Space Philosophy Panel
Frank White and Yasmine Al Baggari
Frank White has authored or coauthored numerous books on topics ranging from space exploration to climate change to artificial intelligence. His best-known work, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field of space exploration. A film called "Overview," based largely on his work, has had nearly 8 million plays on Vimeo.
Since the first edition of his book on the subject was published in 1987, "the Overview Effect" has become a standard term for describing the spaceflight experience. The fourth edition of The Overview Effect, including original interviews with 31 astronauts, is scheduled for publication in 2019.
White considers himself to be a "space philosopher," and has long advocated developing a new philosophy of space exploration. His book on this topic, The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect, has just been published. In it, he asks the fundamental question, "What is the purpose of human space exploration? Why has the evolutionary process brought humanity to the brink of becoming a spacefaring species?"
In the book, he shares the idea of "the Human Space Program" as a "central project" that will engage all of us in the process of becoming "Citizens of the Universe."
Frank and his wife Donna live outside Boston, Massachusetts.
Yasmine El Baggari, a native of Morocco and resident of San Francisco, is passionate about connecting people and bridging cultures to encourage a more peaceful caring world. She launched Voyaj, a platform that connects people from around the globe for one-on-one meaningful exchanges to foster global understanding.
For the past four years, Yasmine’s reach has included work with the World Bank, research at Harvard University, and the US State Department as an "Engage America" Ambassador. She has spoken at international conferences, including the World Economic Forum, the Middle East Studies Association, and Obama's Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Forbes, BBC, and the Huffington Post. Yasmine has also received awards from the African Studies Association, Hampshire College’s $60K Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Glamour Women of the Year Entrepreneur Category Award, and two Ingenuity Awards. Recently, she was invited to the White House as one of the 100 Most Influential Travel Bloggers, and on Forbes' list as one of of the most inspiring and promising entrepreneurs in 2016.
Yasmine has traveled to all 50 U.S. states, 40+ countries on her own and was welcomed with 250+ families globally. Her next stop? The Moon.
She is simply on a mission to bring back openness, curiosity, and empathy into our world.
voyaj.com
