The search for life in the Universe‎,‎ once the domain of science fiction‎,‎ is now a robust research program with a well‎-defined roadmap‎,‎ from studying the extremes of life on Earth to exploring the possible niches for life in the Solar System and discovering thousands of planets far beyond it‎.‎ In addition to constituting a major scientific endeavor‎,‎ astrobiology is one of the most popular topics in astronomy‎,‎ and is of growing interest to a broad community of thinkers from across the academic spectrum‎.‎ In this volume‎,‎ distinguished philosophers‎,‎ theologians‎,‎ anthropologists‎,‎ historians and scientists discuss the big questions about how the discovery of extraterrestrial life‎,‎ whether intelligent or microbial‎,‎ would impact society‎.‎ Their remarkable and often surprising findings challenge our foundational concepts of what the discovery of alien life may hold for humankind‎.‎ Written in easily accessible language‎,‎ this thought‎-provoking collection engages a wide audience of readers from all backgrounds‎.‎