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Comment by jschwartzi | Hacker News Reader

It's also a tool to pacify people with empty promises of a better future. The way that it's being used as a distant future utopia is like the way promises of Heaven are used in Abrahamic religions to convince people to suffer in the here and now.

A lot of people would choose to suffer some now in order to go to some peaceful space colony where they don't have to live with any of the consequences for our biosphere. They'll just get to go live in a different one. The reality is that if we continue to ignore the very real problems on our planet we won't ever see the day that we're living on other planets.

It doesn't matter that there are real, quantifiable benefits to space exploration. Most people who believe it's important don't know anything about those benefits, and they don't think it's important because of that. It's all about the promise of a "heaven" in the sky in which they won't have to struggle anymore.

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We could "spin" the anti-space side as a religion too I suppose. It involves a bit more ascetism and self-flagellation though.

I already live in a "heavenly" future compared to most of my ancestors.

I have hot and cold running water. My waste is whisked away. I can travel far and harness powerful energies with the flick of a switch. I can summon almost any food or item imaginable to my doorstep. I can open a portal to anywhere and speak with people there. There are still mysteries however, and the human body is rich with them.

There is a growing sense that using our powers comes at a terrible cost.

Many feel that the only solution is to abstain, although some factions believe that we can "purify" our technology.

Because the problem, filtered through the human psyche, is seen as a moral one. That it's _wrong_ for so many things to be too easy. Ten dollars shoes, drive-thru fast food and plastic bags must be evil because anyone can see it's absurd that these things are even possible.

Naturally, developing new powers (such as space exploration) would come with more terrible costs, and this must be stopped until we address our sins here on earth.

> We could "spin" the anti-space side as a religion too I suppose. It involves a bit more ascetism and self-flagellation though.

And a heavy dose of fatalism.

Let’s address this theology you’ve just created that you propose/project others believe. It would be more persuasive if you presented an “anti-space” (?) actually expressing this argument. Otherwise it could just be a fantasy you’ve concocted in your head...

A counter argument to your theology: I personally know of no one who has proposed banning space exploration. Banning space travel would follow your created theology, since banning is what morality normally does.

A more widely held theology might be that “anti-space” believes that human space exploration is a cowardly, and not a heroic, endeavor. One person’s exploration is another person’s escape. That is off-message for selling space tourism and tchotchkes, so there could be some pushback from those with “skin in the game”.

And it shows some unintended disrespect for those who gave their lives during early space missions.

PS: In fact, I know of nobody who, now and then, hasn’t wanted more human space travel.

They just want to choose who gets sent and whether they are permitted to come back alive. Two birds, one stone...

Why is it "either, or"? Tackle both problems. For climate change, space tech is invaluable - we already have the ability to build a solar shade in orbit, it's just extremely expensive. With better space technologies, the cost will go down massively.

The bigger problem is that there's no political will. It will have to be an effort by all countries.

Move polluting heavy industry and manufacturing off planet, There are uncounted resources in the asteroid belt and 24/7 solar energy.

Calling it a utopia is straw manning the arguments for expanding beyond Earth and continuing to explore the universe. Why should we stop doing something fundamental to life in the promise that this time we’ll fix all our problems if governments just funnel all their money that way? Why would anyone think NASA’s budget would actually be used any better elsewhere by politicians?

Agreed!

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