7.A. Space Narratives

Location

Student Union 323-A

Start Date

9-3-2022 9:00 AM

End Date

9-3-2022 10:30 AM

Description

  1. Decoupling Physical and Spiritual Ascent Narratives in Astronomy and Biology / Lucas Mix
    Traditional ascent narratives described a journey in spiritual space as well as physical space. Ancient and Medieval thinkers imagined a spherical cosmos in which distance from earth and from the center was directly correlated with goodness, and elevation had moral value. The Copernican Revolution did not decenter humanity physically, as humans were not physically central in prior cosmologies. It did, however, disorient humanity, relativizing concepts of up and down. Planetary journeys have always played a role in astronomy. Parallel ascents, through progressive evolution, were popular in Early Modern Biology but definitively rejected in the early twentieth century. Despite this, astronomers and astrobiologists continued to promote ascent narratives labelled as “evolution” and linked them to a developmental story: spaceflight as human adolescence. This picture, when presented as biological science, is susceptible to moral abuse through the comparison of “higher” and “lower” expressions of life – as activities, individuals, or societies. It should, therefore, be used with caution. Parallel ascent narratives – represented by a one-dimensional arrow and a one-dimensional value structure – should be replaced by radial narratives of expansion in multiple dimensions, reflecting the Copernican Revolution and evolution by natural selection. To complete the Copernican Revolution, we must decouple spaceflight and physical elevation from spiritual ascent and developmental progress and consider alternative moral models.
  2. Virtues and morals in the era of new space / Koji Tachibana
    Recent developments in the space sector are diverse: Private actors transport astronauts to the ISS; billionaires and celebrities enjoy space travels; several states enact domestic laws for the space industry. These and other movements will change space into an economic and living sphere, or “new space”.
    This presentation considers what sort of morals we should adopt in such a new space era. First, I consider the notion of space security. Space security comes from national/state security, which consists of military and diplomatic powers. However, the recent developments in the space sector gradually enlarge the scope of space security such that it comes to cover environmental, economic, societal, and human securities. Although this enlargement might blur the definition of the concept, the phrase “peaceful use” of space, which is declared in the Outer Space Treaty, will play a crucial role in comprehending the expanded notion of space security.
    Second, I consider which moral theory will be most suitable for making the phrase effective and contributing to space security. Being embodied in skepticism, state moralism, and cosmopolitanism, deontology and utilitarianism are often referred to as two major moral theories for understanding international relations. However, I argue these theories are not adequate for embodying the phrase of peaceful use of space. I then propose virtue ethics will provide a practical moral foundation for it. I conclude that cultivating human virtue will be required for the new space era.
  3. Billionaire Libertarian Space Heroes! / Jon Trerise
    The subtitle of my paper might be: “or, how to reasonably reject them.” For I identify three models for thinking about a political philosophy for space settlement, and outline an argument for one of the three. The first, and my primary target in this presentation, might be called Space Frontierism, and is represented by my title “Billionaire Libertarian Space Heroes”. These new frontiersmen (like Musk, Bezos, and company) represent a model of approaching the exploration and potential colonization of space environments that I argue is problematic. A different model, which I refer to roughly as Space Egalitarianism, suggests that there ought to be no property rights in space environments whatsoever; there are either no property rights at all or everyone is a joint owner thereof. But I argue briefly this model has important limitations as well. The model I argue is superior to both (in particular for space environments) is a left-libertarian model.
    Tracking the terrestrial political philosophy of the same name, a left-libertarian model of political philosophy in space environments holds that natural extra-terrestrial resources are initially jointly-owned. Appropriation and private ownership, however, is permissible so long as one pays the community back for the privilege of private ownership thereof. There may be further, external restrictions on what owners can do with their private property, given other ethical principles. But that question is not central to this argument, which only establishes a basic political philosophy for extra-terrestrial ownership rights and in, turn, a model for distributive justice in space.

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Mar 9th, 9:00 AM Mar 9th, 10:30 AM

7.A. Space Narratives

Student Union 323-A

  1. Decoupling Physical and Spiritual Ascent Narratives in Astronomy and Biology / Lucas Mix
    Traditional ascent narratives described a journey in spiritual space as well as physical space. Ancient and Medieval thinkers imagined a spherical cosmos in which distance from earth and from the center was directly correlated with goodness, and elevation had moral value. The Copernican Revolution did not decenter humanity physically, as humans were not physically central in prior cosmologies. It did, however, disorient humanity, relativizing concepts of up and down. Planetary journeys have always played a role in astronomy. Parallel ascents, through progressive evolution, were popular in Early Modern Biology but definitively rejected in the early twentieth century. Despite this, astronomers and astrobiologists continued to promote ascent narratives labelled as “evolution” and linked them to a developmental story: spaceflight as human adolescence. This picture, when presented as biological science, is susceptible to moral abuse through the comparison of “higher” and “lower” expressions of life – as activities, individuals, or societies. It should, therefore, be used with caution. Parallel ascent narratives – represented by a one-dimensional arrow and a one-dimensional value structure – should be replaced by radial narratives of expansion in multiple dimensions, reflecting the Copernican Revolution and evolution by natural selection. To complete the Copernican Revolution, we must decouple spaceflight and physical elevation from spiritual ascent and developmental progress and consider alternative moral models.
  2. Virtues and morals in the era of new space / Koji Tachibana
    Recent developments in the space sector are diverse: Private actors transport astronauts to the ISS; billionaires and celebrities enjoy space travels; several states enact domestic laws for the space industry. These and other movements will change space into an economic and living sphere, or “new space”.
    This presentation considers what sort of morals we should adopt in such a new space era. First, I consider the notion of space security. Space security comes from national/state security, which consists of military and diplomatic powers. However, the recent developments in the space sector gradually enlarge the scope of space security such that it comes to cover environmental, economic, societal, and human securities. Although this enlargement might blur the definition of the concept, the phrase “peaceful use” of space, which is declared in the Outer Space Treaty, will play a crucial role in comprehending the expanded notion of space security.
    Second, I consider which moral theory will be most suitable for making the phrase effective and contributing to space security. Being embodied in skepticism, state moralism, and cosmopolitanism, deontology and utilitarianism are often referred to as two major moral theories for understanding international relations. However, I argue these theories are not adequate for embodying the phrase of peaceful use of space. I then propose virtue ethics will provide a practical moral foundation for it. I conclude that cultivating human virtue will be required for the new space era.
  3. Billionaire Libertarian Space Heroes! / Jon Trerise
    The subtitle of my paper might be: “or, how to reasonably reject them.” For I identify three models for thinking about a political philosophy for space settlement, and outline an argument for one of the three. The first, and my primary target in this presentation, might be called Space Frontierism, and is represented by my title “Billionaire Libertarian Space Heroes”. These new frontiersmen (like Musk, Bezos, and company) represent a model of approaching the exploration and potential colonization of space environments that I argue is problematic. A different model, which I refer to roughly as Space Egalitarianism, suggests that there ought to be no property rights in space environments whatsoever; there are either no property rights at all or everyone is a joint owner thereof. But I argue briefly this model has important limitations as well. The model I argue is superior to both (in particular for space environments) is a left-libertarian model.
    Tracking the terrestrial political philosophy of the same name, a left-libertarian model of political philosophy in space environments holds that natural extra-terrestrial resources are initially jointly-owned. Appropriation and private ownership, however, is permissible so long as one pays the community back for the privilege of private ownership thereof. There may be further, external restrictions on what owners can do with their private property, given other ethical principles. But that question is not central to this argument, which only establishes a basic political philosophy for extra-terrestrial ownership rights and in, turn, a model for distributive justice in space.