Ethics and philosophy of science Flashcards
understand the ethical and philosophical aspects of the search of life in the universe
What is a paradigm?
a paradigm is a typical example or pattern which can describe something
What is the Kuhn cycle?
The Kuhn cycle is process of new paradigms being formed:
- normal science
- model drift
- model crisis
- model revolution
- paradigm change
Give an example of paradigm shift
There are many:
- Natural selection
- relations in fields such as chemistry, physics and other science
- new understandings in the fields of social sciences and psychology
What is Occam’s Razor?
It is a problem solving principle in which for two solutions which explain a problem, the simplest one tends to be the correct one
What are some of the danger of human exploration?
- Exposure to radiation
- The effect of weightlessness on the body
- The lethality of the Vacuum of space
- psychological effects of long term space travel
what are some of the ethical issues of space exploration?
- Potential loss of human life
- Forward and/or backwards contamination of bacteria or viruses from earth/other planets
what is meant by “Instrumental Value”?
means of a valuable, required end
Food, water, shelter etc…
What is meant by “Intrinsic Value”?
valued by aesthetic/ pleasure/ happiness
non- necessary
What are the three types of philosophical views reffed to in Astrobiology?
- Anthropocentric view (human focused)
- Biocentric view (life focused)
- Cosmocentric view (natural environment focused)
What philosophical view takes into account only the interests of human beings and their presence in the future?
Anthropocentric
What philosophical view takes into account the intrinsic living value of all life, not just humans?
Biocentric
What philosophical view takes into account the instrumental and intrinsic value of everything?
Cosmocentric
What are the challenges of the Anthropocentric view?
Human interests may differ about how we do things in space such as:
- Generating new technology
- creating opportunities to live off-earth
- how to protect humanity along the way
What are the challenges of the Biocentric view?
- Is it feasible to take into account all living life for its own sake?
- If intelligence is a focus, how do we define what life is and isn’t intelligent ?
What are the challenges of Cosmocentric view?
- If not only all living things have intrinsic value, then why not take into account rocks, weather systems and entire lifeless planets?
- Takes more effect off-earth
What are some of the reasons we might not meet other life in the universe?
- Planetary destruction via short lived stars via supernovae
- Race extinction
- Life developed too late
- The universe is too big to find them
What are the benefits of ISRU?
- reduced weight and cost of mission
- reduced risk and makes missions more flexible
- expanding human presence in the solar system
- makes mission more likely to be successful and hence less risk to human life
What philosophical term refers to astrobiology?
Cosmic pluralism
Give three examples of how confirmation bias can become an issue
- Social media
- Health and alternative medicine compared to scientifically proven
- Pre-established scientific fact to revelation
Explain how environmental ethics is applicable to astrobiology
- Depending on the philosophical view in question, there will be some value to the natural environment
- That could instrumental or intrinsic value
- This would lay the basis for an ethical framework for future missions
- Would reduce the risk of harm or injury to both earth and the astronomical object in question
What is cosmic pluralism?
The belief or view that other astronomical bodies in the universe must harbour life
What does SETI stand for ?
Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
What is anthropromorphism ?
describing alien life to be similar in fashion to humans
- Bipedal mammals
- air breathing
This is popular in sci-fi pop culture
What is a dominant paradigm?
values or understandings in society that are widely held at a given time
what is the Darwinian definition of life?
A self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution
