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Oct 12, 2013

"On the return trip home, gazing through 240,000 miles of space toward the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly experienced the universe as intelligent, loving, harmonious." --Edgar Mitchell

The Overview Effect: Insights From Astronauts

Forty years ago, the astronauts of Apollo 8 orbited the moon for the first time and snapped the iconic "Blue Marble" photographs of the earth from space. It was not only an image of stunning beauty; it represented a powerful new perspective of earthly life and its place within the cosmos. It produced a radical shift in self-awareness. The earth has a unity and cohesion we understand intellectually, but which we have only been able to see and feel viscerally through this astonishing view from the outside. This short film, "Overview," brings together astronauts, who convey their first-hand experience of the "overview effect," and philosophers, who place this cosmic perspective in theoretical context. The film explores how the image of earth from space is a critical catalyst for transcending our sense of individuality and separation, development of a whole-earth perspective, and changing patterns of behavior that can lead to a sustainable approach to life on a fragile planet.