Are the Planets Inhabited?

audiobook

Are the Planets Inhabited?

by E. Walter (Edward Walter) Maunder

EN·~3 hours·14 chapters

Chapters

14 total

Harper’s Library of Living Thought

0:27

CHAPTER I

6:33

CHAPTER II

19:38

CHAPTER III

17:37

CHAPTER IV

13:01

CHAPTER V

19:30

CHAPTER VI

19:23

CHAPTER VII

33:58

CHAPTER VIII

21:16

CHAPTER IX

15:16
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Description

In this thoughtful examination, the author invites listeners to step back from the familiar night sky and consider what it truly means for a planet to be “inhabited.” Beginning with the ancient view of celestial lights as distant, unmoving fixtures, the narrative follows the revolutionary shift that placed Earth among the stars, prompting a natural curiosity about fellow worlds that might host beings like ourselves.

The discussion moves beyond mere speculation, offering a clear definition of habitation that demands both intelligence and a material body. By drawing on early‑twentieth‑century debates among scientists and philosophers, the book explores how we can meaningfully investigate other worlds while acknowledging the limits of our knowledge—especially when faced with concepts that lie outside the realm of observable physics. Listeners will gain a balanced perspective on the age‑old question of extraterrestrial life, framed by both scientific rigor and the lingering wonder that has long inspired humanity’s gaze upward.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~3 hours (224K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Jonathan Ingram and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

Release date

Apr 23, 2011

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

E. Walter (Edward Walter) Maunder

E. Walter (Edward Walter) Maunder

1851–1928

Best known for the "Maunder Minimum," he helped reveal a long quiet spell in the Sun’s activity and became one of the most influential popularizers of astronomy in late Victorian Britain. His work connected careful solar observing with a gift for bringing the night sky to a wider public.

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