Look but don't touch

[Cyborg Girl]

This year has completely changed my opinions on astronomy and space travel.

I used to be very, very in favor of human space colonization. Then, for a while, I was hopeful, but acknowledged that it would be difficult and unlikely.

Now I hope it never gets off the ground. Telescopes fine, satellite observatories fine, probes and even orbital space stations, sure. We should get to know more about the Universe, even if we're stuck here. Same reason we read newspapers and nonfiction books, or take hikes, or meticulously examine some random flower growing by the roadside. Understanding is good.

But, actually going out there and building stuff, and making more humans, and bending the frontier to our will... No.

The rest of the Universe gets along fine without us. Especially the rock and ice, and the empty vacuum, and all the other things that aren't alive and don't think. And also whatever microbes or other critters might be out there.

We can look, but we must not touch. We must not let our murderous zealot insanity spread to other worlds. Not even within this solar system.

We can stay on this planet, and we can hopefully take better care of it. We should develop more useful technologies, treat each other better, and (within reason) improve our overall standard of living. We should try to overcome racism and patriarchy and all that. We should try to treat each other as equals, and distribute our resources fairly. We should try to get things done through peaceful debate and rule of law, instead of revolutions and propaganda.

But when you get down to it, this world is a home for the violently insane. We can and should make it a nicer home, but it will always be a home for the mad. We might get more or less insane, over time; but I believe that we will always be insane. And the rest of the cosmos deserves better than to be polluted with that insanity.

So... No more promoting personned space exploration for me. It will be for the better for everyone, I think. I hope humanity lasts a long time, and that most of that time is pleasant and peaceful; and then, when the laws of thermodynamics finally bury us for good, that will be that.

(But you of course are free to disagree.)

[geonuc]

I disagree.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Ditto

[Cyborg Girl]

For the record, I contemplated posting this under Religion instead of BMR.

(Also it's entirely possible that my opinion will change by next week.)

[SciFi Chick]

I disagree as well, but what you wrote, GJ, was incredibly eloquent and would really make an interesting story/novel. Consider that.

[Loresinger]

Disagree but think SFC is really on to something.

[vendic]

Imagine if you will, that humans, are the most benevolent and caring species in the Universe.
Then you enter, the Twilight Zone.
*que music please*