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Whenever I read an article like this I think, well, what is the purpose of life anyway? I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets. So if you lo

Whenever I read an article like this I think, well, what is the purpose of life anyway? I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets. So if you look at it that way, from an economic point of view, we have built and are continuing to build the infrastructure needed for future space exploration and colonization.

nooron 11y ago
I like to think this as well, and we aren't the first: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cosmism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cosmism
arnold_palmur 11y ago
> I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets Completely agree - however it (sadly) leads me to think of the popular quote that is something along the lines of... "born to late to explore the Earth, and born to early to explore the stars."
- Moshe_Silnorin 11y ago
  Born too late to experience earthly malthusian hell, born too early to experience cosmic malthusian hell.
dsabanin 11y ago
What will we do on other planets? Begin building new infrastructure to colonize more planets? I think that's a philosophy of a virus dressed in a shiny space suit with NASA logo on it. Exploration is great and it's worth pursuing, but making it a main goal and coincidently (or on purpose) an excuse for ruining our only real existing livable planet is I think wrong.
- logfromblammo 11y ago
  Humans are the tools that bacteria use to colonize other planets.
  - ferentchak 11y ago
    Richard Dawkins would say it's the gene's tool for colonizing other planets. Plus if genes are going to survive the sun exploding they are going to have to get even more mobile :)
- theseatoms 11y ago
  Colonization can be viewed as planetary diversification in order to lessen the odds of human extinction.
bobajeff 11y ago
Good question but I don't think the answer is 'to colonize other planets'.
- Recurecur 11y ago
  It's OK that you feel that way, we need a few groundskeepers tending Earth...
elif 11y ago
Yeah, but would spaceX have made their life-saving deal with NASA if we were in war-times? I couldnt imagine such an expenditure during world war 2. The fall of America is not just a noteworthy individual experience, it also heralds the potential collapse of pax Americana which has framed innovation for the last half century.
- dudul 11y ago
  It is often argued that war times are actually great catalysts for technological progress. Isn't it precisely during WW2 that a lot of advancement was made to develop the technology for space exploration?
  - stcredzero 11y ago
    It depends. Konrad Zuse's general purpose computer was put on hold by Germany. So were the extended range true submarines Germany was developing. A part of all that, is if your side is overextended. That can cause the top brass to start cutting things it thinks won't work or that it won't need in the near future.
FreedomToCreate 11y ago
Its a game. God is hiding somewhere in the Universe and we have to find him. Thats the purpose. Its just a giant game of Hide and Seek.
- AnimalMuppet 11y ago
  Found Him. Look in Palestine, about 2000 years back...
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drzaiusapelord 11y ago
> I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets. Why? I'd rather live in a mostly automated robotic leisure society where I "work" 10-20 hours a week and enjoy my life here than break my back mining space rocks for some market wage so it can be put into some mass advertised consumer product no one really needs. And then what? Dig up that planets resources and continue on to the next ad nausea? I think if we could pick a purpose it would be endless comfort and leisure. This could be possible once we finally nail some things politically and technologically. The idea that we'll export 20th century capitalism to the stars seems very questionable to me (The same way its laughable to look back the the USSR's ideas of exporting Communism to the stars or just another step back into exporting feudalism/slavery/mercantilism to the stars being just as silly). By the time that's feasible we'll see 20th century capitalism as antiquated because we'll be able to do some much more with AI and robotics. Scarcity will be much less of an issue.
- WildUtah 11y ago
  ||I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets. |Why? I'd rather live in a mostly automated robotic leisure society where I "work" 10-20 hours a week and enjoy my life here than break my back mining space rocks" Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Great Filter.

nooron 11y ago

I like to think this as well, and we aren't the first: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cosmism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cosmism

arnold_palmur 11y ago

> I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets Completely agree - however it (sadly) leads me to think of the popular quote that is something along the lines of... "born to late to explore the Earth, and born to early to explore the stars."

Moshe_Silnorin 11y ago
Born too late to experience earthly malthusian hell, born too early to experience cosmic malthusian hell.

dsabanin 11y ago

What will we do on other planets? Begin building new infrastructure to colonize more planets? I think that's a philosophy of a virus dressed in a shiny space suit with NASA logo on it. Exploration is great and it's worth pursuing, but making it a main goal and coincidently (or on purpose) an excuse for ruining our only real existing livable planet is I think wrong.

logfromblammo 11y ago
Humans are the tools that bacteria use to colonize other planets.
- ferentchak 11y ago
  Richard Dawkins would say it's the gene's tool for colonizing other planets. Plus if genes are going to survive the sun exploding they are going to have to get even more mobile :)
theseatoms 11y ago
Colonization can be viewed as planetary diversification in order to lessen the odds of human extinction.

bobajeff 11y ago

Good question but I don't think the answer is 'to colonize other planets'.

Recurecur 11y ago
It's OK that you feel that way, we need a few groundskeepers tending Earth...

elif 11y ago

Yeah, but would spaceX have made their life-saving deal with NASA if we were in war-times? I couldnt imagine such an expenditure during world war 2. The fall of America is not just a noteworthy individual experience, it also heralds the potential collapse of pax Americana which has framed innovation for the last half century.

dudul 11y ago
It is often argued that war times are actually great catalysts for technological progress. Isn't it precisely during WW2 that a lot of advancement was made to develop the technology for space exploration?
- stcredzero 11y ago
  It depends. Konrad Zuse's general purpose computer was put on hold by Germany. So were the extended range true submarines Germany was developing. A part of all that, is if your side is overextended. That can cause the top brass to start cutting things it thinks won't work or that it won't need in the near future.

FreedomToCreate 11y ago

Its a game. God is hiding somewhere in the Universe and we have to find him. Thats the purpose. Its just a giant game of Hide and Seek.

AnimalMuppet 11y ago
Found Him. Look in Palestine, about 2000 years back...

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drzaiusapelord 11y ago

> I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets. Why? I'd rather live in a mostly automated robotic leisure society where I "work" 10-20 hours a week and enjoy my life here than break my back mining space rocks for some market wage so it can be put into some mass advertised consumer product no one really needs. And then what? Dig up that planets resources and continue on to the next ad nausea? I think if we could pick a purpose it would be endless comfort and leisure. This could be possible once we finally nail some things politically and technologically. The idea that we'll export 20th century capitalism to the stars seems very questionable to me (The same way its laughable to look back the the USSR's ideas of exporting Communism to the stars or just another step back into exporting feudalism/slavery/mercantilism to the stars being just as silly). By the time that's feasible we'll see 20th century capitalism as antiquated because we'll be able to do some much more with AI and robotics. Scarcity will be much less of an issue.

WildUtah 11y ago
||I like to think our destiny is to colonize other planets. |Why? I'd rather live in a mostly automated robotic leisure society where I "work" 10-20 hours a week and enjoy my life here than break my back mining space rocks" Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Great Filter.