Astrobiology: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy

Astrobiology: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy
ISBN-10
1119711169
ISBN-13
9781119711162
Series
Astrobiology
Category
Science
Pages
420
Language
English
Published
2021-11-02
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons
Authors
Richard Gordon, Ted Peters, Joseph Seckbach

Description

Astrobiology is an exploding discipline in which not only the natural sciences, but also the social sciences and humanities converge. Astrobiology: Science, Ethics and Public Policy is a multidisciplinary book that presents different perspectives and points of view by its contributing specialists. Epistemological, moral and political issues arising from astrobiology, convey the complexity of challenges posed by the search for life elsewhere in the universe. We ask: if a convoy of colonists from Earth make the trip to Mars, should their genomes be edited to adapt to the Red Planet’s environment? If scientists discover a biosphere with microbial life within our solar system, will it possess intrinsic value or merely utilitarian value? If astronomers discover an intelligent civilization on an exoplanet elsewhere in the Milky Way, what would be humanity’s moral responsibility: to protect Earth from an existential threat? To treat other intelligences with dignity? To exploit through interstellar commerce? To conquer?

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