Things I Believe: Look Up

[woodwardiocom]

I believe that whatever force or entity created the Universe, it is inconceivable that we are supposed to ignore 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of it.*

And I believe that the solutions to many of the problems we face down here, lie out there.**

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* The percentage is the rough ratio between the volume of the Earth and the volume of the observable universe.
** For one example, an economical way to mine near-Earth asteroids would eliminate a lot of strip-mining and associated ecological devastation.

Comments

[docorion.livejournal.com]

Dear everyone: What he said. Thanks, docorion

[n5red.livejournal.com]

You want to strip mine the asteroids! Defiler!

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

I actually argued both sides of that position in Transhuman Space: In The Well, but I think in the end my actual opinion is: Rocks Don't Have Rights.

Manifest Destiny ... in spaaaaaace!

[spacecrime.livejournal.com]

Not that I'm disagreeing, mind you, since that's one of the reasons I loved the original Star Trek. But what do we do about the 96% of the universe that's calling itself dark matter and dark energy and trying to HIDE from us?

Re: Manifest Destiny ... in spaaaaaace!

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

But what do we do about the 96% of the universe that's calling itself dark matter

There's gotta be a fusebox around here somewhere . . .

[happyfunpaul.livejournal.com]

And I believe that the solutions to many of the problems we face down here, lie out there.

Back circa 1993, one of my roommates was an avowed environmentalist. I once bought up the idea to her of moving polluting industries off-Earth and she was remarkably unenthusiastic. Pollution isn't a problem to be solved by scientific and technological means, apparently, it's just morally wrong.

I had the same problem discussing other issues with her, too. For example, nuclear power is just wrong, while solar power is just right-- there wasn't any deeper underlying analysis of the pros and cons or the economics involved. To her, environmentalism was, in essence, religion; it certainly wasn't science-based or fact-based. (I later realized that is a common stance for environmentalists.) I can only imagine her reaction to technological-based solutions proposed to help alleviate global warming.

Another funny thing was, she was the only one in the house who owned a car at the time. Myself, I bicycled.