rodge

if astronomers one day found a planetary mass that had the potential to support human life, assuming it wasn't too far out of reach, would we be obligated to send human genetic material, along with that of our fauna friends? or should it be left alone?

ethically, morally, and religiously speaking...

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My primordial nature has no liking for the life in the cities.
To be free from the noise I built a little thatched cottage.
Far away in the depth of the mountains.
Wandering here and there I carry no thought.

Buzzby

If the planet did not already support an ecosystem, I don't see why not. If it did support an ecosystem, it's unlikely that foreign-evolved life forms would be able to compete.

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$moKeDanK

if a planet was found that could support human being's needs. not everyone would go there? do you guys think poor people would be able to go>? i dont think so, i think people paying lots of money would be the first ones there. ultimately, leaving the poor in this planet which is being destroyed by global warming, with the rich in a new planet.

Trocisp

It's likely that it would be a "First-to-settle" scenario. Much like the American Fronter - there's not a whole lot you can do to regulate a planet that no one can claim.

I believe that there are international regulations preventing any country from claiming a celestial body...

sterbo

Sure. Why not.
We've cut our teeth figuring out how to fuck up this planet, so tally ho, let's get over there and have at it.
Since we don't seem to be suffering any undue pangs of guilt we can justify throwing all things moral out the window and really cut loose...

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Trocisp

Maybe I'm being a bit idealistic...

But, perhaps if we ever get a chance to start completely over (in a new system, without trade with the old) - maybe we can set up a world that's a bit more communal, rather than the cut-throat system we have now.

rodge

perhaps a new civilization, if left with the knowledge of our carelessness, would not make the same mistake. or perhaps they would anyway. there is no denying what we truly are...a virus.

and if we're lucky, maybe all this global warming madness will seem a dream in the near future due to some serious technological advancements.

humans prevail! spread the genome.

Merry-juana

Or a world where there is only anarchy, and no ruling body. Laws do not stop people from killing each other, all they do is fuck up peoples lives completely if they do kill someone, or even smoke weed. Anarchy is the way to go, since, if people are corrupt and murdurous, how can we be ruled by people?

Trocisp

Your logic is horrible. Laws do prevent people from murdering other people. Anarchy wouldn't work - who is going to pay the fire department? Pave roads? Pay Teachers? etc



On another note... it wouldn't be as simple as simply finding an Earth-like planet. AFAIK, there's no way of creating a genesis effect (Like on a previously barren world), even starting at a microbial point. Earth-Biology is tailor-made to Earth-Geology. And, even so, without Earth-Biology, Earth-Geology would be vastly different. Oceans (on earth) would be green rather than blue, from the increased oxidation of iron, which was only changed after many, many years by Stromatolites (very, very slowly).

The oxidation of iron locked-up much of the O2 that's 'free' in our atmosphere, preventing Carbon-based Oxygen-breathing life from surviving, skyrocketing temperatures and creating a vastly different landscape from the one we know and love. And that's just an Earth-Identical planet, not accounting for variances like Solar-Distance (Radiation, etc), Atmospheric Pressure, Elementary Distribution, etc.



Terraforming, which seems simple enough, is not. And finding an "Earth-like" 78% Nitrogen/20% Oxygen Atmosphere with the correct pressure, liquid water in an appropriate Hydrosphere along with correct Temperatures is not realistic, especially if one of the pre-requisites is it being "lifeless," since Earth is only configured in this manner as a result of life.

Merry-juana

Laws only take affect after the crime is commited. Let me rephrase, there shouldn't be laws as such, but more like guidelines. Life alredy comes with it's own consequenses, with the name guilt. After you commited murder you will inevetably have emotional consequenses, since we where designed to work that way. And if you do not feel bad about commiting murder, you are insane and will have that as your consequense. If you punish someone, you put them under unnecasery stress, and when the get out of prison, they will seak revenge. That is how simple petty thieves can become murderers, since they went through huge trauma in prison.