Issue #3(17) 2018 Lounge

The ethics of space exploration

James Vaughan
James Vaughan
Guerric de Crombrugghe Brussels, Belgium

Sixty years ago, philosopher and political theorist, Hannah Arendt said we had already begun to act as though we were “dwellers of the universe”. Today, science and technology are advancing at a rate that would have been unimaginable when Arendt published what was arguably her most influential work, The Human Condition. In this article, engineer and author Guerric de Crombrugghe questions the meaning and value of our current space ambitions to humankind and suggests that we need to take time to look at the motivation behind our headlong rush into space activities and consider the ethics, morality and meaningfulness of the activities themselves.

As a child, the first image that came to my mind when thinking about space exploration, was that of an astronaut delicately picking up a rock, somewhere on the vast expanses of the red planet - he or she wearing a full pressurised suit - while a few metres away stood the robotised vehicle used for the expedition. These were the only man-made elements in a barren yet beautiful landscape.

In my young mind, the Universe was home to all sorts of planets, stars, galaxies and black holes. It had produced life on our own blue planet but could also harbour life elsewhere – perhaps in a very unexpected form. It was constructed of superlatives and enigmas, some of which could be grasped with rational thinking, the rest being left to myth.

If you already have a login and password to access www.room.eu.com - Please log in to be able to read all the articles of the site.

Popular articles

See also

Lounge

Asgardia at Escape Velocity 2018

Astronautics

Space Elevators - a role in planetary defence?

Astronautics

Supporting sustainable lunar development

Popular articles

SLS carrying an Orion spacecraft lifts off the pad at Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 16 November 2022. Lounge

Lego’s tribute to NASA’s SLS and Artemis

Specials

Maximising returns to Earth - the infinite potential of space