timApr 8

@ZachWeinersmith watching people talk about the Artemis II mission, so many of them use language that implies it's *very important* for humans to achieve the status of an interplanetary civilization. It's never stated directly, though, just vaguely gestured at or taken for granted as a baseline assumption.

Has anyone made a robust and detailed case for human expansion to the stars? Or even just to Mars? I read your book, but don't recall that particular argument showing up.

Show threadZach WeinersmithApr 8
@timrice Usually that's where they drop into poetry or questionable history, in my experience. I think somewhere Sagan said something about the idea that we can either have 0 or infinity, meaning either we die on this planet or expand into the galaxy. Which is a nice sentiment. But the practical arguments for urgency are, anyway, weak.
Show threadtimApr 8

@ZachWeinersmith I'm not necessarily interested in urgency, so much as any plausible case for any benefit to any person that would come from living on another planet/moon.

I can't come up with a single one that could justify even living on Mars, let alone somewhere that would require decades of travel time to get to.

It's like people believe that the United Federation of Planets is out there just waiting for us to get our act together and join them.

Show threadZach Weinersmith
@timrice I don't think there is one. But, like, it'd be really cool? I see it as an aesthetic choice to be made by a future civilization. But it's hard to imagine the economic case changing any time soon without positing some kind of sci fi trigger.
Apr 8 at 3:39pmWeb
Show threadtimApr 8
@ZachWeinersmith "It's really rad" is about the only argument that I can conceive of. And I guess that's valid, but I suspect the coolness factor would wear off a decade into the experience of not being able to go outside.