The Outer Space/Inner Space Interface

As I noted in my most recent post, one of the tasks for the Human Space Program is to consider the interface between space exploration and spiritual/religious thought. Before even considering the questions surrounding spiritual and religious thinking, we should stipulate that the exploration of outer space must in fact have an impact on our inner spaces, i.e., our minds.

This is so because our brains hold an image of who we are and where we are in the universe as part of our fundamental identity. If we believe that the Earth is flat and the sky rotates above us, that is going to affect our identity, just as it will be influenced by the metaphor of "Spaceship Earth."

We cannot have a sense of "self" without having a sense of "other," and the most expansive "other" is going to be that which we conceive to be the greatest whole of which we are a part, whether it be universe, or God. In the case of the first "whole," the shift in perspective will be seen as scientific. In the case of the second, it will be seen as religious, or spiritual. The common theme, however, is the realization of our own identity as being part of something much greater than ourselves.

This means that when our understanding of the other changes, so must our understanding of self, since they are symbiotically related. And this is why the exploration of outer space inevitably affects the understanding of inner space.




(c) Copyright, Frank White, 2016, All Rights Reserved

The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution is available at aiaa.org and amazon.com 

The Human Space Program: 20 Projects

When I posed the idea of the Human Space Program in the first edition of The Overview Effect, it seemed to me that it would a good idea to offer a few "starting points" for the program. These items became a list of 20 components or projects that would establish the foundation for the overall program. It's worth noting that these are really intellectual exercises that have little or nothing to do with rocket ships and propulsion.

These are ideas that are concerned with creating the context for an exploration of the universe that will have positive benefits for humanity and the cosmos. They also form the underpinning for a true "philosophy of space exploration," a series of guiding principles that will help us to explore outer space in a positive and life-enhancing way.

The first of these 20 projects is stated as follows:

Analyze in more detail how exploration affects mental  and spiritual evolution. We know that there is an inner space/outer space interface, but we do not know enough about its operation.  Additional research into exploration  and its impact on mental and spiritual  outlook is needed.  What do great religious teachings of Earth say about outer space?


(c) Copyright, Frank White, 2016, All Rights Reserved

The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution is available at aiaa.org and amazon.com(To be continued)

The Human Space Program (IV)

In working on my current book, The Cosma Hypothesis, I have been giving a lot of thought to exactly what the Human Space Program would look like. At the moment, since I am the only person (as far as I know) who is pushing for it, the HSP can be almost anything, from a formal alliance of government programs to a nonprofit organization that advocates for international collaboration to a robust website!

There is no question that we have a lot of international collaboration going on now, and this can be a platform for something much larger. Moreover, we could certainly start a nonprofit that could be called "the Human Space Program," and it could be the locus for all activity in this area. At the other end of the spectrum, everything could be virtual, a simple blog or website that monitors activities that might quality for fitting into the Human Space Program.

The more I have thought about this issue, the more that it makes sense to start small and evolve. So, I have come to the conclusion that a website or blog is the best way to start. It could be this blog, but I am inclined to start something new that will reside under the Human Space Program terminology.

I welcome your comments on this approach.

(To be continued)

(c) Copyright, Frank White, 2016, All Rights Reserved

The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution is available at aiaa.org and amazon.com