Astrobiology and the Overview Effect

The Impact of Perspective in Education

SUMMARY

I will argue that formal and informal educational curricula should include using astrobiology and the Overview Effect as a means of engaging with the personal identity and perspective of students.

While many programs have focused on the science of understanding life’s origins and evolution or what we know of other worlds and cosmic processes through astronomy and space exploration, educational curricula should include topics that are well suited to engaging students in examining their own perspective.

ARGUMENT

Arguments have been proposed that we have lost a sense of wonder and/or lack direction in many of our educational systems worldwide. While many such arguments appear anecdotal, some scholars identify differences in how students view themselves and differences in how they learn as problematic to some education approaches (e.g., Genovese, 2005). Also, many modern educational approaches, both formal and informal, lack the active engagement and self-exploration that may be necessary for students to not only achieve high grades but to find themselves as stewards of knowledge (e.g., Bickman, 2003). And, while some argue that there are grounds for shared purpose in education (Wagnar & Benavente-McEnery, 2006), this presentation will argue that one key missing feature that can be enhanced through a specific focus on astrobiology and the Overview Effect is how students perceive themselves in space and time.

Our growth as a global civilization has seen marked changes in our reliance on science and technology for our economies and livelihoods. The workforces of tomorrow will rely so greatly on science and technology, that it is understandable that educational paradigms have shifted to often favor STEM fields in nations across the globe (Zhan et al., 2022). While building a stronger workforce and a citizenry that can access discussions on important societal issues (such as climate change, industrial pollution, energy use, space exploration, AI development, EV technologies, and more) certainly warrants a focus on developing STEM education, sculpting a responsible and educated global citizenry also requires broad approaches to learning and critical thinking. To embrace such approaches, we must consider perspective in how students view themselves as members of our biosphere.

Both astrobiology — including the quest to understand our cosmic origins and our place in the cosmos — as well as the Overview Effect — a conceptual view of the impact of seeing our world from space — have the potential to be used in formal and informal educational programs for engaging with the personal perspectives that students hold. While astrobiology may be considered as a scientific realm of studies on the origins, evolution, and distribution of life, it can also be argued that at a higher level astrobiology is a culmination of our human quest to understand the nature of life. It plays an inherent role in larger philosophical and human questions of who we are, where we’ve come from, and what our future may hold. Similarly, the Overview Effect, as first proposed by Frank White (1987), proposes that there is a profound psychological shift experienced by astronauts when seeing our world from space. The concept proposes that viewing our world from the outside has the potential to alter how a person perceives themselves with regard to their place amongst humanity and our biosphere’s place within the cosmos. Even though the Overview Effect has not been rigorously studied nor conclusively shown to be a real psychological alteration rather than a perceived phenomenon, there have been limited studies that show that seeing the Earth from space can elicit deep emotional reactions and feelings of awe and a sense of social cohesion and/or identity (e.g., Nezami, 2017, and Yaden, 2016).

Astrobiology and the Overview Effect can be taught within both formal and informal educational settings, not only as topics of scientific and technical interest, but as a means to engage with student viewpoints. This presentation will underscore the importance of integrating conceptual ideas related to identity, personal perspective, and our shared place in the cosmos with curricula related to astrobiology and space exploration for developing student interest in STEM themes as well as broader concepts in the humanities, arts, history, and more. The focus will be on integration of concepts and themes around personal and social identity and one’s own time and place on Earth and in the cosmos with larger themes that educators can access within the realms of astrobiology and space exploration within their curricula.

REFERENCES

Bickman, M. (2003) New York: Teachers College Press.

Genovese, J.E. (2005) Social Behavior and Personality, 33, 569-578.

Nezami, A. (2017) University of London

Wagner, P.A., & Benavente-McEnery, L. (2006) Current Issues in Education, 9.

White, F. (1987). Space manufacturing 6- Nonterrestrial resources, biosciences, and space engineering, 120-125.

Yaden, D.B. et al. (2016) Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(1), 1–11.

Zhan, Z., et al. (2022) Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.