Stephen Hawking says we should get our asses into outer space fast.
But like… why should I listen to the smartest theoretical physicist since Einstein?
I do what I want.
Well, I won’t be able to do what I want when I come back next lifetime as a mouse or mouse dung fungus. And that’ll suck for not-so-badass-anymore me. ’cause Hawking insists we can’t live on earth indefinitely – not at the rate we’re going, anyway. Our species, he claims, won’t survive long-term. So NASA & friends should be doubling up on efforts for some real life star trekking ASAP.
“We are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history,” he says, adding:
“Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. But our genetic code still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts that were of survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million.”
He raises an interesting point.
While some Doomsday preppers ready their bunkers, other groups of people want to raise awareness enough to induce a spiritual revolution (bring down the one percent, create a peaceful society, and all that). The problem with the former is that eventually food will run out in our moribund world. The issue with the latter is the amount of work it would take to get and stay in that state – along with unanimous cooperation. The proclivity toward selfishness and aggression is wrought from our evolution – survival of the fittest so that we can pass our genes on. We know it’s not right to be blatantly greedy as beings with higher consciousness – but are we slaves to our biology? If we did have a spiritual revolution – what would be on the other side? Would people get restless and let their DNA start dictating drama mongering? Or would shame from a tranquil majority be enough to make for harmonious living – as “Through the Wormhole” hints at?
Since inspiring people to work on changing from the inside out is a tough job, the hope is instead to inspire people from the outside outer. Outer space that is. Using science. But science and spirituality (as “Cosmos” has proven) are not mutually exclusive things. That’s why Hawking insists we must do more than just send robots into outer space. Seeing astronauts float around in the infinite ebony abyss might just be the only way to induce that inner jaw drop of awe we get when we see anything overwhelming in nature. And it might just be enough to get more people involved in exploring space manifest destiny style, like some cosmic Christopher Columbus.
Besides, according to Hawkings, robots can’t be trusted anyway:
I mean, before we know it, they’ll be taking over earth (who knows, maybe that’ll be part of why we have to leave in the first place).
Do we really need electrical overlords commandeering our new barrio in the stars too?
In sum, everyone’s right, in a way. Yes – let’s scour the heavens. But let’s not give up so soon down here, shall we? I mean, when one of our modern geniuses says end times are drawing nigh – how is that not a sudden wake up call?