BBC Future: We Must Become a Multi-Planet Species

I'd say let other planets be.

We should learn from history that unsustainable and destructive greedy pursuits always triumph over noble scientific pursuits.

It always start with noble pursuits but quickly overtaken by mad rush for profits. The prospect of profits blind people from reason. It turns people into bloodthirsty murderers!

It turns people to wipe out entire species of animals just to satisfy the need to get richer than the people they know!

If we could actually colonize other planets and suck them dry/dead, we'd be perfect analogs of harmful viruses.

Unless we can overcome our addiction to the accumulation of wealth, we cannot venture out. Else, we can turn into a very destructive force in the Universe.

I sincerely hope nature has a means of preventing destructive species like us from spreading. I can't help to see another star, another moon, another planet ravaged by our greedy species.

We should change before we even think of going out to the stars.

ahnggk
I'd say let other planets be.

We should learn from history that unsustainable and destructive greedy pursuits always triumph over noble scientific pursuits.

It always start with noble pursuits but quickly overtaken by mad rush for profits. The prospect of profits blind people from reason. It turns people into bloodthirsty murderers!

It turns people to wipe out entire species of animals just to satisfy the need to get richer than the people they know!

If we could actually colonize other planets and suck them dry/dead, we'd be perfect analogs of harmful viruses.

Unless we can overcome our addiction to the accumulation of wealth, we cannot venture out. Else, we can turn into a very destructive force in the Universe.

I sincerely hope nature has a means of preventing destructive species like us from spreading. I can't help to see another star, another moon, another planet ravaged by our greedy species.

We should change before we even think of going out to the stars.

The mad rush for profits made the new world possible. It also wiped out the indigenous population. It's a mixed bag at best. Without the new to challenge us we might stagnate in our present form and lose the ability to colonize.

Nothing wrong with being rich. Everyone being poor isn't the answer either.

If our progeny can colonies the planets they don't have to take our morals with them. That's a two sided sword. it could improve or create interplanetary conflicts. Aye there's the rub. There would be a great need for a strict control of resources at first. So I can imagine them starting with military style of control at first. When a true independent colony gets established how can Earthers insure the control reverts to their citizens? We can't. There is no guarantee that they keep the ways of their home politics. We could end up with multiple colonies run by despots.

Waiting for changes in our behavior is a futile effort. The longer we wait the more likely we lose it all by a fluke of mother nature. We need stride out into the solar system and expand our meager civilization.

Ultimately, our being a multi-planet species in an inevitability. I know futurist speak to "the singularity" of AI as the next major chapter in the story of humanity, after that it's us Cyborging ourselves as we'll be able to delimit our mental capacity to keep up with technology and presumably a race of AI machines who are smarter and faster than us who have no reservations.

With all of that being said, I think the next major episode in the evolution of humanity is going to involve off world natives vs. earthlings.

When we colonize Mars and the Moon, who is going to go? Scientists, engineers, the educated, the intelligent basically.

Who isn't going to go to the colonies? The poor, the un-intelligent, criminals.

What I believe will happen around the year 2100 (this is me being a futurist) is that we will begin colonizing Mars after establishing a small base on the moon and learning how to live off earth. The moon base will happen 2050'ish. By 2500 the population of Mars will be so much smarter and more capable then your average earthling based on the interbreeding of our most intelligent people that a new super species will emerge. Earth and it's inhabitants will be seen as living in a third world country, a bunch of animals and everything important and revolutionary and new will come from the Martians. By the year 10K, I'd imagine this population might be so vastly superior from the inhabitants of earth they might be deemed an entirely separate species.

I think the answers to many of our problems...famine...war...overpopulation...pollution...will be solved by colonizing Mars. Let's take the best of our best and send them to start over somewhere else, the rest of us animals can wallow in our own misery and dirt here in the ghetto.

BTW, when this happens...I'll say I told you so

reply to post by AliceBleachWhite

I'm of the opinion we should have at least had a long-term science base on the moon by now, but, we don't.

I wonder who would volunteer to stay on the moon base where you have no protection form the sun or space rocks? You might not realize but hundreds of space rocks hit Earth everyday but they burn up in the atmosphere...the moon...well its open season. Have fun with that.

reply to post by Evanzsayz


Many would volunteer. People risk death the world over daily for less. If somebody with the funds offered to finance it the volunteers would come.

If we were serious about it we would build underground which does a lot to mitigate the risks you mention.