University of Texas Austin course R S 373K "Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination" covers Scientology

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University of Texas Austin course R S 373K" Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination" covers Scientology.


Religious Studies Courses < The University of Texas at Austin


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R S 373K. Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination.

Same as Anthropology 324L (Topic 71). Focusing primarily on the 20th and 21st Centuries, explores the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and considers how these ideas have intersected with other aspects of society, particularly religion, including recent arguments that SETI itself has developed into a religion. Examines meanings and motivations behind issues such as Percival Lowell's quest to prove the existence of canals on Mars and the development of Scientology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 324L (Topic: Sentience, Culture, and Religion: SETI), 324L (Topic 71), Religious Studies 373 (Topic: Sentience, Culture, and Religion: SETI), 373 (Topic 9), 373K. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
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Barile

Well-known member
University of Texas Austin course R S 373K" Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination" covers Scientology.


Religious Studies Courses < The University of Texas at Austin


* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * *

R S 373K. Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination.

Same as Anthropology 324L (Topic 71). Focusing primarily on the 20th and 21st Centuries, explores the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and considers how these ideas have intersected with other aspects of society, particularly religion, including recent arguments that SETI itself has developed into a religion. Examines meanings and motivations behind issues such as Percival Lowell's quest to prove the existence of canals on Mars and the development of Scientology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 324L (Topic: Sentience, Culture, and Religion: SETI), 324L (Topic 71), Religious Studies 373 (Topic: Sentience, Culture, and Religion: SETI), 373 (Topic 9), 373K. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
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* * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *

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The popularization of the idea of canals on Mars began with the observations of a 19th-century Italian astronomer named Giovanni Schiaparelli. Schiaparelli believed he saw a system of straight lines on the surface of Mars, which he called “canali” in 1877. Although the Italian word can be translated to mean “channels”, the word got translated in to English as “canals.”

In 1879, Schiapraelli recanted the claim, and explained what he said was, "cannoli", referring to the tube shaped, filled pastries that his grandmother made for holidays. The misunderstanding led a wealthy American astronomer named Percival Lowell to perform his own observations of Mars and saw the same type of lines that Schiaparelli saw. But Lowell went one step further than his Italian counterpart. Lowell concluded that if there were “canals” on Mars, they must have been constructed, which in turn meant there must be intelligent beings on the planet who built them. Luigi, the galactic pastry chef could not be reached for comment.

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