The Overview Effect: Jeff Krukin's Review of The Cosma Hypothesis

Jeff and I have worked in space advocacy together for many years. Among other things, he is a founding member of the Overview Institute and is now active in NewSpace. He was kind enough to read and review The Cosma Hypothesis. Here is his review:

"Do you believe that space exploration is a waste of time and money because we have so many pressing problems on Earth? Or, perhaps you support space exploration and settlement, yet are uncomfortable with the commercial aspects and potential for war in space. In either case, a different perspective might help. Frank White's new book, The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect, takes an expansive look at how we human beings... our daily lives, our minds, our spirituality... are connected with the Universe (Cosmos). Simply put, we are not separate from the Cosmos, and so the exploration and settlement of our solar system is not just something going on out there that has no impact on ourselves "back here."

"And I don't just mean the scientific and commercial benefits that will accrue to our societies and economies. Think bigger. Frank asks us to ponder how human activity in space not only impacts our own consciousness and self-awareness (The Overview Effect), but is essential for evolving the conscious intelligence (Frank calls this "contelligence") of the Cosmos itself. Consider this passage from the book (p.55): "As far as we know, new atoms are not constantly being created, so the evolution of the universe consists of these atoms being rearranged into increasingly more complex information processing systems. The human brain is one of those systems."

"Finally, on a more practical note, Frank provides a plan for action with The Human Space Program project (not to be confused with any government's space program).

"Make sense? You'll enjoy the book. Sound crazy? Read the book anyway, and see if it does something for you."

Jeff Krukin

Principal
Earth-Space Commerce Advisors, LLC