Lesson 25 — Activity 2: Ethical Factors
Completion requirements
Lesson 25 — Activity 2:
Ethical Factors
Explore
The
second factor that has to be considered in space exploration is ethics.
Ethics has to do with whether something is right or wrong and how it
matches up with what people believe. In this activity, you will learn about some of the ethical factors associated with space exploration.
Consider this question: Is it right to spend so much money on space exploration when there are still problems on Earth that need to be fixed? Also, how can we be sure that any resources obtained in space will be used for the good of mankind and not for only a few individuals?
These are
questions that are hard to answer. Each individual may have a different
opinion of them. However, as the quest to go to Mars becomes reality,
there are ethical questions that have to be answered.
@pexels
These are questions that are hard to answer. Each individual may have a different opinion of them. However, as the quest to go to Mars becomes reality, there are ethical questions that have to be answered.
@pexels
One way to think about expanding our presence in the solar system is through the lens of stewardship. Stewardship thinks of humans not as owners of the solar system but as responsible managers of its wonder and beauty.
Stewardship holds us accountable for a caring and thoughtful use of space resources. Such responsibility may support exploration of the final frontier, but at the same time, it warns against exploitation of its resources. We must account for our actions in terms of their impact on others, the universe, and the future.
As we boldly plan to go where no one has gone before, we should consider the following with respect to the ethics of space exploration:
- Space preservation requires that the solar system be values for its own sake, not on the basis of what it can do for us.
- Space conservation insists that extraterrestrial resources should not be exploited to benefit the few at the expense of the many or of the solar system itself.
- Space sustainability asks that our explorations "do no harm" and that we leave the moon, Mars, and space itself no worse, and perhaps better, than we found them.
As we expand human presence into the solar system, we must take our best ethical thinking with us as we cross the frontier of space exploration.
Click on the Play button to watch a video that further explains the ethical considerations for space exploration.
Click on the Play button to watch a video that further explains the ethical considerations for space exploration.