/lit/ - Literature

>>14898719
I think it's anthrocentric to believe that humans need to constantly expand simply for expansion's sake. We would inevitably exploit them of their natural resources which we could never undo. Terraforming is particularly bad in my opinion, because it destroys something so unique as a planet in order to pursue only own gains. For example, I've always found a kind of beauty in Mars, and I couldn't imagine irreparably changing it from its august red into something green and verdant simply for the satisfaction of saying that we did so.

More practically, I think space imperialism would actually create more problems than it would solve. It would inevitably lead to fracturing and conflict on a scale much larger than we have ever seen. We cannot unify one planet, let alone millions. Furthermore, corporate endeavors disguise their desire for capital and unregulated control of of massive territories under the veil of humanism and progress. Elon Musk gets great press, but if you read between the lines, his true intentions become clear.

All that said, I don't mind sending probes or even settling research facilities like we do in Antarctica. Space in general should function like how we treat Antarctica: a politically neutral zone with a very specific purpose for scientists and artists to explore and discover while interfering with the natural setting as little as possible.