Can We Communicate with Aliens?

Abstract

Theoretical problems of communication between intelligent systems are discussed in a framework provided by ethological studies of human and animal intelligence. Intelligence is understood as an ability of a system to perform goal-directed behaviour on the basis of internal models of its environment. Communication is defined here as an exchange of information related to these internal models. This is shown to be possible only between systems which share a common environment and construct similar environmental models. Therefore, a direct meaningful communication with extraterrestial intelligence is highly improbable. Some possibilities to achieve this are, nevertheless, imagineable.