The Overview Effect

This presentation was recorded on November 7, 2013 in the "Moving Beyond Earth" exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Human spaceflight has changed our world, but can a perspective born in space change the world too? The Overview Effect, a term that describes a shift in worldview fostered by seeing the Earth from orbit or the Moon, has had a profound impact on the astronauts who have experienced it.
Here you will see a discussion with Overview Institute co-founders David Beaver and Frank White, and astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Sandy Magnus. The program was moderated by Roger Launius, associate director of the National Air and Space Museum.
The Overview Effect is a phenomenon that is often intellectually understood, but the experience itself is difficult to communicate because the astronauts and those listening to their message do not have a common framework for understanding. The founders and supporters of the Institute feel that its message could have a salutary effect on the environmental movement, international relations, and a multitude of humanitarian issues.

[@IronMan-tk8uc]

I can't believe I'm the first one to comment. The overview effect must be something really extraordinary. To me, every human being who went to space (a little more than 500 by this point), are really blessed. Shuttle and ISS astronauts, with their missions only reaching 300-500 km high, already are amazed to be in space, imagine the 24 men who went to the Moon between 1968 and 72 during the Apollo program, what they thought on their heads in seeing Earth from almost 400.000 km of distance in deep space. I really wanted that American congressmen would have a little taste of the overview effect, to realize that we are so small and almost pathetic, and we have cooperate with other nations, forget our own petty and stupid interests and re-invest heavily on manned space exploration, for the future of mankind is in space, it always has been, and the United States of America can lead this wonderful enterprise!

[@kgzulu]

If a distinction is made between the 'overview experience', and the 'overview effect', I think the very important question being answered at 1:10:21 is adequately answered. While there is nothing that can give you the exact same experience as an astronaut, you will have to suffice with either, (a) a simulated experience (the intensity whereof would depend person-to-person, e.g., someone could be able to experience the 'overview' just be watching a youtube video, and someone else might require more stimulation, e.g., having been flown to the edge of the earth, or beyond;) or, (b) a logical proof that the 'experience' being reported is sufficiently universal (i.e. has been experienced and reported in like manner by many others to be taken to be a fact), and that the 'effect' follows the 'experience'. If 'effect' follows the 'experience', and both are reported in like manner by reliable people (which it is); and if this 'effect' could also be shown to be true by inference (which it has been), then the objection that the 'experience' might be subjective and therefore the 'effect' is not a universal effect cannot be maintained. In simpler words, the 'overview effect' is something that cannot be dismissed as a subjective experience of a few astronauts. In even simpler words, the 'overview effect' (being inclusive of the idea of the 'overview experience') is a fact. It would seem that the 'overview effect' caused by the 'overview experience' results in the personal realization of some eternal principle(s) that practice whereof appears to be decidedly helpful in finding the answer to the key question pertaining to human existence: What is the purpose of human existence? What that answer exactly is seems yet to be distilled, and this seems to be because the experience being reported by the astronauts seems to have evoked emotions that can't truly be described in the english language. My congratulations for organizing this event and sharing this video with us. This is very important work being done that transcendents all artificial human boundaries that may be said to exist on our planet. This ought be globally supported.

[@PraiseB2Allah]

thanks Michael Pollan for introducing me to this concept, also known as savikalpa samadhi by the Hindus. i experienced it when looking at stars when I was 20 years old and since then 'oneness' has been very much in my vocab, though i had no idea what happened and didn't make a big deal of it.

[@god5535]

Wow! Amazing.