A philosophical and historical perspective about terms Astrobiology, Exobiology, Cosmobiology, Xenology and Bioastronomy

Abstract

The main idea here is to present reflections on the general aspects that structure the conceptual conception of the field of search for extraterrestrial life. The methodology developed to conceive this article was based both on aspects of historical contexts and on the concatenation of philosophical arguments that could establish a perspective on each of the terms - Cosmobiology, Exobiology, Xenobiology, Bioastronomy and Astrobiology - that currently exist. It was possible to conclude that the nominalist problem about the term that should represent the tradition of searching for extraterrestrial life, as a scientific field, should not necessarily take into account the conceptual conception in its etymological formative structure, but in the statement that expresses the definition of the term. After all, Astrobiology is no different than any other scientific field.

Keywords

• Philosophy of Science
• Extraterrestrial Life
• Plurality of Worlds
• Universality