The industrial revolution and the technological progress that followed it were driven and accelerated by the opening of new frontiers, mainly in the Americas (a

The industrial revolution and the technological progress that followed it were driven and accelerated by the opening of new frontiers, mainly in the Americas (admittedly at terrible cost to those peoples already there or those brought against their will). The same holds here: true major progress will only occur when driven by external imperatives and incentives. Restriction will bring decay and eventual collapse. Expanding into space will provide first world prosperity to all peoples on Earth while also protecting the irreplaceable biosphere.