SAC started the new year, 1999, with three subjects : First was Erik
Matilla's "Scientists versus Critical Theorists", then came Norman Levitts'
"SETI, what if", and now comes the planned series "On Human Emotions".

From my humble corner and view-point these three subjects have this in
common : investigations and studies of "virtual creations" of humans, of
phenomena and affairs stemming from and existing for humans only.  At my
age (advanced) and from my humble corner, when faced with accounts of
scientific activities or with presentations of scientific preoccupations I
first seek the reason or goal or point to decide if it warrants my time and
attention.

Now, investigating and studying a subject in an "orderly scientific" manner
does not make it a worthy "scientific" target nor gives it a "scientific"
value. The post-2nd-world-war period ( I served then in the Allied army )
has been the Age of the Big-Bang Explosion of "record, distribute and
display everything that can be said, written or drawn about everything ".
It may fill some people with awe and admiration but its inherent
indiscrimination may be damaging to human's science-based progress.

Like many others I feel that humans' most important calls are the study of
origin and nature of the universe and origin and nature of life, on earth
and elsewhere, whereas all other subjects are of a lesser relevance and
importance to us.

The SETI subject merits an additional remark, though.  I do believe that
the search out there is also in the wrong direction, as we do have a
representative "alien"  life right here on earth in every living cell.
Humans treat this manifestation of originally "alien" life that colonized
earth circa four billion years ago and evolved into earth life forms, with
simplistic approach and understanding and thus do not yet realize that the
key to undersatanding their own origin and nature and future is right there
all around them.

Dov Henis