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> and don't go spewing their shit all over the cosmos Why? What's the downside to littering on some random asteroid? There's no ecosystem that would care – not
by adwn 6y ago
> and don't go spewing their shit all over the cosmos
Why? What's the downside to littering on some random asteroid? There's no ecosystem that would care – not even bacteria – nothing and nobody would mind if you drop a plastic bag on 423 Diotima. Take a step back and think about why pollution on Earth is bad, and you'll realize that "polluting" an asteroid isn't ethically wrong.
Of course, that only applies as long as those asteroids are utterly devoid of life. Once there's an ecosystem, polluting becomes ethically wrong again.
- 5e20ad3b-cdda 6y ago>Take a step back and think about why pollution on Earth is bad, and you'll realize that "polluting" an asteroid isn't ethically wrong. Of course, that only applies as long as those asteroids are utterly devoid of life. Once there's an ecosystem, polluting becomes ethically wrong again. Why? There is no ecosystem on top of Everest yet people will get upset when they see what it looks like. This is an aesthetic decision, not a moral one.
- wongarsu 6y agoI think in the vast majority of cases it is an ethical concern, but I agree that even in the absence of ethics there is an aesthetic dimension. Usually we rephrase it under the umbrella of "preserving it for future generations"
- aero-glide2 6y agoHeh, reminds me of that Jeff Bezos incident : At one meeting, Bezos was regaling attendees with visions of hollowing out asteroids and transforming them into space arks when a woman leapt to her feet. “How dare you rape the universe!” she said, and stormed out. “There was a pause, and Jeff didn’t make a public comment,” says Kevin Polk, another member of the club. “But after things broke up, Jeff said, ‘Did she really defend the inalienable rights of barren rocks?’ ”
- aardvarkr 6y agoHa that’s a pretty funny anecdote, thanks for sharing
- misterkrabs 6y agoFrom the 2018 Wired article "Jeff Bezos Wants Us All to Leave Earth - for Good" Also, is there a term for this kind of weird corporate anecdote? Why are these so common in the business world lol