Friday, May 12, 2023

Ethics in outer space: can we make interplanetary exploration just? Really!

When ideologues and demagogues try to conquer and colonize space! 😊

We still have some years to go before the human settlement of space! Let's not rush to any conclusions etc. yet.

This lady seems to be a deeply ingrained Marxist! Applying this DEI ideology to space is absurd!

Well, you have to give these busybody ideologues and demagogues some credit: They are already trying to contaminate space! 😊

"The book Off-Earth explores the ethical implications of humans moving into outer space — and whether those who do can avoid bringing along Earthly problems such as environmental destruction and social injustice. Nature spoke to its author, Erika Nesvold.

Nesvold is a computational astrophysicist, game developer and a member of the team behind Universe Sandbox, a physics-based space simulator. Based in Severn, Maryland, she is also co-founder of the JustSpace Alliance, a non-profit organization that works for a more inclusive and ethical future in space, and co-editor of Reclaiming Space, a collection of essays that explores similar themes. ...
People working in space — say, mining asteroids or whatever we send them out to do — are going to be in isolated environments without a lot of oversight or monitoring. They’re going to be at the mercy of their employers for air, water, food and a trip back to Earth. ...
But if we want someday to have a permanent human presence in space, then we have to be able to replenish our population without continually shipping people from Earth. That means human reproduction in space, but there are so many ethical complications.

In the long term, it leads into questions of population control. If you’re in an environment of real scarcity, such as we imagine a space settlement would be, you need to keep your population from getting too big or too small. ...
If we talk about maybe not needing prisons in space, then the question is, what’s the alternative? And it turns out there’s a ton of people who are exploring how different cultures around the world handle harm within their communities in ways that don’t involve locking people up in prison. ...
Representation and diversity matters in space and in space travellers. NASA has committed to sending the first woman and the first person of colour to the Moon. It has the responsibility as a US government agency to reflect the demographics of its population and make sure the astronaut corps is as accessible for as many people as possible. In the long term, if you’re looking at creating permanent populations living in space, you want them to be representative of humanity. ..."

Ethics in outer space: can we make interplanetary exploration just? The prospect of settling the Moon, Mars and elsewhere requires urgent conversations about issues such as labour and reproductive rights far from Earth.

Erika Nesvold explores ethics of space travel.


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