Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Stanley Waterloo’s story “Love and a triangle” illustrates the assumption that mathematical principles, being universal, could facilitate contact with extraterrestrial intelligence — an assumption that has been shared by Gauss and many other notable scientists. We contrast Waterloo’s 19th-century method of signaling Mars with modern techniques, while examining the intriguing notion that Mars harbours intelligent life, a belief once widely held but now debunked. We conclude with some ethical considerations regarding Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), pondering who should represent humanity and the potential risks of drawing attention to Earth, given that any alien intelligence is likely to be more technologically advanced than humans. We should debate these questions urgently, since some scientists have already attempted METI.