear directly, it can derail the most promising innovations. By embracing the emotional primacy of fear and identifying alternatives that provide engagement and security for individuals and organizations, we can find paths to overcome resistance and to foster transformation.

For over fifty years, astronomers have used radio telescopes to listen for signals from advanced civilizations. So far, they have found nothing. But what if extraterrestrials are doing the same as us, simply listening and not transmitting? It would be a chillingly silent universe!

In this talk, Dr. Vakoch explains why humanity should take the initiative to make contact by launching an ambitious, ongoing project to transmit powerful, intentional signals to nearby stars, in hope of a reply. Countering concerns that it’s dangerous to reveal ourselves to malevolent aliens, he argues for facing our fears of the unknown and acting without the guarantee of success. In the process, we will learn critical lessons in audacity that will transform our everyday lives. By focusing on what we can offer to extraterrestrials and to future generations of humans, we will demonstrate that we are ready to move beyond our technological adolescence and begin growing up in the universe as a civilization and a species.

Over thirteen billion years ago, the universe exploded into existence, eventually yielding a species capable of reflecting on its own origins and destiny. In this whirlwind tour of the history of the cosmos, Dr. Vakoch unpacks the seven milestones needed for our modern-day human civilization to arise. From the birth of stars to the advent of writing, humankind evolved into the only species on Earth capable of communicating with our counterparts on distant exoplanets. Drawing parallels between the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and the age-old quest to understand our place in the universe, Dr. Vakoch explores the seven variables of the Drake Equation, used to estimate how many technological civilizations exist in the Milky Way galaxy. From the violent history of the first seconds following the Big Bang, to the contemporary conflicts between warring nations here on Earth, Dr. Vakoch shows how the survival of the fittest has given rise to our remarkable intelligence, while also threatening our very future as a species. To succeed, we’ll need to reinvent who are, finally deserving of the name Homo sapiens—the wise human.

Do aliens have a sense of beauty? Could they understand ours? From Johannes Kepler’s Music of the Spheres to Hollywood’s alien symphony in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, we have pondered the link between the cosmos and creativity. Today scientists leading the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) point their telescopes toward the stars, seeking evidence of civilizations beyond Earth. If they find a signal from aliens, what should we say in reply? How could we let them know what it’s like to be human? Building on the language of mathematics and science, Dr. Vakoch shows how we might start telling extraterrestrials about aesthetics on Earth.

Are evolution and ethics unique to Earth, or are they built into the very structure of the cosmos? Does human morality provide a common ground for encountering life beyond Earth, or is it an instinct that is specific to our particular biology and history? In this talk, Dr. Vakoch explores a basic assumption of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI): that aliens will be transmitting messages to us for our benefit. This question of whether extraterrestrials will be altruistic has become increasingly important in recent years with the launch of new projects to send powerful radio signals from Earth, in an effort to make first contact.

Technological civilizations that transmit signals for the benefit of others, but with no immediate gain for themselves, certainly seem to be altruistic. But does this make biological sense? Should we expect altruism to evolve throughout the cosmos, or is this only wishful thinking? Is it dangerous to send messages to other worlds, as Stephen Hawking has suggested, or might humankind benefit from an exchange with intelligence elsewhere in the galaxy? Would extraterrestrial societies be based on different ethical principles, or would we see commonalities with Earthly notions of morality? Dr. Vakoch explores topics ranging from game theories of cooperation to the biology of self-sacrifice, providing new insights into our place in the universe and our responsibilities toward other civilizations.

Over the past quarter of a century, astronomers have discovered that virtually all stars are orbited by exoplanets. We now know the basic building blocks of life are strewn throughout the galaxy. But we have not yet discovered any concrete evidence of life elsewhere in the universe. We find ourselves in the midst of a three-way horse race to find E.T., and our success depends on our technologies and our human commitment to the search.

In this talk, Dr. Vakoch shows that we humans cannot control whether there is life elsewhere in the universe. Either it’s there or it’s not. But we have a tremendous capacity to decide whether we will find it, if it’s out there. To search for life in the universe, we need to commit to the hard work, expense, and uncertainty of exploration. That’s true whether we are looking for radio signals from advanced civilizations, signs of life in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets, or Martian fossils just below the surface of the Red Planet.

The search for extraterrestrial life also provides lessons for all of us as we lead our own lives right here on Earth. Exoplanet hunters needed to believe that planets might orbit other stars before they could discover these exoplanets. If we are to have any chance of finding life beyond Earth, we also need to be willing to search for it, even though we don’t know yet know whether it exists.

Similarly, we encounter realities in our everyday lives that we cannot control. But we can commit to doing all within our power to understand the way things are. Once we have a better understanding of reality as it currently exists, we can then decide how to create the world that we truly want.

Stress and conflict are part of our everyday lives. But imagine you had to deal with the pressures of overwhelming work demands and tense relationships in the hazardous environment of outer space. In this talk, Dr. Vakoch draws on the lessons learned from astronauts to provide insights into how we can all lead more contented and successful lives back here on Earth.

Dr. Vakoch uncovers secrets used by astronauts to cope with living in cramped spaces, far from friends and family back on Earth, and he explores preparations to help astronauts deal with future missions to the Moon and Mars that will be even more challenging. The practical wisdom and guidance we gain from these intrepid spacefarers helps us all deal more effectively with stresses ranging from daily hassles to major catastrophes that inevitably happen to all of us over the course of our lives.

As we feel overwhelmed by the pressures of work, constantly slaves to the digital technologies that are supposed to make our lives better, we need a break. We feel exhausted, overburdened, with no way to escape. We might occasionally get a brief respite as we spend a weekend hiking in the mountains, but how can we bring that sense of renewal back into our daily lives?

In this talk, Dr. Vakoch will provide practical guidelines for reclaiming nature in urban environments, starting with a one-minute experiential exercise that audience members can try during the talk itself. Drawing on ecotherapy and mindfulness meditation practices, he shows how connecting with elements of nature that already surround us can increase our sense of peace and serenity, wherever we live.

Though we are constantly bombarded with warnings about global warming, we easily become overwhelmed, feeling at a loss to do anything as individuals. The best way to face the reality of global warming is through fiction. Climate fiction, or “cli-fi,” is a literary genre that examines the human destruction of our natural environment, providing cautionary tales of future cataclysm if we don’t change course. By confronting our greatest fears directly and examining antidotes to our current practices and mindsets, cli-fi also provides a vision for a sustainable future, helping us imagine—and create—a better path forward.

Simply listening to others, without judging, can be transformative. We don’t always need to offer people solutions to their problems. Sometimes, just listening is enough. Drawing on his diverse experiences as a psychotherapist and a scientist searching for radio signals from civilizations in space, Dr. Vakoch explains the virtues of patience and shifting the focus away from ourselves.

The key to effective listening is understanding people from their own perspective, not ours. Simply seeing others as they see themselves, listening in a nonjudgmental way, helps people accept themselves and move toward greater authenticity. Rather than pitting our view against theirs, by committing to hear others in their own terms, and in their own time, we can create a space to overcome longstanding histories of conflict, perhaps even giving others the freedom to agree with us for the first time.

Dr. Vakoch demonstrates how we can also learn to listen to ourselves better. We have all received messages throughout our lives about who we should be and what we should do. Our true desires and dreams can remain hidden even from ourselves, underneath the expectations of others—unless we become open to surprises from within.