
Should We Colonize Other Planets?
Adam Morton(Author)
Polity Press
1st Edition
Published on 7. September 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
140 pages
978-1-5095-2512-6 (ISBN)
Description
As humans continue to degrade and destroy our planet's resources, leading to predictions of total ecological collapse, some (such as the entrepreneur Elon Musk) now suggest that a human colony elsewhere may be our species' best hope for survival.
Adam Morton examines extra-terrestrial colonization plans with a critical eye. He makes a strong case for colonization - just not by human beings. Humans live relatively short lives and, to survive, require large amounts of food and water, very specific climatic conditions and an oxygen-rich atmosphere. We can create colonists that have none of these shortcomings.
Reflecting compassionately on the nature of existence, Morton argues that we should treat the end of the human race in the same way that we treat our own deaths: as something sad but ultimately inevitable. The earth will perish one day, and, in the end, we should be concerned more with securing the future of intelligent beings than with the preservation of our species, which represents but a nanosecond in the history of our solar system.
Adam Morton examines extra-terrestrial colonization plans with a critical eye. He makes a strong case for colonization - just not by human beings. Humans live relatively short lives and, to survive, require large amounts of food and water, very specific climatic conditions and an oxygen-rich atmosphere. We can create colonists that have none of these shortcomings.
Reflecting compassionately on the nature of existence, Morton argues that we should treat the end of the human race in the same way that we treat our own deaths: as something sad but ultimately inevitable. The earth will perish one day, and, in the end, we should be concerned more with securing the future of intelligent beings than with the preservation of our species, which represents but a nanosecond in the history of our solar system.
Reviews / Votes
"Why should we value the survival of our species? Adam Morton confronts this fateful yet rarely-asked question. This is a fascinating, instructive work of scientifically-informed philosophy."-John Broome, University of Oxford
"Adam Morton is known for turning a penetrating intellect on one after another subject that philosophers have made the mistake of neglecting."
-Elijah Millgram, University of Utah
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 184 mm
Width: 106 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
140 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5095-2512-6 (9781509525126)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Adam Morton
Should We Colonize Other Planets?
E-Book
10/2018
1st Edition
Wiley
€10.99
Available for download

Adam Morton
Should We Colonize Other Planets?
Book
09/2018
1st Edition
Polity Press
€42.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Adam Morton is Visiting Emeritus Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia.
Content
Acknowledgements vi 1 Escape from Earth? 1
2 The Colony Solution 22
3 Problems with Colonies 40
4 Costs of Colonization 57
5 Colonization without Humans 78
Conclusion: Why Human Colonization is a Bad Idea 99
Further Reading 103
Index 121
2 The Colony Solution 22
3 Problems with Colonies 40
4 Costs of Colonization 57
5 Colonization without Humans 78
Conclusion: Why Human Colonization is a Bad Idea 99
Further Reading 103
Index 121