.... (1) their very existence as normal aspects of social life and (2) their unique social/cultural characteristics, both of which contribute to social change. The new subdiscipline of astrosociology refers to space activities, or social/cultural patterns related to space, as astrosocial phenomena. Astrosocial phenomena comprise a subset of all social phenomena. This sociological approach to understanding the impact of space activities upon society is long overdue yet an important contributor to an overall understanding and appreciation of the relationship between space and society. Permanent cooperation between the space and social science communities must become a central goal for the future. I believe we would all benefit by the acceptance of the concept of astrosocial phenomena as a way to unite multiple disciplines. Space activities are social facts and thus their “normal” characteristics deserve consideration even while the focus here is on the unique social and cultural characteristics of astrosocial phenomena.
Astrosocial phenomena possess unique social and cultural characteristics due to their very connection to space. Cultural values supportive of the pursuit of space exploration and assessment of our place in the universe serve to drive general support of a society’s space program (and eventually toward the development of a private space industry). Public support for private SETI efforts provides a good barometer of this in the United States. As current space missions inspire the public and even politicians, support for future missions results in greater progress. Findings by the space sciences also continually peak interest and contribute to even greater inspiration. Interest in understanding space phenomena motivates many young people to pursue science and engineering occupations. The technology transfers and other spinoffs generated by a space program contribute significantly to the improvement of living conditions in a particular society with additional applications for other societies. Cooperation among nations in space holds important implications for international relations. Moving further into the twenty-first century, other social institutions, probably starting with the economy, will begin to incorporate astrosocial phenomena more significantly as normal aspects of their social structures as we move along the continuum from space capable nations to spacefaring societies.
In closing, I believe that the solutions to social problems remain an ongoing set of impacts of space activities. In the future, it is reasonable to believe that astrosocial phenomena will contribute to solutions to current enduring problems related to dwindling resources (through the mining of asteroids and other space bodies) and new energy technologies. Of course, they will continue to contribute to solutions to problems related to medicine, ecology, weather prediction, industrial design, civilian flight safety, our population explosion, and perhaps even protection of our species from a killer asteroid. Even traditional social problems such as deviance (including drug addiction), racism, sexism, and global conflict cannot escape impact from space activities.
Note: your project to document the impact of space upon societies and communities around the world… relates quite well to the focus of astrosociology!
Dr.
Jim
Pass
Founder
Astrosociology.com
http://astrosociology.com
Professional Category:
Social Sciences
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