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I think Jupiter is utterly useless[^1][^2]. Philosophical question: if somebody came up with a way to disassemble (not just mine) Jupiter for materials, would t
by dsign 5y ago
I think Jupiter is utterly useless[^1][^2]. Philosophical question: if somebody came up with a way to disassemble (not just mine) Jupiter for materials, would that be ethical? Can an argument be made that "it's such a virgin ecosystem that it must be kept pristine?"
[^1] Piling enough tech, one could perhaps live in its atmosphere. One could even do so to escape some despotic regime firing high-energy lasers to any in-system object. But that's a little far-fetched.
[^2] Maybe it keeps some bodies from reaching the inner solar system and thus Earth, but in the considered scenario, there would be plenty of other ways to do so, if the issue is at all relevant.
- patrickwalton 5y agoAs an object of study Jupiter is definitely unique in our proximity and valuable. Generally, it seems strange to think some aspect of nature has to be valuable.