Re:Barack Obama: America Will Take the Giant Leap to Mars
by AndrewKemendo on Tuesday October 11, 2016 @03:14PM
(#12687612)
As far as transhumanism - that's a philosophy.
True, but there are tangible aspects to it that don't require you to be onboard with the philosophy. Brain computer interfaces, mechanical assistance etc... have plenty of uses that don't require the philosophical aspect, like helping paraplegics and the elderly.
Also, going there is relatively cheap, so why not go?
It's not relatively cheap. What do we do after we get to Mars? Go to Jupiter, venus etc? Ok great, now you need to build systems with life support capabilities that allow you to not age out on the way - so add that to the cost? What's the long term goal here? If the goal is to just drive around the universe then the human animal is one of the worst systems to do that as the life support needed is excessive.
If you look at the current state of funding for AGI or Genetics, Robotics and Nanotechnology (GNR) then it's basically nothing in comparison to what we have or are planning on spending on space. Despite what people say it is a fixed pie (on the timeline for any human use of outcomes) both on the private and public side in any practical timeline. So funding for space practically does crowd-out funding for AGI and GNR.
I'm all for space exploration, but not right now with squishy humans.
The "problems" that the space exploration people claim to be solving around humanity will not actually yield results if all we're doing is taking our problems elsewhere - because our problems are baked into our biology. Climate change, resource allocation etc... are all human problems. Man made existential risks are just moved, not eliminated by being a "multi-planetary" species. I also argue that natural existential risks are not solved, just again moved - at crazy high costs. An ELE on Mars is just as likely as it is here on earth, only we have fallback systems and can at least breathe here without energy inputs. The earth is still more habitable after an ELE asteroid than it is on Mars today.
Humans were made on earth for the earth environment. We need to actually change "form" if we are going to explore the universe in any meaningful way - if nothing else because of the time involved in transport.
True, but there are tangible aspects to it that don't require you to be onboard with the philosophy. Brain computer interfaces, mechanical assistance etc... have plenty of uses that don't require the philosophical aspect, like helping paraplegics and the elderly.
Also, going there is relatively cheap, so why not go?
It's not relatively cheap. What do we do after we get to Mars? Go to Jupiter, venus etc? Ok great, now you need to build systems with life support capabilities that allow you to not age out on the way - so add that to the cost? What's the long term goal here? If the goal is to just drive around the universe then the human animal is one of the worst systems to do that as the life support needed is excessive.
If you look at the current state of funding for AGI or Genetics, Robotics and Nanotechnology (GNR) then it's basically nothing in comparison to what we have or are planning on spending on space. Despite what people say it is a fixed pie (on the timeline for any human use of outcomes) both on the private and public side in any practical timeline. So funding for space practically does crowd-out funding for AGI and GNR.
I'm all for space exploration, but not right now with squishy humans.
The "problems" that the space exploration people claim to be solving around humanity will not actually yield results if all we're doing is taking our problems elsewhere - because our problems are baked into our biology. Climate change, resource allocation etc... are all human problems. Man made existential risks are just moved, not eliminated by being a "multi-planetary" species. I also argue that natural existential risks are not solved, just again moved - at crazy high costs. An ELE on Mars is just as likely as it is here on earth, only we have fallback systems and can at least breathe here without energy inputs. The earth is still more habitable after an ELE asteroid than it is on Mars today.
Humans were made on earth for the earth environment. We need to actually change "form" if we are going to explore the universe in any meaningful way - if nothing else because of the time involved in transport.