An archival inkjet print of the emission nebula IC5067 by Ken Crawford.
I’ll be brief in today’s post.
We need to step up our efforts for space exploration if for no other reason, than to save ourselves from…well…ourselves.
Cosmology is often viewed as a belief system as well as a scientific field of study. Speculative fiction often presents futuristic societies as living in peace (i.e. utopia) because they’ve turned to the stars. The cosmos unite people in ways that might best be described as existential. Value systems are often based around a certain thing, and those values are typically tied to the Earth.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Earth is currently the cradle that delivers each of us into existence. However, the Earth isn’t the center of the universe. Nations continue to war with each other because they’re tied to this chunk of rock. Perhaps if our species were to place a greater emphasis on cosmic exploration/development and less on boundaries, religions, and fossil fuel, then people might very well develop an appreciation for the universe and consequently, each other.
Teleologism is a philosophy that expresses the belief that natural phenomena are all part of a greater purpose. Likewise, pancosmists feel that time and space comprise all of existence. Followers of such belief systems might say that humans are gifted with a certain raison d’etre that they haven’t yet realized. Humanity is expected to explore, but will continue to fight amongst itself until it does so. Many conflicts are fought over resources, but resources are vast in space. Humans could become siblings if they might only realize they’re part of something much greater than themselves.
Given the state that our planet/society is in today, a major paradigm shift might very well be what the Earth needs.
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Thanks Jason, very interesting… just to let you know am enjoying your post.
Thanks Inem!