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On the parallels between cosmology and astrobiology: a transdisciplinary approach to the search for extraterrestrial life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 April 2016

Charles Morphy D. Santos ,
Leticia P. Alabi ,
Amâncio C. S. Friaça  and
Douglas Galante Open the ORCID record for Douglas Galante [Opens in a new window]
Charles Morphy D. Santos*
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do ABC, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Santo André – SP, Brazil
Leticia P. Alabi
Affiliation:
Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, Program Philosophy, Science and Values, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
Amâncio C. S. Friaça
Affiliation:
Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo – SP, Brazil
Douglas Galante
Affiliation:
Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas – SP, Brazil
*
e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The establishment of cosmology as a science provides a parallel to the building-up of the scientific status of astrobiology. The rise of astrobiological studies is explicitly based on a transdisciplinary approach that reminds of the Copernican Revolution, which eroded the basis of a closed Aristotelian worldview and reinforced the notion that the frontiers between disciplines are artificial. Given the intrinsic complexity of the astrobiological studies, with its multifactorial evidences and theoretical/experimental approaches, multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are mandatory. Insulated expertise cannot grasp the vastness of the astrobiological issues. This need for integration among disciplines and research areas is antagonistic to excessive specialization and compartmentalization, allowing astrobiology to be qualified as a truly transdisciplinary enterprise. The present paper discusses the scientific status of astrobiological studies, based on the view that every kind of life, Earth-based or not, should be considered in a cosmic context. A confluence between ‘astro’ and ‘bio’ seeks the understanding of life as an emerging phenomenon in the universe. Thus, a new epistemological niche is opened, pointing to the development of a pluralistic vision for the philosophy of astrobiology.

Keywords

astronomyCopernican Revolutionfalsifiabilityinterdisciplinarityphilosophy of biologytransdisciplinarity
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 15 , Special Issue 4: The history and philosophy of the Origin of Life , October 2016 , pp. 251 - 260
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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