I interpret Musk's interest in this kind of thing as a form of ideological futurism rather than a pragmatic goal. I think he presents the idea of something very

I interpret Musk's interest in this kind of thing as a form of ideological futurism rather than a pragmatic goal. I think he presents the idea of something very far out and very ambitious as a way to try and inspire people to think big and think about developing technology the likes of which we've never seen before. It's an interesting strategy, but I think it has a major downside too. It strikes many people (me included) as a bit detached from reality and even cold to the concerns of the many people here on Earth that are struggling.