3 ms·
tldr; To mitigate existential risks. There are at least a couple reasons: 1) A lot of the conflict that destroys so many lives is motivated by limited resource
by jscn 15y ago
tldr; To mitigate existential risks.
There are at least a couple reasons:
1) A lot of the conflict that destroys so many lives is motivated by limited resources such as land. Getting off this planet could make that kind of conflict disappear (eventually).
2) Diversification. If climate change/oil scarcity/nano/GE get out of hand, it'd be good to have someplace else to go. Even if you're sceptical about the environmental risks from climate change and oil scarcity, GE and nano pose big risks. The easier nano and GE get, the more likely some bio-/nano-hacker somewhere creates an irreversible problem for us (whether accidentally or intentionally).
- zerostar07 15y agoBut none of these scenarios seem particularly pressing. 1) Population growth rates fall as living standards improve, the UN predicts a rise up to 9 billion humans followed by a drop to more or less back to 7bil. 2) It would be easier to work on reversing climate change than finding a planet that supports life. The way i see it we 're still in 'space exploration' not colonization. Perhaps if we master biology, life and intelligence first, we 'll have our drones do that for us.