LEXINGTON, Ky. — Space Tango will host the “Space and Humanity Seminar” on deep space exploration and settlement from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 3 at the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, Ky 40508.
The Space and Humanity Seminar is part of an emerging initiative involving an interdisciplinary group of creative thinkers in the humanities, biology, philosophy, economics, space business, and exploration, etc., dedicated to addressing and better preparing for the continued expansion of human civilization into space.
The format for the workshop will be a moderated roundtable discussion. The seminar will be videoed as part of the documentation process. At the conclusion of the workshop and following an opportunity for feedback, a decision on next steps in the process will be made.
A reception will be hosted and sponsored by Woodford Reserve Distillery, 7785 McCracken Pike, Versailles, KY 40383, 6 p.m. on Oct. 2.
Mat Kaplan, host and producer of Planetary Radio, will moderate the panel of attendees including:
- Suketu Bhavsar, astrophysicist, Cal Poly
- Sandy Goldberg, philosophy professor, Northwestern University
- Timothy Harlan, Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, Tulane University
- Michelle Lucas, Higher Orbits Inc.
- Savannah Mandel, space anthropologist
- Greg Schmidt, NASA Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute
- Joel Sercel, TransAstra Corporation and Momentus Space
- Michael Read, Commercial Space Utilization, NASA Johnson Space Center
- Scott Solomon, bioscientist and author of “Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution”
With human civilization having now become a spacefaring species, it’s important to couple the discussion involving the ongoing science and technology challenges with a serious conversation surrounding the implications for us as humans, as we fully embrace space as part of our living experience.
Each time humans have ventured beyond their local surroundings to explore and ultimately live in new worlds, a reimagining and expansion of what it is to be human has followed. Influences can be seen in philosophy, the arts, history, science, etc. And while our quest to explore has led us across vast oceans and seemingly impassible terrain it has never actually led us off the planet Earth to live.
Achieving success here, whatever that may ultimately mean, will require a combination of relentless technological innovation but also a rethinking of and evolution in the various qualities that define us as humans. This must include a deep consideration on the extension of humans through AI and robots.
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