The Sociology of the Lunar Settlement – with Riccardo Campa

The possibility that, in a not too distant future, a human settlement could be established on the Moon becomes increasingly real. Sociological knowledge invites us not to underestimate social problems that could arise in a dangerous lunar environment. Issues of social order and effective collaboration among settlers from different cultures may be particularly sensitive. Physical and physiological stressors caused by the lunar environment can amplify the psychological and sociological stressors that characterize any work environment. Where even air is an essential and rare good, sabotage by individuals or non-integrated groups can be lethal for the entire community. The emergence of unwanted phenomena such as anomie and “free riding” is possible. Recommendations from the sociological literature on space exploration— particularly with regard to selection and training of space crews—may still prove useful in preventing conflicts when the human presence on the Moon is limited to a base of a few dozen astronauts and technicians. This study suggests that selection should take into account not only the professional skills and mental status of the settlers but also their degree of “sociological imagination.”

Riccardo Campa (born May 4, 1967 in Mantua) is Professor of Sociology at the Jagiellonian  University of Cracow. He posses two Master of Arts degrees, in Political Science and Philosophy, from the University of Bologna and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Nicholas Copernicus University in Torun, Poland. Prior to becoming an academic, Campa was a police lieutenant with Guardia di Finanza and a Journalist for La Voce di Mantova and the newsmagazine Il Mondo. Campa has authored or edited many books. Among them Epistemological Dimensions of Robert Merton’s Sociology (2001), Il filosofo e’ nudo (2001), Etica della scienza pura (2007), and Mutare o perire: La sfida del transumanesimo (2010). He is also chief editor of the academic journal Divenire. Rassegna di studi interdisciplinari sulla tecnica e il postumano. His articles frequently appear in MondOperaio, an Italian socialist journal. He founded and is currently president of the Italian Transhumanist Association, served as director of the World Transhumanist Association (2006-2008), and is Fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.

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