Who Owns Space?
In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ownership of resources in space. Is space the new frontier of colonialism? Is it likely that we will explore space peacefully and in a civilised way, or are we about to repeat the mistakes of the past? And who owns the night sky? From the Tragedy of the Commons to whether we need to ditch capitalism in order to become a space-faring civilisation.
Come along for an hour-long dose of your Daily Philosophy and understand the arguments surrounding the exploration and exploitation of space.
Brought to you by https://daily-philosophy.com.
Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: https://pixabay.com/music.
00:01:10 Parallel to history of colonisation
00:03:34 Space treaties, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, Bogota declaration, Artemis accords
00:05:46 Is space still in the State of Nature?
00:07:13 Social contract theories
00:07:26 Aristotle
00:09:03 Thomas Hobbes
00:10:31 John Locke’s theory of property rights
00:14:03 Perpetuating earthly inequality in space
00:16:05 Space resources are not necessarily unlimited
00:17:10 G. Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons
00:18:02 Starlink satellites and the night sky
00:19:13 The utilitarian argument for Starlink’s internet
00:20:20 Does nature have intrinsic value?
00:22:53 Who is “we” when we talk of space? Relativism and access
00:26:13 Can the UN regulate access to space?
00:29:44 Rousseau and the “general will”
00:32:45 Tragedy of the Commons, part 2: solutions?
00:36:38 Why do we want to go to space?
00:38:05 Exploration or exploitation?
00:40:29 Is capitalism to blame?
00:45:01 Local regulation, global effects
00:47:48 Should we divide up space?
00:49:45 What drives us to explore space?
00:51:44 Panspermia hypothesis
Philosophers and theories mentioned:
00:07:26 Aristotle
00:09:03 Thomas Hobbes
00:10:31 John Locke’s theory of property rights
00:17:10 G. Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons
00:29:44 Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the “general will”
Next episode: Should we create genetic hybrids of humans and other species?
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