The expansion of Civilization beyond Earth is a moral issue

The new paper “The expansion of Civilization beyond Earth” is a moral issue by Adriano Autino is online on the Journal of Space Philosophy and on the Space Renaissance International web site. Comments welcome, even on Facebook.

## ABSTRACT ##

Several philosophers (including Hawking, Lovelock, and Ziolo) warned about the implosion of civilization in the course of this century due to the unsustainable growth of humanity within the closed system of our mother planet. The global crisis, which began in 2008, is a deep crisis of resources, initially manifested as a financial crisis. Such a crisis could be one of the cyclical downturns, analyzed by Nicolai Kondratieff, which occur with a frequency of about sixty years and it could last 20 years. At this critical stage of human history, a nihilist thread is gaining momentum – so-called degrowth – in which nature is taken as an ethical model and is increasingly revered, while the value of human life declines. These philosophies are proposed as love and respect for nature, but they threaten the survival of humanity. Proponents of astronautics, ever looking for rationales for space, must focus on a counter-philosophy: that the expansion of civilization in space is a moral issue. Not expanding civilization into space would be a real, specific suicide: a rapid decline and the end of humanity as a cultural species. Such a waiver would therefore be a crime against humanity. Economic and social growth is absolutely necessary for the development of a fully inclusive human society, free and democratic. The resources of the solar system are virtually endless, covering human needs for several millennia. Therefore, while the modern Savonarolas advocate a season of thrift and wise administration of misery, we should learn to handle the large abundance and freedom that we will find in space. The only possible evolutionary step is to step into space (Ehricke, Hawking, Ziolo, Wolfe). Humans are midway in their journey from animal status toward full human status, emancipated from the natural behaviors of murderous ferocity and exploitation. This step can be completed only by expanding in space, and accessing a platform of virtually infinite resources and energy.

Read the full paper