Catered Wine Reception, Poster Session, and Space Art Display

Location

Bryant Hall Gallery

Start Date

8-3-2022 5:45 PM

End Date

8-3-2022 8:00 PM

Description

Confirmed Posters:

  1. Case studies in space exploration and astrobiology / Anna Dueholm, Clemson student team
    Our capabilities and ambitions in space are both growing at exponential rates. Indeed, we seem to be rushing headlong towards a “wild west in space” as actors of all sorts vie to secure historic firsts without any clear guidance or regulation. To prevent this, humanity needs to grapple with the host of complex questions concerning our future in space – questions that science alone is not equipped to answer. Those teaching social, political, and ethical issues should thus consider using cases focused on space exploration and the search for life on other worlds in their classes. Not only are these excellent at generating student enthusiasm, but they introduce a very different perspective that can breathe new life into many traditional questions. We present 11 readymade case studies covering a wide range of interesting issues, along with suggestions about how interested faculty and students can contribute further.
  2. A Passive Protocol for First Contact / Kelly Smith and John Traphagan
    One of the main principles of the Hippocratic oath, which has guided medical practice for 2500 years, is Primum non nocere (first, do no harm). This means, among other things, that when the stakes are high (a patient's life) and one has no idea what one should do, it is better to do nothing at all than risk a treatment that might make things worse. We argue for a similar approach to a face-to-face first contact scenario. In such a situation, the stakes are literally the highest imaginable (the survival of humanity, perhaps even the entire terrestrial ecosystem), and we have almost nothing to go on – we will know next to nothing about our alien interlocutors and can not rely on our evolved instincts or simplistic analogies from Earth's history to guide us appropriately. The smart approach, therefore, is one of extreme passivity and caution. In particular, we argue that an inviolate “prime directive” needs to be imposed on any crew of a mission beyond near Earth such that they will do nothing, even in self-defense, that might potentially be considered threatening. While such a passive approach will forego many opportunities, first contact should be viewed primarily as setting the stage for second contact, with the goal of establishing the alien presence and communicating our harmlessness – no more. In the grand scheme of things, even the loss of the human crew is a small price to pay for the safety of the Earth and all its inhabitants.

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Mar 8th, 5:45 PM Mar 8th, 8:00 PM

Catered Wine Reception, Poster Session, and Space Art Display

Bryant Hall Gallery

Confirmed Posters:

  1. Case studies in space exploration and astrobiology / Anna Dueholm, Clemson student team
    Our capabilities and ambitions in space are both growing at exponential rates. Indeed, we seem to be rushing headlong towards a “wild west in space” as actors of all sorts vie to secure historic firsts without any clear guidance or regulation. To prevent this, humanity needs to grapple with the host of complex questions concerning our future in space – questions that science alone is not equipped to answer. Those teaching social, political, and ethical issues should thus consider using cases focused on space exploration and the search for life on other worlds in their classes. Not only are these excellent at generating student enthusiasm, but they introduce a very different perspective that can breathe new life into many traditional questions. We present 11 readymade case studies covering a wide range of interesting issues, along with suggestions about how interested faculty and students can contribute further.
  2. A Passive Protocol for First Contact / Kelly Smith and John Traphagan
    One of the main principles of the Hippocratic oath, which has guided medical practice for 2500 years, is Primum non nocere (first, do no harm). This means, among other things, that when the stakes are high (a patient's life) and one has no idea what one should do, it is better to do nothing at all than risk a treatment that might make things worse. We argue for a similar approach to a face-to-face first contact scenario. In such a situation, the stakes are literally the highest imaginable (the survival of humanity, perhaps even the entire terrestrial ecosystem), and we have almost nothing to go on – we will know next to nothing about our alien interlocutors and can not rely on our evolved instincts or simplistic analogies from Earth's history to guide us appropriately. The smart approach, therefore, is one of extreme passivity and caution. In particular, we argue that an inviolate “prime directive” needs to be imposed on any crew of a mission beyond near Earth such that they will do nothing, even in self-defense, that might potentially be considered threatening. While such a passive approach will forego many opportunities, first contact should be viewed primarily as setting the stage for second contact, with the goal of establishing the alien presence and communicating our harmlessness – no more. In the grand scheme of things, even the loss of the human crew is a small price to pay for the safety of the Earth and all its inhabitants.