Society of Catholic Scientists Will Hold A Conference On Non-Human Intelligence

By Joe Martino | Collective Evolution

For the reasons above you can imagine that many are sensing how near the public discussion of the reality of ETs really is. The Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS), an organization that believes science and faith can work well together, is going to be holding a conference in Washington D.C. on the subject of non-human intelligence.

The conference is titled “Extraterrestrials, AI, and Minds Beyond the Human” and will take place from June 4-6, 2021.

The conference will feature discussion from experts on the topics of extraterrestrial life as well as artificial intelligences. The possibility of extraterrestrial life will be presented from the fields of study including – astrophysics, astro-chemistry, evolutionary biology, and Catholic theology. It was unclear to me whether current evidence from credible witnesses will be presented or whether this is strictly based on a scientific hypothesis. This distinction is key as the likelihood of ET life, as limited by the study of scientific models, does not necessarily provide all the available evidence that dramatically changes the reality based on what we currently know.

“There’ll be 13 talks. Half of the talks are going to be about extraterrestrial life, and there’s going to be talks by some big experts on that subject,” Dr. Stephen Barr, president of the Society of Catholic Scientists

The speakers will include Jonathan Lunine, director of the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science; Karin Öberg, professor of Astronomy and director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard University; Simon Conway Morris, chair of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge; and Christopher Baglow, director of the Science and Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life of the University of Notre Dame.

“There’s a lot of excitement because in recent years astronomers have discovered large numbers of planets orbiting other nearby stars. They could learn a lot about these planets – how far they are from the star, how big the planet is, even things about the chemistry of the planet in some cases.” Dr. Stephen Barr

Why It Matters

It appears that various institutions, even one’s where the reality of ETs might not easily fit into their existing theology, are starting to take the ET discussion seriously enough to begin engaging with their communities about it. This is likely because mainstream discussion around the topic has become significant, and the evidence we’re learning about continues to mount. If you’re not lending serious inquiry to this subject yet, it might be a good time to start exploring. It’s no longer culturally considered ‘a conspiracy theory.’

The Takeaway

As we’ve reported on for many years, the reality of this phenomenon inches closer to mainstream public acceptance. While this doesn’t mean we will know every detail, it means we will have a much greater idea of what’s been happening in this field for many decades now. This does also mean that if we are told the totality of what is known, we’ll understand not only that non-human life is almost 100% real, but that governments and intelligence agencies have known for many decades. For some, dealing with the shock of not only the existence of ET life but also that governments knowingly kept it secret may feel like a lot. To others, this will be a welcome sense of relief. Curiosity and playfulness can take us a long way in collectively gaining clarity in our world, but we have to be careful not to become too rigid in any narrative we choose to play with.

This article (Society of Catholic Scientists Will Hold A Conference On Non-Human Intelligence) was originally published on Collective Evolution and is published under a Creative Commons license.