The Big Picture
Objectives
- To develop a deeper understanding of the Overview Effect.
- To highlight the importance of seeing the Big Picture.
- To analyze the significance of the Pale Blue Dot.
Key Concepts
Big Picture Thinking
- The Overview Effect
Module overview
The overview effect is a shift in perception and cognition that astronauts and spacewalkers have described experiencing after viewing earth from up above. The sight of the entire earth “hanging in the void”, glowing like a precious jewel against the black backdrop of space; an earth with no political boundaries; an earth that looks majestic and fragile in equal measure – this experience inspires in these astronauts a sense of mental clarity – a reconfiguration of their life-priorities – perhaps even a literal rewiring of their neural connections and cognitive schemas.
This module considers Jason’s views on the Overview Effect and seeing the Big Picture.
Details
Skills
Futures Thinking 
Moonshot Thinking 
Creativity & Imagination 
Citizenship & Stewardship
Cross Curricular programs and links
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The technological singularity is the idea that the invention of artificial super-intelligence will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization. What would the role of humans be in a world...
In many ways, our technology is an extension of who we are as a species. From this perspective, a telescope is an extension of our sense of sight. It is a bridge to the infinite. ...
What is the meaning of one life? What does it mean to be a “self”? In this module, learners will explore how an individual’s life is not an end in and of itself. One’s life...
