Widening perspectives: the intellectual and social benefits of astrobiology (regardless of whether extraterrestrial life is discovered or not)

Abstract

Astrobiology is usually defined as the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. As such it is inherently interdisciplinary and cannot help but engender a worldview infused by cosmic and evolutionary perspectives. Both these attributes of the study of astrobiology are, and will increasingly prove to be, beneficial to society regardless of whether extraterrestrial life is discovered or not.

Who Speaks for Humanity? The Need for a Single Political Voice

“…Many of these arise from the inherently interdisciplinary nature of astrobiology, and its consequent ability to bridge the intellectual gaps between different sciences and between the sciences and the humanities (e.g. Finney 1992;Connell et al 2000;Race et al 2012;Dick 2018;Crawford 2018a; Chon-Torres 2020; see also multiple contributions in the volumes edited by Bertka 2009, Dick and Lupisella 2009, Vakoch 2013, Impey et al 2013, Dick 2015.…”

“…That said, and as discussed elsewhere in this volume, there are also wider societal and philosophical aspects of astrobiology that extend beyond its purely scientific aspirations. Some of these, for example the intellectual enrichment arising out of what is necessarily a highly interdisciplinary research field, will manifest themselves regardless of whether extraterrestrial life is discovered or not (e.g., Connell et al 2000;Race et al 2012;Crawford 2018a). Others, including a host of moral and ethical considerations relating to humanity's interactions with alien life, will only become apparent, or at least pressing, if alien life is actually encountered (e.g.…”

Widening Perspectives: The Intellectual and Social Benefits of Astrobiology, Big History, and the Exploration of Space

“…a stone's throw from Macquarie University, where David Christian was already developing his big history perspective, although neither of us knew of each other's existence. 6 The astrobiology side of the discussion in the following two sections draws on an earlier publication (Crawford, 2018a).…”

Astrobioethics: a brief discussion from the epistemological, religious and societal dimension

“…We can also see this idea expressed in Crawford 'humanity has a responsibility to develop international social and political institutions appropriate to managing the situation in which we find ourselves' (2017). In an international political context in which fragmentations can become increasingly pressing due to the interests of each nation, astrobiology reminds us that we are, perhaps, the only living beings in the Universe; and if we are not, then we share the same origin (Crawford, 2017). For this reason, aspects such as planetary sustainability go along with the search for peace and union with our own humanity and with the other species that share a biological origin.…”