“Part of it is seeing the Earth against the backdrop of the universe.” (Frank White, 2019)

Space Diplomacy and The Overview Effect

Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 3PM – 4PM

Virtual Event: Join here

CSSH will welcome space philosopher Frank White, author of the book “The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution” for the Space Diplomacy Workshop. Based on this book, the film “Overview” has had more than 8 million views on Vimeo 

As part of a Special Issue workshop on Space Diplomacy for the Hague Journal of Diplomacy (Spring 2022), guest-edited by Professor Mai’a K. Davis Cross, White will explain the dramatic cognitive change astronauts experience when traveling to space and seeing the earth not for its parts but as a whole in the midst of the universe. Their experiences shift the way they perceive themselves, the human race, and it's many ‘differences’ that define politics and world affairs on earth today. White will share stories from his three-decades long scholarly endeavor defining and expanding the concept of the Overview Effect, his encounters with astronauts and cosmonauts, and his thoughts on the future of space exploration.

As space exploration is moving out of a selective field of experts into the realm of space tourism – or ‘citizen astronauts’ -, White’s talk is an exciting opportunity for students and faculty who are interested in space as the next great, and final, frontier of international relations, diplomacy, and wonder. 

Frank White is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a Rhodes Scholar. He earned an M.Phil. in Politics from Oxford, where he was a member of New College. The fourth edition of Frank’s best-known book, "The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution," was published by Multiverse Publishing, a division of Multiverse Media LLC, this year. The Overview Effect includes transcripts of Frank’s interviews with numerous astronauts, both active and retired.