What Can We Learn?

Abstract

The Moon landing was certainly an extraordinary event that forever changed the way people saw humanity as a whole. Not only did all of the new technology surpass our wildest dreams, but we also gained a new awareness of our place on Earth in a global, shared community. One of the most profound experiences that the lunar astronauts reported did not come from viewing their destination, but rather taking a look back on the “fragile” Earth they had left behind. In hindsight, many astronauts say that on our way to explore the Moon, we discovered the Earth instead. The Moon landing was a giant leap forward for humanity, but it often goes unrecognized just how rapidly the world has been evolving since. Our lives became incredibly more complex and driven by technology. Overall, people are amazed by all of the advancements, and therefore it is natural that doubts and criticisms may arise. I consider skepticism to be a virtuous quality that helps you to sharpen and develop your mind, leading to a higher quality of life. However, skepticism requires an investment of time and effort to be useful. The sheer consumption of claims does not make someone any more knowledgeable and has a devastating effect in a confusing world. An attendee at one of my lectures on the subject of the Moon landings once asked me to speed up the presentation because he thought my explanations seemed to extensive. But to do so would have jeopardized my ability to calmly and thoroughly address the doubts of the Moon landing skeptics, including his own, in addition to presenting my analytical methods (Fig. 15.1).