Should we colonize space to mitigate existential risk?

Should we colonize space to mitigate existential risk?(slatestarcodex.com)

9 points by julianshapiro 6 years ago | 6 comments

simonblack 6 years ago |

Sounds good in theory, but we don't have the expertise to do that. If we did, trips to Mars wouldn't be classified as 'one-way suicide' certainties. The only way people can survive in space or on Mars is if there is the whole of Earth's backing behind them. No Earth, No Survival.

Fjolsvith 6 years ago | |

Actually, one would be fine with just Elon backing them.

AlEinstein 6 years ago |

"Everyone agrees that we should try to avoid extinction"

Perhaps I'm an outlier here but I don't see why we should do anything in particular to ensure the survival of humanity.

redis_mlc 6 years ago | |

You're only an outlier because of how rare logic is today ...

I think we should get our own house in order before wasting money on, literally, pie in the sky.

We're on our way to polluting every square inch of the only known habitable planet, and already causing mass extinction.

Thus how can anybody prioritize sending a few people to Mars?

recursivebears 6 years ago |

no. we should use our knowledge to harden our planet against our kind so that we can have security and longevity to develop real space faring tech

hellofunk 6 years ago |

Yes.