dietz%usc-cse%USC-ECL%SRI-NIC@sri-unix.UUCP (01/12/84)
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DMS%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA (01/14/84)
From: David Siegel <DMS%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA>
From: dietz%usc-cse%USC-ECL at SRI-NIC
Re: "Rights" of planets?
What gives us the right to nuke Venus or any other planet or moon in
the hopes that it will make it habitable? We have done much to
destroy Terra's ecology, so now we must work on other places??!! It
seems to me that until Mankind learns to be responsible enough to take
care of his own planet, he should lay off trying to change other
planets to suit his needs.
One could argue that since Man has messed up Earth, we should try to
make up for it by building ecologies on previously lifeless planets. I
disagree strongly with the idea that inanimate matter has "rights", as
you seem to imply. Absent this idea, it's hard to object to
terraforming, except perhaps for esthetic reasons.
Who is to say that Venus is certainly a lifeless, inanimate object
anyway? In the early days of our planet's life it too may have seemed
worthless. If some other lifeform came along back then and attempted
a major experiment on this planet, we might not be around today.
Don't forget, nature has always seemed to be wiser than humans in the
past!Heiny.Henr@PARC-MAXC.ARPA (01/16/84)
"If some other lifeform came along back then and attempted a major experiment on this planet, we might not be around today." But then again, that might be why we ARE around today. By the same logic you use, I shouldn't clean my bathtub in order to keep the descendents of the bacteria therein around, even though they seem worthless today. Chris
CMP.FLATAU@UTEXAS-20.ARPA (01/16/84)
From: Art Flatau <CMP.FLATAU@UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
Who is to say that Venus is certainly a lifeless, inanimate object
anyway? In the early days of our planet's life it too may have seemed
worthless. If some other lifeform came along back then and attempted
a major experiment on this planet, we might not be around today.
Don't forget, nature has always seemed to be wiser than humans in the
past!
Who's to say that some other lifeform came along, and did attempt a major
experiment on this planet and that's why we are around today.
Just a thought!
-------mat@hou5d.UUCP (M Terribile) (01/18/84)
Why shouldn't we try to zap a nearby planet into our idea of a good world? I can think of a few reasons. Consider the energies involved. What if something goes wrong? Consider our history of the use of our planet. At least half of the good things we do seem to turn out bad after a generation or two. We can't seem to make an informed decision as to what is god or bad because we don't well enough understand the ways of nature/physics/whatever. Should we start to take a chunk out of what might be our future bankroll so long before we have any need of it? What of the idea of being good custodians of our world, using only what we need? The whole idea of trying massive experiments on other planets seems irresponsible/reckless/dangerous Mark Terribile Duke Of deNet