I have read an article about Stephen Hawking's new project intensifying the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. Scientists plan to use Green Bank from the US and Parkes from Australia, the biggest telescopes in the world, to scan an area of outer space that is ten times bigger than any area explored before. This project will engage many scientists and will cost millions of US Dollars. The project is supported by the British astronomer, Martin Rees, and the Russian businessman, Yuri Milner, the latter of which handed over 100 million dollars for the project.

Every time I read or hear about such activities I have two thoughts which quarrel inside my head and cannot be reconciled. From one side I think that it is great that humankind makes scientific progress and that such geniuses as Hawking exist, since without them we would not have any progress or many useful things. Today such people discover the cosmos and its opportunities, whereas once they worked on the light bulb, penicillin or the discovery of new lands.

No doubt these are positive and worthwhile activities. I only have some doubts about the cost and the ultimate goal. It would be easier for me to accept a search for new places in the universe where humankind could produce food or relocate in a crisis. I do not understand the point of a goal where we should find another civilization in the universe whatever the cost. It would be good if we managed to find some allies, but what would happen if we found enemies – a more developed civilization with a hostile approach towards aliens?

The second doubt is connected with spending money as well. In a nutshell, I think that there are plenty of daily problems on our planet which require urgent financing and solutions.

Maybe this is short-term thinking. Maybe scientists already know that we will not manage in the future on Earth and we will have to find another place for humankind. Maybe it is wiser to start looking now when we still have many years, rather than when we have run out of time and it's too late.

Putting this thought aside, I believe that first of all we should take care of people's standard of living on Earth. Many of them have no access to electricity, water and food. Huge amounts of money could be spent on medical research looking for drugs for many illnesses and on improving the living environments of those people who have not made it to the 21st century yet. People do not like genetically modified food products, but maybe the development of plants that are impervious to illnesses and difficult climate conditions might allow us to grow them in areas which lie fallow now. On our Earth animals and plants are dying off, islands are disappearing; we litter and destroy our world.

I know that all these targets are much less spectacular than looking for extra-terrestrial civilisations, but we should take much more care of our own house before we have nothing to take care of and all that remains is to look at the stars.