Cosmic Genealogy - Toward The Compassionate Global Society - Significant progress in astrobiology (as a science discipline) and panspermia (as a scientific theory) in the post-Darwin era, terms unfamiliar to most only a short time ago, is kindling revitalized appreciation of the unity of Nature-Life-Infinity and the oneness of life perspective (cosmic genealogy.) "Microbiology may be said to have had its beginnings in the nineteen-forties. A new world of the most astonishing complexity began then to be revealed. In retrospect I find it remarkable that microbiologists did not at once recognize that the world into which they had penetrated had of necessity to be of cosmic order. I suspect that the cosmic quality of microbiology will seem as obvious to future generations as the Sun being the centre of the solar system seems obvious to the present generation" (Sir Fred Hoyle, 1980, concluding a University lecture at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff with the title "The relation of biology to astronomy"). "Astrobiology has emerged as a new science for the new millennium. It seeks to understand life in the context of the wider cosmos. The new Centre will continue in the pioneering traditions of astrobiology started in Cardiff over 25 years ago, taking note of the many relevant discoveries that have been made in recent years. The Centre aims to combine the expertise of astronomers, biochemists and microbiologists to generate cutting edge science that would eventually enable us to answer the age-old question: where did we come from? (Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology). "There is widespread sentiment that panspermia is uninteresting because it does not answer fundamental questions about the origin of life. The strongest version of panspermia asks entirely new questions. While barriers to the acceptance of panspermia are falling and evidence supporting it is accumulating, the mere possibility of panspermia unhinges the Darwinian account of evolutionary progress. The new theory removes an issue dividing science and religion, but it requires an amendment to the big bang theory" (Brig Klyce, Cosmic Ancestry - from Panspermia Asks New Questions). Indeed, "the quest to know from whence we came"..... can be equated with the need to know our position within and our connectedness to the whole referred to as the Cosmos. This consciousness which possesses relational implications for the human species in its relationships with all forms of life (The Positive Generational Constant (Human Empathy and Compassion)) is the driving force behind nascent Golden Rule Stewardship on Earth (of generations - by generations - for generations).. Tracing Human Cosmic Genealogy (THCG) places the Golden Rule on a cosmic scale as it escalates human consciousness to the cosmic realm and to its perception as a component part of nature-life-infinity. |
| "The Golden Rule is a natural consequence of the recognition of the unity of being" (Esme Wynne-Tyson, The Philosophy of Compassion, Centaur Press, 1970). |
| last edited 10/20/02 |