why outer space?

From: Robert Reed [mailto:shinryuu64@...]

Here's my justification: I, and a lot of other people want to go to
space. That alone should be enough to justify space colonization.

That's fine. The truth of the matter is that the many justifications we
sometimes give (accessing energy, material resources, expanding our land
area, etc.) are just the rational reasons, not the personal reasons, which
in truth boil down to just what you said. But there's nothing wrong with
that. The rational reasons have to do with our logic, the personal reasons
our instincts. But approaching this issue in an instinctual fashion is not
necessarily wrong. Natural selection has worked over millions of years to
ensure that our instincts are whatever behaviors enhance our survival and
success as a species.

It might not justify using tax payer money for it, but it might
justify the private exploration and colonization of space.

Yeah, that's the rub. The problem is there aren't enough people in the
whole world sufficiently passionate about this proposition to raise the
money needed. So I hope for a profitable business plan which incidentally
works to further space settlement, so that people with no particular passion
for settling space will still put up money simply in the hopes of eventual
profit.

Plus, I
don't really want a big brother from Earth telling me what to do in
space. I would want to live in a self-governing society.

Perhaps a primary incentive for many to leave Earth and attempt to build
their own societies in space.

Regards,

Mike Combs

From:
Robert Reed [mailto:shinryuu64@...]
Here's my justification: I, and a lot of other people want to go to
space. That alone should be enough to justify space colonization.

That's fine. The truth of the matter is that the many justifications we sometimes give (accessing energy, material resources, expanding our land area, etc.) are just the rational reasons, not the personal reasons, which in truth boil down to just what you said. But there's nothing wrong with that. The rational reasons have to do with our logic, the personal reasons our instincts. But approaching this issue in an instinctual fashion is not necessarily wrong. Natural selection has worked over millions of years to ensure that our instincts are whatever behaviors enhance our survival and success as a species.

It might not justify using tax payer money for it, but it might
justify the private exploration and colonization of space.

Yeah, that's the rub. The problem is there aren't enough people in the whole world sufficiently passionate about this proposition to raise the money needed. So I hope for a profitable business plan which incidentally works to further space settlement, so that people with no particular passion for settling space will still put up money simply in the hopes of eventual profit.

Plus, I
don't really want a big brother from Earth telling me what to do in
space. I would want to live in a self-governing society.

Perhaps a primary incentive for many to leave Earth and attempt to build their own societies in space.

Regards
,
Mike Combs