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This brings up an interesting philosophical question: we are a species that need two things at a minimum at all times to survive: an oxygen atmosphere and a pla
by hliyan 3y ago
This brings up an interesting philosophical question: we are a species that need two things at a minimum at all times to survive: an oxygen atmosphere and a planetary surface with some level of gravity[1]. We've evolved under conditions where both were freely available for millions of years. While oxygen is still free, the right to set foot on a hospitable part of the earth without paying is rapidly disappearing. Should this be normal for a civilisation?
[1] I didn't include food and water in this list because all evolved species that we know of have had to compete for these resources from the day they leave their parents' care. There's an argument to be made for food and water too, but I think it's a separate, weaker argument than the right to live on the surface of the planet.
- Dalewyn 3y agoSetting foot on a hospitable part of the planet is the competition for food and water (and shelter). Humans don't need dirt, humans need what's on (or under) that dirt.
- derekp7 3y agoDon't many species compete for territory? And once an area gets overcrowded fights break out and the weaker ones die off?
- dr_dshiv 3y agoYeah, also it’s not that any “planetary surface” will do. Territory has always been valuable.
- em500 3y agoI don't see the philosophical side here. "Rights" are a purely human construct and only exists in civilizations in the first place (try to convince a bear of your right to set foot in a wood). If you're content to stay some place where nobody else would want to be, say in the middle of Greenland or Mongolia, nobody is going to bother you for payments. You probably just won't survive long. Everywhere else, you need some sort of allocation mechanism, since by assumption you occupy some place that others also find desirable for settlement). Payments (rents and taxes) are how most societies allocate the majority of scarce resources.