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Conceptually, I agree with your idea. I would like a lottery to emerge for anyone to get a space flight to experience the overview effect -- something I think t

by dpflan 7y ago

Conceptually, I agree with your idea. I would like a lottery to emerge for anyone to get a space flight to experience the overview effect -- something I think that could reinvigorate interest in science and the planet. Now I wonder if the Overview Effect can be addictive...

DuskStar 7y ago
I'd need some serious convincing to accept that sending a randomly selected person into space would have anything close to the positive impact that sending the "Larry Ellison"s of the world into space could.
- phs318u 7y ago
  Seriously - I can't tell if you're being: 1. on topic (overview effect), or 2a. joking ("haha - send jerks like Ellison into space - one way ticket!"), or 2b. not joking ("send jerks like Ellison into space - one way ticket").
- bengotow 7y ago
  I agree - I’m all for fairness, but billionaires could come back to Earth and redirect billions of dollars. All I could do is, I dunno, write a medium post.
- hexane360 7y ago
  You're assuming there's zero benefit to experiencing space second-hand. Even if that effect is very small, it applies to enough people that it quickly overtakes any large first-hand effect. America watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon had a much bigger effect than Neil Armstrong ever could have, even if he was the richest man alive.
  - DuskStar 7y ago
    But does America watching John Smith from NYC in space have a larger impact than seeing Larry Ellison (also from NYC) in space? Is that difference large enough to outweigh the impact that changing Ellison's worldview could have? Also, if seeing people in space has such a huge impact... Can anyone name someone currently on the ISS from memory? I don't think the marginal impact of seeing more people in space is necessarily large.
    - fiblye 7y ago
      John Smith from Queens is far more relatable than Larry Ellis is or ever will be. Nobody who isn’t being paid cares what Larry Ellis says now and going to space won’t change that. Knowing any average person can accomplish their goals is far more motivating to many people, especially kids, than knowing the super rich can just up and leave the world and do absolutely anything they desire just because they find ways to extract wealth from the 99.9% who are only allowed to dream.
- dpflan 7y ago
  I agree, the potential impact of the individual is lower. It's not to say that the individual can have the same impact; it's primarily the system that promotes the opportunity that could have the impact on society, perhaps inspiring many, many more people. Not just to go to space but build technology, to manage organizations, etc that are part of space industry. Making space seem more accessible, rather than a luxury experience for the super-wealthy could have positive effects too. Who knows, it’s all hypothesizing with dashes of optimism.

by dpflan 7y ago

DuskStar 7y ago

I'd need some serious convincing to accept that sending a randomly selected person into space would have anything close to the positive impact that sending the "Larry Ellison"s of the world into space could.

phs318u 7y ago
Seriously - I can't tell if you're being: 1. on topic (overview effect), or 2a. joking ("haha - send jerks like Ellison into space - one way ticket!"), or 2b. not joking ("send jerks like Ellison into space - one way ticket").
bengotow 7y ago
I agree - I’m all for fairness, but billionaires could come back to Earth and redirect billions of dollars. All I could do is, I dunno, write a medium post.
hexane360 7y ago
You're assuming there's zero benefit to experiencing space second-hand. Even if that effect is very small, it applies to enough people that it quickly overtakes any large first-hand effect. America watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon had a much bigger effect than Neil Armstrong ever could have, even if he was the richest man alive.
- DuskStar 7y ago
  But does America watching John Smith from NYC in space have a larger impact than seeing Larry Ellison (also from NYC) in space? Is that difference large enough to outweigh the impact that changing Ellison's worldview could have? Also, if seeing people in space has such a huge impact... Can anyone name someone currently on the ISS from memory? I don't think the marginal impact of seeing more people in space is necessarily large.
  - fiblye 7y ago
    John Smith from Queens is far more relatable than Larry Ellis is or ever will be. Nobody who isn’t being paid cares what Larry Ellis says now and going to space won’t change that. Knowing any average person can accomplish their goals is far more motivating to many people, especially kids, than knowing the super rich can just up and leave the world and do absolutely anything they desire just because they find ways to extract wealth from the 99.9% who are only allowed to dream.
dpflan 7y ago
I agree, the potential impact of the individual is lower. It's not to say that the individual can have the same impact; it's primarily the system that promotes the opportunity that could have the impact on society, perhaps inspiring many, many more people. Not just to go to space but build technology, to manage organizations, etc that are part of space industry. Making space seem more accessible, rather than a luxury experience for the super-wealthy could have positive effects too. Who knows, it’s all hypothesizing with dashes of optimism.