Alone together?

There's a piece by Professor Bruce Jakosky in The Chronicle of Higher Education, making the case for an exploration programme to determine whether we are alone in the universe or if there is life elsewhere than on Earth. I must say, I start from the position of wondering what the case against could be. Cost maybe. But the article doesn't deal with that at all. Within the boundaries of the argument mounted, it's hard to see what might be the reasons against. Anyway, I found Jakosky's reasons compelling, and I liked this quote, which I hadn't previously come across:

There are two possibilities. Maybe we're alone. Maybe we're not. Both are equally frightening.

(Via A&L Daily.)