Abstract
The modern scientific cosmic perspective is unique and compelling, but it’s not for everyone. Modern cosmology can be humbling and awe-inspiring, even motivating. It can also be overwhelming, even scary. The extent to which the universe we know today can form the basis of satisfactory worldviews rests largely on human psychology, preferences, and needs, as well as on what we mean by “worldview”. This essay will explore some ways to think about worldviews and the universe, with an emphasis on exploring relationships between cosmic evolution and cultural evolution (Dick and Lupisella), including what might be called “cosmocultural evolution”—the coevolution of cosmos and culture (Lupisella, Cosmos and culture: cultural evolution in a cosmic context. NASA, SP-2009-4802: 321–359, 2009). We will touch on a few cosmocultural evolutionary perspectives as well as broader underlying “cosmological theories of value”. With an eye toward psychology, we will consider if and how such perspectives might inform, or possibly suffice as worldviews, suggesting generally that the universe may suffice for some people some of the time, but probably not for most people most of the time. An earlier version of this chapter was originally published in the Journal of Big History, Vol. III (3), pp. 123-140 (2019).
Highlights
The modern scientific cosmic perspective is unique and compelling, but it is not for everyone
When I first learned of the Australian National University Symposium on “Expanding Worldviews: Astrobiology, Big History, and the Social and Intellectual Benefits of the Cosmic Perspective”, I was immediately struck by the explicit reference in the title to “social benefits of the cosmic perspective.”
Scientific narratives and worldviews, including those based on our present state of physical cosmology, can be limited or even misguided, and perhaps dangerous as well, so we should be mindful of potential pitfalls, including what might be called “oppressive universalism”6 or “overfoundationalizing” (Rockmore and Singer 1992)
Summary
“A belief is a lever that, once pulled, moves almost everything in a person’s life.”. Scientific narratives and worldviews, including those based on our present state of physical cosmology, can be limited or even misguided, and perhaps dangerous as well, so we should be mindful of potential pitfalls, including what might be called “oppressive universalism” or “overfoundationalizing” (Rockmore and Singer 1992) These are not just legitimate psychological concerns about the misuse of worldviews, but they are legitimate intellectual concerns that are important when engaging in speculative worldview building – especially when that worldview building is driven by contemplations of our entire universe and the associated complexities of modern cosmology. Keeping these sensitivities in mind (Denning 2009), we can explore “cosmological worldviews”, which can be thought of as worldviews that are heavily informed by cosmology, i.e. by modern scientific cosmic evolution that includes fundamental physics such as relativity and quantum mechanics (that drives much cosmic evolution), as well as biological evolution, including the evolution of intelligence and culture
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