CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS OF MAN IN SPACE

T h e term “culture” is often used t o ind ica te t h e a r t s and g r a c e s of a people and also their b a s i c t radi t ional be l ie fs and pat terns . An adequa te d iscuss ion of t h e s e two a s p e c t s of our theme would e x c e e d t h e l imits of t h i s paper and t h e competence of t h e writer. Accordingly, I sha l l attempt only t o s u g g e s t some of t h e implicat ions of man i n s p a c e (MIS) and hope that o thers will e laborate and extend t h i s inquiry. We may conceive of a cul ture as a design for human l iving that i s pers is tent ly sought by members of a group, but never fully a t ta ined. T h i s conception of cu l ture h a s t h e merit of emphasizing tha t man t h e organism h a s , from h i s ear ly days , been engaged i n transforming nature and human nature i n order t o develop a human mode of l i fe as dis t inguished from a purely organic exis tence. H e cont inues t o l i v e and function a s a n organism, carrying on a n incessant intercourse with h i s environment, but h e l i v e s in a self-created symbolic and cul tural world of meanings and goal v a l u e s that guide h i s l i f e career. Conceptua l assumpt i o n s pattern h i s percept ions of t h e world and guide all h i s ac t iv i t ies . T h i s view t r e a t s cul ture a s a human way of l iv ing t o which man a s p i r e s a s h e s t r ives t o ac tua l ize h i s ideas , be l ie fs , feel ings, and emot i o n s by patterning all h i s organic functioning, h i s s e l e c t i v e a w a r e n e s s and perception, and h i s overt ac t iv i t ies e s p e c i a l l y h i s w a y s of relat ing t o others. If man is t o transform t h e geographical world and h i s own organism, h e n e e d s i d e a s or concepts , bel iefs , and expec ta t ions that e n a b l e him t o s e l e c t from t h e immense var ie ty of nature whatever is relevant t o and congruous with h i s aspirat ions. L ikewise , if man is to develop purposive behavior and pursue goals of h i s own choosing, h e must s t a b i l i z e t h e flux of experience; tha t is, h e must impose some order on t h e multiplicity of e v e n t s that o therwise would continually d is t rac t and c o n f u s e him, diverting him from h i s purpose and frustrat ing h i s s t r ivings. We may accordingly view a cul ture i n te rms of t h e b a s i c c o n c e p t s and assumpt ions by which i t s members order and pattern their exper ience and regula te their re la t ions with s i tua t ions , animals , other persons , and themselves . We should also recal l t h a t e a c h cul tural group h a s se lec t ive ly recognized only some of t h e poten t ia l i t i es of t h e natural world and of human nature, cul t ivat ing, eiaborating, and rewarding some while ignoring, reject ing, denying, and often s ternly suppress ing others. To put i t another