5 ms·
FTL travel actually implies FTL communication, since you can send a traveller with a message. What I think you mean is that communication needs to be either rea
by frenchy 6y ago
FTL travel actually implies FTL communication, since you can send a traveller with a message. What I think you mean is that communication needs to be either really fast, or at least a lot faster than the travelling.
I don't think that's relevant. All you really need is a segment of the population that wants to go somewhere else, and trade and whatnot can still work well without a communication system that's faster than travelling. That's how the trans-atlantic trade system worked from about 1500-1700.
- ASalazarMX 6y ago> What I think you mean is that communication needs to be either really fast, or at least a lot faster than the travelling. Precisely. Messengers wouldn't cut it. Ancient empires always struggled to maintain control of their edge territories, because communication was too slow, even with messengers on horse.
- frenchy 6y agoAncient empires also regularly spawned friendly or unfriendly colonies on their periphery, and regularly lost control of them. Space colonization doesn't have to be useful for earthlings for somone to bother attempting it. All of that said, we're probably less equiped to colonize space than the chimpanzees in Africa are to build boats and sail to Brazil.
- ASalazarMX 6y ago> we're probably less equiped to colonize space than the chimpanzees in Africa are to build boats and sail to Brazil Surprisingly less prepared, if you count accidental "boats" http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160126-the-monkeys-that-sailed-across-the-atlantic-to-south-america http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160126-the-monkeys-that-sai...