What will happen if humanity makes contact with another civilization on a different planet? Have anthropologists fully explored what the consequences of contact with an extraterrestrial civilization would be? Should we be beaming messages into space for extraterrestrial life to detect, and are there any dangers in doing so? And who exactly speaks for Earth? Across eight wide-ranging chapters, The Contact Paradox explores the thoughts and opinions of many researchers, astronomers, historians, evolutionary biologists, anthropologists, and philosophers. Space journalist Keith Cooper tackles some of the myths and assumptions surrounding the Search for Extraterrestrial Life.(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)