🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello again,

As promised, here is what I gave Mr. Evans and Ms. Durnford.  Please note
that this has been assembled by cutting and pasting from several speeches
and so in places, it does not flow very well (and there is some repetition).
 As usual, I am open to your ideas and comments on any of this.

Tom

Here is the handout I gave them:

Excerpts from speeches given by Tom Harris to various audiences over the
past year concerning the social science ramifications of manned space 
exploration and development:
									
- prepared by Tom Harris - June 8, 1995
...........................
	Some of what you'll be hearing today is certainly not politically
correct ... and perhaps that is the reason why the space agencies rarely
use these arguments.  However, the approach of avoiding discussion of the
real reasons for space exploration has resulted in there being massive
cuts to the manned space program  - you may have heard that in Canada's
recently announced Long Term Space Plan there was a 61% cut in our
contribution to the international space station project.  And of course,
the whole manned space exploration effort in the United States and other
countries has been scaled back considerably.  The Moon/Mars initiative
that was announced in 1989 by President Bush has been all but forgotten by
the current U.S. administration and even the space station seems to get
smaller and delayed further into the future with each passing year.  With
the way things are going now, it probably won't be too long before the era
of human space exploration is relegated to the history books.  As I plan
to show you this morning, that would be a major disaster for both
civilization and the environment, one from which we may never recover.
.........................

	For the young people in the audience, the question of the future
of the space program  - after all if today's world leaders decide that
exploring space is something worth doing soon, then you folks are exactly
the right age to be on the first trips to Mars in the second or third
decade of the next century.  As we'll discuss later, we could actually
make that Mars trip much earlier, perhaps in only ten years, if we really
wanted to.  In that case, you young people could be among the first
colonists to settle the red planet and to begin to establish a new and
better civilization for humankind.  In this presentation you'll see some
incredible scenes of what could be your future....if, that is, we take the
steps today to make it really happen. 
............................

	I've divided this talk into two parts.  First, I'll present some
of the standard explanations used by space advocates when trying to
justify the program.  Next, I'll show you an entirely new way of looking
at space exploration and development.  This new viewpoint is advocated by
several leading social scientists who are attempting to understand the
fundamental reasons for the human expansion into space and whether or not
it is important to our future.  As you'll see when I discuss their ideas,
these are real reason for space exploration and development - reasons that
very, very few people in our society understand.	

	When asked to justify the costs of space exploration, space agency
officials tell us about the various terrestrial benefits of the program
-such things as technological spinoffs, job and wealth creation,
scientific discoveries, advances in education and, of course, enhancements
to national prestige.  Let's take a look at a few of these right now.
................................
	However, many opponents of space funding believe that we could get
equivalent spinoffs and other benefits through the increased support of
large intrinsically valuable Earthbound scientific and technological
initiatives.  God knows, there are certainly enough important projects to
work on.  For example, an all out effort to develop alternatives to the
burning of fossil fuels would undoubtedly lead to a multitude of spinoffs
and new science and technology as well.  So would a major effort to
develop appropriate technologies for the third world.  And what if, at
some point in the future, changes to our economy and our technology make
it so that the costs of space exploration become more than the financial
value of the spinoffs or the value other rewards?  Is that when we stop
the program? What if we're half way through building a moon base at that
point?  Do we just come home?  It turns out that many of the traditional
arguments for the space program are in fact quite vulnerable.  We must
more seriously address the more basic question about space exploration and
development, namely, does it or does it not have significant intrinsic
value above and beyond the spinoffs and the other tangible short term
benefits?  What difference will it make if we end space exploration and
altogether?

	About four years ago, I came across an anthropologist by the name
of Charles Laughlin at Carleton University in Ottawa.  Dr. Laughlin had
studied some of the driving factors involved in space exploration from a
social science perspective.  While he accepts the obvious value of the
space program's spinoffs and other immediate benefits, he labels arguments
based solely on those ideas as being nothing more than rationalizations.
In fact, he maintains that we would be expanding into space even if these
advantages did not exist.  For the real reasons for space flight have more
to do with human nature and the way in which humanity will continue to
change as we move into this new frontier. 

	In fact, Dr. Laughlin has concluded that these changes are so
important to our future that the establishment of a permanent, self
sufficient, manned presence in space will become our most crucial activity
over the next century.  Consequently, Dr. Laughlin and other specialists
I'll be mentioning in this talk believe that we must bring these human
centered factors into the debate if we're to have a reasonable chance of
continuing to sell the program to our politicians as well as the general
public.

	Now before I get into the predictions of these researchers for the
future, I'd like to briefly discuss how space travel has affected us so
far.  This should give us a foundation from which we can launch off to the
future.  ..............

	Starting with the early days of the space program, we see that
cosmonauts and astronauts were profoundly affected by their first views of
the planet as seen from space.

	For example, the second American to orbit the Earth 
SLIDE 41 - SCOTT CARPENTER IN AURORA 7
Scott Carpenter, said the following about his experience:

 "In the early part of the first orbit I concentrated mainly on the
control system and did not really look around.  When I finally did, the
sight was 
SLIDE 42 - NORTH SEA COAST OF EUROPE
overwhelming.  There were cloud formations that any painter could be proud
of - little rosettes or clustered circles 
SLIDE 43 - EDDIES IN STRATOCUMULUS
of fair-weather cumulus down below ... I could look off for 
perhaps a thousand 
SLIDE 44 - TROPICAL STORM "XINA" OVER THE PACIFIC
miles in any direction, and everywhere I looked the window and the
periscope were constantly filled with beauty.  
SLIDE 45 - CONCENTRIC RIDGES IN MAURITANIA
It was so thrilling and so overwhelming that I only wished I could get up
the next morning 
SLIDE 46 - CARPENTER DURING WATER EGRESS TRAINING
and go through the whole thing all over again."
				
	During later flights, 
SLIDE 47 - WHITE ON SPACEWALK (close-up)
space travelers started to develop a new perspective about our small
world.  They began to recognize that we really are all in the same boat
together.  From space they couldn't see boundaries between countries and
this encouraged them to start to recognize 								
that the things that we 
SLIDE 48 - VIEW OF SOUTH ATLANTIC AND SOUTHERN AFRICA
share on this planet are far more significant than our differences.  In
this view, for example, we are looking at a land area in Southern Africa
that includes at least parts of no less than nine separate countries.  
	To help orient you, I should point out that this is the South
Atlantic, here is the Southern end of the African continent and the Indian
Ocean extends over the horizon.

	From orbit it seems ridiculous that many of the inhabitants of,
for example, this small part of the world have been at each others throats
over the past decades.  The early space travelers were starting to view
humanity as a single, interdependent family.  Consequently, many returned
from their flights with a strong commitment to world peace.  
				PAUSE
	In addition, the beginnings of a new global environmental
consciousness were starting to become apparent among astronauts.  The
first human to walk in space,  
SLIDE 49 - LEONOV'S SPACEWALK
Alexei Leonov, said the following:
	"The Earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, 	
	our home 
SLIDE 50 - EARTH VIEW   that must be defended like a holy relic."  		
Note that he speaks about defending the Earth, not merely one country, or
one language or one culture - he speaks about defending the whole thing. 
This kind of perspective change is typical of what has happened to many
space travelers.

				APOLLO MOON MISSIONS

	While the orbital flights certainly had a profound effect on our
perspectives of the Earth and humanity, it was really the Apollo 
SLIDE 51 - APOLLO 11 LAUNCH
moon missions that most influenced society at large.  In fact, many social
scientists believe that one of the most significant long term benefit of
the Apollo project was the generation of new 
SLIDE 52 - VIEW LEAVING THE EARTH
philosophical perspectives towards our home planet.  

	In the case of the Apollo astronauts themselves, seeing our
frighteningly fragile world against the blackness of space really moved
many them.

	The following quote from astronaut Edgar Mitchell gives you a
feeling about how they felt when they saw their home world rise over the
barren, desolate surface of the moon:
SLIDE 53 - APOLLO 15 LANDING SITE FROM ORBIT
	"Suddenly from behind the rim of the moon, in long, slow-
motion moments of immense majesty, there emerges a sparkling 
SLIDE 54 - FIRST OF EARTH RISE OVER THE MOON
 	blue and white jewel - a light, delicate sky-blue sphere 
laced with slowly swirling veils of white, rising 
SLIDE 55 - SECOND OF EARTH RISE OVER THE MOON
	gradually like a small pearl in a thick sea of black 	mystery.
SLIDE 57 - THIRD OF EARTH RISE OVER THE MOON
	It takes more than a moment to fully realize this is Earth 
... home."               

	Now, it seems pretty obvious that by this time space travel had
really changed our perspectives of our home planet.  And it was especially
crucial that we start to significantly change our perspectives of the
Earth at that time in our history.  We urgently needed to develop (and to
a considerable extent, we still need to develop) three new ways of
thinking if we're to solve our global problems: 

	Firstly: 
we had to develop a better ability to take a
SLIDE 58 - ENVIRONMENT/TIME GRAPH
global overview in our decision making....  
	Secondly:
We needed to be able to think much further into the future....

	And finally, 
we had to develop what researchers call a better systems consciousness.
SLIDE 59 - EARTH SYSTEM
Systems consciousness is just a term used by anthropologists that refers
to the recognition that we're part of a system - our actions do affect the
world around us and, of course our environment obviously affects us.  Most
people lack systems consciousness when it comes to the environment - heap
up their garbage...
	It is this current lack of systems consciousness on the part of
most of the world's population that some anthropologists consider the
greatest threat to our survival.

	So the three things we really want to develop if we're to solve
our environmental and other global problems are: 
BACK UP TO GRAPH SLIDE
a better global overview, the ability of thinking further into the future
...........and an 
FORWARD TO SYSTEMS SLIDE
enhanced systems consciousness.  - And here is where space 
SLIDE 60 - STAR SLIDE		
travel comes in.

.................. (a sentence or two to tie these two paragraphs together)

	Even those of us who have never traveled in space have been deeply
affected by these scenes - we too have seen the Earth with new eyes.  A
strong reaction to seeing the Earth like this had actually been predicted
as early as 1948.  In that year the British astronomer, Fred Hoyle had
said "Once a photograph of the Earth, taken from the outside 
SLIDE 37 - VIEW OF WHOLE EARTH
is available...a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose."	

	This is indeed what has happened.  The view of the Earth as seen
from part way to the Moon has acted as a catalytic symbol changing the way
we think about our world.  With one glance you can see that our planet is
not only amazingly beautiful, but that all of the elements in our
biosphere are interconnected.  It's certainly no coincidence that within
two years of the 1968 Apollo flight that gave us our first views of 
SLIDE 38 - EARTH RISE AS SEEN FROM APOLLO 8
Earth rise over the Moon we saw the formation of Environment Canada, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Greenpeace, as well as the first
world-wide Earth Day.  Seeing our small fragile planet against the
blackness of space, forever changed our attitudes of what is and is not
acceptable behaviour in today's world.  The well known whole 
SLIDE 39 - BEST WHOLE EARTH PHOTO
Earth photo taken by Apollo 17 astronaut Ronald Evans is now considered to
be the most important image of the twentieth century.  From this point of
view, the space age opened none too soon.


SLIDE 62 - ROBERTA BONDAR GAZING AT EARTH
	Since the moon trips hundreds of people from many countries have
traveled in space... and I'm sure that many of them agree with the
following thoughts expressed by Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov:
SLIDE 63 - BLACK

"When we look into the sky it seems to us to be endless.  We breathe
without thinking about it, as is natural.  We think without consideration
about the boundless ocean of air, and then you sit aboard a spacecraft,
you tear 
SLIDE 64 - SOYUZ LAUNCH
away from Earth, and within ten minutes you have been carried 
* straight *  through the layer of air, and beyond there is nothing!  
SLIDE 65 - VIEW OF HORIZON AND SPACE FROM GEMINI
Beyond the air there is only emptiness, coldness, darkness.  The
"boundless" blue sky, the ocean which gives breath and protects us from
the endless black and death, is but an infinitesimally
SLIDE 66 - SOMALIA FROM ORBIT
thin film.  How dangerous it is to threaten even the smallest part of this
gossamer covering, this conserver of life."
	
	Well, as you know, we are not just threatening this gossamer
covering, we are in the process of causing what will likely be 
SLIDE 67 -INDUSTRIAL BURNING IN SOUTHERN U.S.
significant environmental change.  Much of this is due to various burning
episodes that are being carried out all over the world. For example,
SLIDE 68 - SMOKE OVER THE AMAZON BASIN
this is how the Amazon Basin appears from space.  Point out clouds and
smoke....In these areas between the clouds, we see enormous quantities of
smoke from the burning that is going on down below.  At the time that this
photo was taken, about a third of the whole South American continent was
covered with smoke.

	Even more deadly was the 
SLIDE 69 - OIL SMOKE DRIFTING INTO SAUDI ARABIA
the intentional ignition of about 700 Kuwaiti oil wells by the retreating
Iraqi army.  
	Here we see an orbital view of the smoke from those fires drifting
southward over Saudi Arabia.  These circular dots are farms in Northern
Saudi Arabia.  When astronauts flew over the Persian Gulf and looked back
at Kuwait City, this is what they saw:
SLIDE 70 - OILS FIRES AS SEEN OVER PERSIAN GULF
Kuwait City is in this area right about here.
	While this is not a pretty scene, it is, in fact, a very useful
one. Images such as this can startle us into taking a new attitude towards
protecting our environment.  The view from space is already changing our
world view as to what is, and is not, acceptable behaviour.  


	As a result of their flights many astronauts and cosmonauts have
also become much more interested in promoting world peace.  Of course,
from space 
SLIDE 40 - VIEW OF SOUTH ATLANTIC AND SOUTHERN AFRICA FROM ORBIT
they can't see boundaries between countries and apparently this has
encouraged them to view humanity as a single, interdependent family.  They
began to recognize that, as Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Kovalyonok said, "we
are all sailing in the same boat."
 
	Finally, even the spiritual orientations of many of the space
travelers' have been significantly affected as a result of the new
overview that comes with leaving one's home world behind.  For example,
Apollo astronaut 
SLIDE 41 - IRWIN ON MOON WITH ROVER AND MT. HADLEY IN BACKGROUND
Jim Irwin said that he felt the presence of God on the Moon (ad lib a bit
about what Irwin told us about the Genesis rock, etc. at his presentation
in Ottawa a few years ago).  After his flight he was baptized into a
fundamentalist tradition and spent the rest of his life as a Christian
Evangelist.	

	Other astronauts have also been affected spiritually, although
some of them expressed these sentiments in more of a "New Age"-type
language.  They said that they felt the 
SLIDE 42 - CONE NEBULA
presence of some sort of overarching intelligence and a consequent purpose
to the universe around them.  Edgar Mitchell is a good example of an
astronaut who experienced this kind of change.  Basically he developed a
powerful feeling that the universe around him was an intelligent system,
not just the result of random events.  His feeling that there was a
certain purposeful coherence to the universe led to his founding of the
Institute of Noetic Sciences back in 1973.  I'd like to read to you the
purpose of the Institute of Noetic Sciences as quoted from one of their
brochures:

"Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic
Sciences in 1973 to expand knowledge of the natures and potentials of the
human mind and spirit, and apply that knowledge to the advancement of
health and well-being for humankind and our planet."

And this organization was formed specifically as a result of the
enlightenment experienced by Mitchell during and after his trip to the moon.		

	Important though these changes are they really pale in comparison
with the changes that are likely to occur if we truly seize the space
exploration initiative.  Futurists and many social scientists predict
nothing less than the emergence of a new kind of human as we move into
space, a being who's more innovative and holistic perspectives will give
us the tools we need to solve many of our global environmental problems. 
Here is a line of reasoning that leads them to this rather startling
conclusion:

	Initially, astronauts are selected because they have good health,
are able 
SLIDE 43 - GROUP OF ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD SHUTTLE
to function well as part of a team and, most importantly, have high
intelligence.  So right from the start we are sending an unusual group of
humans into space.  Now, it's easy to predict that once people live  
SLIDE 44 - FUTURE MOON BASE (CUT-AWAY)
permanently in space and have children there, these children will inherit,
or quickly learn, many of the advanced characteristics of their parents.
Those offspring that don't, will have a tough time surviving in space and,
at least in the early days of space colonization, may very well be sent
back to the Earth.  		

	And when we expand 
SLIDE 45 - ASTRONAUTS FLYING IN SPACE NEAR MARS MOONS
more deeply into space, the ones we send will probably not be 
Earthlings at all but instead will be the most capable, and best adapted,
of those humans who were born and brought up in space.  After all, they
will take for granted many of perspectives and survival skills that the
first generation of space dwellers will have had to learn as adults.  For
one thing, these 
SLIDE 46 - MARS SETTLEMENT
"spacelings", as you might call them, will, in many ways, be masters of
applied ecology.  Such concepts as effective recycling, conservation of
resources, stringent pollution control and even non violent means of
conflict resolution - all of these kinds of holistic ideas will be taken
for granted by those who have lived their lives in space.  Generally,
spacelings will have developed what is called enhanced systems
consciousness.  Systems consciousness is a term used by anthropologists
that refers to the recognition that we're part of a system - our actions
do affect the world around us and, of course our environment affects us. 
It is the current lack of systems consciousness on the part of most of the
today's world's population that some anthropologists consider the greatest
threat to human survival.

	Because the space environment is so 
SLIDE 47 - MOON COLONY FROM OUTSIDE
hostile and unforgiving, those colonies who don't quickly adopt systems
consciousness and other advanced kinds of thinking will probably not
survive long.  
	So you can easily what will happen in the long run.  As we move 
SLIDE 48 - STARSHIPS MOVING PAST JUPITER
further into space, colonizing the solar system and eventually moving
beyond, we will quickly see a new kind of human emerging. we will see a
rapid advancement in the thinking capabilities of these pioneers, and in
particular in their abilities to properly understand and appreciate
environmental systems.
	In what has been referred to as the "Founder Effect", we will see
a rapid evolution in human consciousness.  What with our gradual
adaptation to different physical environments as well as through our use
of genetic engineering, even much of our basic physical appearance may
change.  Some anthropologists predict there will be a fairly rapid
development of
SLIDE 49 - EXPLORERS ON AN ALIEN WORLD
new species of hominid, quite different to their homo sapien ancestors. 
At the very least, one would expect that these new human settlements will
evolve to become much more intelligent than the bulk of humanity back on
Earth.  Dr. Laughlin points out that even if there is only a 5% hereditary
"loading" to the passing on of high intelligence, we will quickly see an
increase in the average intelligence of the residents of a space
settlement versus the norm back on Earth.  

	This effect was first suggested several decades ago by science
fiction writer, Robert Heinlein.  Dr. Laughlin tells me that
anthropologists now consider this differentiation of intelligence to be
very likely to occur as we move further into space.  There's no question
that those of us who remain on Earth will find that in many ways these
pioneers will become our teachers, so as much as possible with the
enormous distances involved, we'll certainly want to remain in contact
with our extraterrestrial relatives. 

	Fortunately, we won't have to wait until the more distant future
to enjoy some of the psychological benefits of these developments.  Having
a clear, positive 
SLIDE 50 - SPACECRAFT ON THE WAY TO MARS
vision of where we are headed as a species will have an immediate impact
on society, helping counter the growing pessimism that most people feel
these days.  You see, recent studies have shown that the common attitude
of most people in the world when they look to the future is one of
pessimistic anticipation.  In other words, they expect the future to be
worse than the present.  Of course, this is very unhealthy for the future
of humanity and something we must strive to counter.  

	Historian Steven Pyne of Arizona State University - West explains
that 
SLIDE 51 - EUROPEAN EXPLORING SHIPS
European exploration of the world in Columbus' time had a substantial
positive impact on the general psychology of Europe.  The new discoveries
helped people feel that the future could be different 
SLIDE 52 - FRONTISPIECE
from the past that they weren't caught in an endless cycle and that they
really were learning things that the ancient world truly didn't know.  Dr.
Pyne maintains that the continuation of space exploration will act in a
similar same way with our civilization.  He believes that stopping our
expansion into space will contribute to a general malaise in society, a
feeling that we've really missed something.  Many of you may have heard
James Mitchener expressing similar thoughts.

	And one shouldn't underestimate the importance of 
SLIDE 53 - PARKIN'S ART OF BOY FISHING
our dreams and our attitudes towards the future.  University of
Pennsylvania Professor Russell Ackoff maintains that "the inability to
envision a positive future is, in itself, a threat to survival".  However
the movement into space allows us to anticipate 
SLIDE 54 - SPACE ART OF JOURNEY TO A MOON OF JUPITER
exciting new advances in human development and technology.  This not only
makes it more likely that we will have a good future but helps inspire us
today in our daily lives.  It gives us the feeling that, 
SLIDE 55 - PARKIN'S ART OF SHUTTLE WITH BOY WATCHING
as philosopher Teilhard de Chardin said, "humanity is going somewhere...". 

	But what happens if we stop sending humans into space?  Well, we
will likely have a 
SLIDE 56 - KUWAITI OIL FIRES FROM ORBIT
dismal future indeed.  In the closed system of a single planet
civilization, growth becomes a liability and we become progressively
inward looking, constantly fighting over what's left of the Earth's
desirable land and resources.  Here for example is a view of the Kuwaiti
oil fires as seen from space.  This kind of destruction is predicted to
become more and more common if we insist on remaining a one planet
species.  The bottom line is that what with increasing population and the
continuation of the primitive tribal mind set that most people in the
world have today, our future 
could truly be a hell on Earth.  

	Environmentalists should also be concerned by such a scenario.  By
refusing to expand into space we'll be doing our 
SLIDE 57 - NORTH AMERICA AS SEEN FROM PART WAY TO THE MOON 
planet's ecosystem absolutely no favour.  Like a baby who refuses to be
born, we may very well eventually destroy our mother Earth if we insist on
never leaving the womb. 	In fact, many futurists believe that there
soon won't be much left of our planet's natural environment if we remain
as a 
SLIDE 80 - EARTH SEEN OVER THE MOON
one planet species. However by expanding into space we will speed up our
own intellectual development in such a way as to make us more capable of
overcoming our global problems.  Specialists maintain that the exploration
and settlement of space will play a critical role in the transformation of
our civilization into one which is more cooperative, peaceful and
environmentally aware.  Like a human being who eventually grows up and
helps its parents, we too will have a different relationship 
SLIDE 78 - EARTH
with our mother Earth once more of us have lived in space.  We'll see our
world from the outside, with a more mature and independent perspective.
You can already see some of the beginnings of these changes in what I've
been describing this morning. 

	Because of increasingly rapid worldwide transportation and
communications we would also continue to homogenize worldwide culture and
ideas if we remain earthbound.  Humans would come to think only in
fashionable or politically correct ways, with little tolerance of the new
perspectives and innovations that foster human progress.  Anthropologist
Ben Finney of the University of Hawaii maintains that if we turn our backs
on the challenge of space we would essentially be putting the brakes on
our own intellectual and cultural advancement.  However, by expanding into
space and establishing human settlements out of instantaneous contact with
Earth, we would once again release the forces of both cultural and even
biological evolution.  

......................
	Adding to the stagnation of a one planet civilization would be the
loss of meaningful 
SLIDE 59 - ASTRONAUT ON MOON
geographic frontiers.  Many anthropologists believe that the urge to
explore and expand into new physical environments is actually an important
basic characteristic of human beings.  For example, Dr. Laughlin maintains
that the drive to explore is a characteristic of the way in which the
higher orders of the human nervous system functions.  Ben Finney believes
that exploration is so bred into us that he calls humans "the exploring
animal" and I encourage you to have a look at the paper by that name in
reference #1 in your handout.  
	In fact, many people believe that the urge to explore and to
expand into new environments is actually a basic characteristic of human
beings. They say that it's as fundamental a part of us as is the urge to
eat and sleep.  Allowing our world to degenerate into a frontierless
society would probably have very negative consequences for our mental
health. Considering the enormous environmental and other challenges that
now face us, it's more important than ever that we keep our minds sharp
and focused. Therefore it would be a dangerous gamble to thwart what is
apparently a basic basic human drive.

	The idea that exploration is a 
SLIDE 60 - ASTRONAUT ON MOON
genetic imperative isn't particularly surprising if you consider the
obvious survival advantages that an expansionary species has over one
which never moves beyond a single ecosystem.  For example, the likelihood
of a species surviving a local disaster is much greater if they are not
all located in the same spot.  Since evolution generally favours the
retention of characteristics that enhance a species' survival chances then
we would expect that the drive to explore would be one of those traits
that humans would have retained over the eons.  Most people realize the
common sense of having our civilization spread out among several planets
if we're to have a good chance of surviving very far into the future. 
However, it's fascinating to see anthropologists telling us that even in
the short term it would be unhealthy for us to thwart our natural drive to
explore space. 
	
	The idea that the drive to explore is a basic part of humans is
perhaps best summed up by Apollo 11 astronaut Micheal Collins.  In the
following quote he describes how historians from the distant future may
view humankind's long trek from the plains of Africa to the stars:

"...What will be worth recording is what kind of civilization we
Earthlings created and whether or not we ventured out to other parts 
SLIDE 61 - ANDROMEDA GALAXY
of the galaxy.  Were we wanderers?  Human history so far indicates we are
indeed.  It's human nature to stretch, to go, to see,
SLIDE 62 - EARTH FROM SURFACE OF THE MOON
to understand.  Exploration is not a choice really, its an imperative."

	A counter to this argument is put forward by historian Stephen
Pyne. Dr. Pyne maintains that we 
SLIDE 63 - SPACE SCENE (art)
explore not because we are genetically programmed to explore but because
it is within our cultural heritage.  In other words, he says that the
drive to explore is not hard wired into humans but instead is a piece of
cultural software, something that changes and even disappears from culture
to culture and from time to time.  In support of this idea, he points out
that most societies throughout history explored very little.   

	Now you may say "who cares where the urge to explore comes from -
it's here now, so let's just get on with it".  Well as you'll see in a
minute, its far more than just an academic question.  

	Dr. Pyne has written a paper entitled "A Third Great Age of
Discovery", which is listed on page 2 of your handout.  The third great
age that he refers to is the current age of planetary exploration.  In his
paper he shows that in some very important ways there are strong
similarities between what the space age offers our civilization and what
the 
SLIDE 64 - COLUMBUS LEAVING EUROPE
European explorations of the Renaissance and later contributed to their
culture.  You see, when Europeans first encountered the new 
SLIDE 65 - COLUMBUS LANDING IN AMERICA
world they were suddenly exposed to an enormous volume of new geographies,
new materials, new peoples, new cultures and ideas -really avalanche of
new information, far more than could ever have been generated in any other
way in such a short time.  When this new information was brought home to
Europe, 
SLIDE 66 - COLUMBUS SHOWING ISABELLA WHAT HE FOUND
it completely blew them away.  Many of their old absolute ideas about what
the world was like were entirely swept away by the torrent of new
findings. Many of the old institutions and sciences of Europe also changed
radically or became irrelevant almost overnight.  A good example would be
in the field of cartography.  The great map of Fra Mauro published in 1459
was generally considered to be the best in pre-Columbian times.  On it,
the world consisted of one great land mass known as "the island of the
Earth", which consisted of Europe, Asia and Africa and this part occupied
6/7 of the planet.  The remaining 1/7 was ocean.  There were no "terrae
incognita" and certainly no other continents or oceans - there was simply
no place to put them.  And scholars of the day were certain that their map
was right. Of course this led to all kinds of difficulties when they had
to somehow fit in what Columbus discovered 40 years later.

	It is interesting to compare this overconfidence with the attitude
that existed when maps were published in the next century, after the
exploration of the world had really begun.  Most of the maps of the new
age of discovery bore the following legend "All the world which has been
discovered up to this time"  Up to this time!! - quite a contrast to the
pre-Columbian arrogance!  As much as anything, Europe was now engaged in
what American historian Daniel Boorstin has called "Negative Discovery".
In other words they were finding out what they didn't know, which was
quite considerable.  

	This kind of information shock occurred in many fields and, not
surprisingly European civilization was 
SLIDE 67 - THE PORT OF GENOA (WOOD CARVING)
forced to make a radical transformation.  It changed to became one in
which exploration and the consequent challenging of old ideas became more
of a basic value in that society.  Dr. Pyne explains that in this way,
geographic exploration became a crucial part of what made European
civilization dynamic.  This is in direct contrast to relatively stagnant
folk societies in which tradition and superstition play a much larger
role. Since modern Western civilization has inherited much of its culture
from post-Columbian Europe, it probably won't surprise you to hear that
Dr. Pyne concludes that we need geographic exploration to maintain the
health of our society.  The act of exploration and discovery has itself
become a prominent value of our civilization.  

	Fortunately, space exploration provides exactly the kind of
information input our culture needs.  Unlike other forms of discovery
which usually come gradually out of existing institutions of science and
scholarship, the information we get from space exploration comes in great
gulps.  You might recall that during the Voyager 2 flyby 
SLIDE 68 - NEPTUNE FLYBY PHOTOGRAPH
of Neptune, scientists said that the information was coming in so fast
that it was like trying to drink from a fire hose.  This is precisely the
kind of input we need if we are to avoid turning in on ourselves, turning
into a frontierless folk culture, engaged in endless self-reflection.  

SLIDE 69 - BLANK
	Several months ago I had the opportunity of hearing a fascinating
presentation given by an aerospace scientist by the name of Robert Zubrin.
In that talk he discussed the fact that 101 years ago American historian
Frederick Turner demonstrated that the humanist, democratic character of
American society had come about specifically because of the existence of a
geographic frontier.  Turner predicted that with the closing of the
Western frontier, it was very likely that much of the basic structure of
American society would rapidly decay.  In his speech, Dr. Zubrin
maintained that since the closing of the frontier at the end of the
nineteenth century we have indeed seen a rapid deterioration of American
standards.  Here are just a few of the many changes that, according to
Zubrin, have come about in the U.S. since the closing of the western frontier:

- a cancerous proliferation of regulations affecting all aspects of  life;
- the spread of irrationalism and the trivialization of popular culture;
- economic stagnation and decline;
- a loss of the belief in the value of progress.

...and I'm sure you will agree that all of these changes are very visible
in Canada as well.  Now there isn't time tonight to go into any detail
about Dr. Zubrin's speech so I brought along an audio tape copy of the
presentation that he gave.  I'll leave this with Honor for any of you who
are interested in borrowing it later ... and when you hear his
conclusions, you may very well want to hear the whole speech.  I'll just
quickly read you his conclusions from a fax that he sent me yesterday:

"Western humanist civilization as we know and value it today was born in
expansion, grew in expansion and can only exist in a dynamic expanding
state.  While some form of human society might persist in a non expanding
world, that society will not feature freedom, creativity, individuality or
progress, and placing no value on those aspect of humanity that
differentiate us from animals, it will place no value on human rights or
human life as well.  Such a dismal future might seem an outrageous
prediction, except for the fact that for nearly all of its history most of
humanity has been forced to endure static modes of social organization and
the experience has not been a happy one.  Free societies are the exception
in human history; they have only existed during the four centuries of
frontier expansion of the West.  That history is now over - the frontier
that was opened by the voyage of Christopher Columbus is now closed.  If
the era of Western humanist society is not to be seen by future historians
as some kind of transitory golden age, a brief shining moment in an
otherwise endless chronical of human misery, then a new frontier must be
opened.  Mars 
SLIDE 70 - MARS ROVER (SPACE ART)
beckons, the first step into the process of opening an infinite
frontier....  The key thing is to not let the process stop, for if it does
society will crystallize into a static form that is inimical to the
resumption of progress.  That is what defines the present age as one of
crisis.  Our old frontier is closed, the first signs of social
crystallization are clearly visible.  Yet, progress, while slowing is
still extant - our people still believe in it and our ruling institutions
are not yet incompatible with it.  We still posses the greatest gift of
the inheritance of a four hundred year long Renaissance, to wit, the
capacity to initiate another by opening the 
SLIDE 71 - SPACE ART OF SPACECRAFT LANDING ON MARS
Martian frontier.  If we fail to do so, our culture will not have that
capacity long."

	PAUSE

	So you can see that physical scientists, historians as well as
anthropologists effectively come to the same conclusion about 
SLIDE 72 - SPACE ART OF ASTRONAUT ON JUPITER MOON
space exploration, at least for our culture - namely that we must do it if
we are to have any chance of a positive future.  Where the historians and
anthropologists differ is in determining the origin of the drive to
explore - is it genetic or cultural?  In supporting the genetic side of
the argument many people take an almost fatalistic approach, saying that
we are going into 
SLIDE 73 - PARKIN'S SPACE ART
space because we have to - its in our genes.  For example, Carl Sagan's
attitude is that sooner or later, we will do it because the drive to
explore space is part of us.  Perhaps because of this deterministic
attitude he seems to lack a sense of urgency that we do it soon.  Pyne
maintains that this kind of determinism is really a double edged sword. 
On the one hand it can allow us to avoid having to make deliberate choices
or for going any further in explaining why we are doing it.  We are going
into space because its part of the natural evolution of the universe (ad
lib a bit here).  Pyne points out that this attitude may be counter
productive. By emphasizing predestination we may be absolving our
civilization from the need to make the real-world, real-time decisions
required to vigorously pursue space exploration.  The "exploration is in
our genes" approach may lead us to be lazy in our pro-space arguments.  I
think that Dr. Pyne's points are certainly worth thinking seriously about
and I encourage you to have a look at his paper.

SLIDE 74 - PARKIN'S "THE FROG" - CHILD EXPLORING A LILY POND, THEN OFF
INTO SPACE 
	Personally, I take a page out of both sides of the argument.  I do
believe that the urge to explore is genetic, something very apparent in
children and something which would stay with us were it not for cultural
restrictions.  However, I don't believe that we will necessarily explore
space - our culture may very well prevent it.  There are many examples of
culture limiting what are basic human traits.  
SLIDE 75 - BLANK
For example, when we are having an argument with our boss, we may strongly
feel the fight or flight instinct, but our culture dictates that we
neither punch the boss in the nose nor run away.  Concerning human
society, it is after all, a peculiar civilization that would allow itself,
its values and institutions to be constantly bombarded with novelty, much
less to encourage and promote novelty.  This kind of activity would
inevitably result in the perspectives and values of that civilization
being in constant turmoil.  Dr. Pyne explains that it's a bit like an
environment intentionally stripping away its ozone layer so as to expose
itself to more UV light, so as to increase mutations, so as to speed up
its own evolution. If an environment had a consciousness, it doesn't seem
likely that it would voluntarily do this.  Similarly, most cultures would
try to restrict exploration because of its potential to turn things upside
down.  

	For example, during the first decades of the 15th century, the
Chinese were engaged in very significant exploration of the world.  During
the early Ming dynasty they launched a remarkable series of naval
expeditions using enormous 1500 ton "treasure ships", each with a crew of
about 500 men (far larger than anything the Europeans had even centuries
later).  In turn, they sailed around Southeast Asia to Bengal, Ceylon and
finally down the east coast of Africa in 1420.  The Chinese probably would
have rounded the southern tip of Africa were it not for the fact that
there was a change of emperor.  Unfortunately for China, the new Ming
emperor was very much against geographic exploration.  After he had
dismantled much of the Chinese navy, he was so determined that future
generations wouldn't be tempted to explore that he made it a capital
offense to build ships capable of significant sea voyages.  Despite the
drive to explore that must have been resident in many Chinese, the
Confucian bureaucracy of the time did their best to erase the memory of
the country's potential for living in a much larger world.  Much to the
detriment of the country, they were all too successful and, years later it
was China that was discovered by the West instead of the other way around
(ad lib a bit about decay in China after their withdrawal from
exploration).  I believe that it's important for space advocates like
myself to fight vigorously to prevent our own leaders from erasing the
public's memory of what we used to think we could accomplish in space... 
You may recall magazine headlines such as "Why wait?  
SLIDE 76 - SPACE ART OF MARS LANDING
We can be on Mars in '88!"...and I think we certainly could have been on
Mars by the end of the century if we had really put our mind to it.
However, as Buzz Aldrin said recently, we have seen an eerie apathy settle
in on the very generation who were originally so enthusiastic about
exploring other worlds.  There seems to be a collective hypochondria in
our society today as we strive more and more for a risk free existence. 
Yet right now, the big risk is that we'll delay getting established on
other worlds until we no longer can do it.  You see anthropologists such
as Dr. Laughlin maintain that there is only a 
SLIDE 77 - SPACECRAFT MOVING OUTWARD
limited window of opportunity during which we can really get the space
expansion under way.  As earthly problems mount, there will undoubtedly
soon come a time when we no longer have the strength or the resources to
move into this new frontier.  If we're going to do it, then we must do it
very soon.

LONG PAUSE
	If we do eventually succeed in establishing a space faring
civilization, our descendants will find us hard to understand.  Why were
we so timid?  How could we even contemplate remaining a one planet species
when the 
SLIDE 78 - VEIL NEBULA 
mysteries of the universe lay waiting?  As the Russian physicist and
visionary Konstantin Tsiolkovsky said at the end of the last century, "The
Earth is the 
SLIDE 79 - CRESCENT EARTH FROM PART WAY TO THE MOON
cradle of mankind.  But one does not live in the cradle forever."

	In conclusion, space exploration is not just another government
program...it is a key to solving our global problems and molding the 
SLIDE 80 - REFLECTION OF HAND OVER THE EARTH IN SPACE SHUTTLE WINDOW
mind of man in such a way as to further our own evolution.  The
exploration and settlement of space will play a critical role in the
transformation of our civilization into one which is more cooperative,
peaceful and environmentally aware.  The real answer to the question "Can
we afford the human expansion into space?"  is simply "we can't afford not
to do it".




						Thank you very much....


Note to readers of this news group:  If you use any of this text, please
reference it as coming from a speech given by me (please refer to
me as :Tom Harris, Speaker - Space Exploration and Environment)  

Thanks!

Tom Harris

Comments anyone?