The Moon as a collecting point for solar energy for use on Earth and maybe even into the outer solar system.
One man’s decades-long dream of harnessing sunlight from the lunar surface.
Posted in biotech/medical, economics, ethics, policy, robotics/AI, space, transhumanism
The first of my major #Libertarian policy articles for my California gubernatorial run, which broadens the foundational “non-aggression principle” to so-called negative natural phenomena. “In my opinion, and to most #transhumanist libertarians, death and aging are enemies of the people and of liberty (perhaps the greatest ones), similar to foreign invaders running up our shores.” A coordinated defense agianst them is philosophically warranted.
Many societies and social movements operate under a foundational philosophy that often can be summed up in a few words. Most famously, in much of the Western world, is the Golden Rule: Do onto others as you want them to do to you. In libertarianism, the backbone of the political philosophy is the non-aggression principle (NAP). It argues it’s immoral for anyone to use force against another person or their property except in cases of self-defense.
A challenge has recently been posed to the non-aggression principle. The thorny question libertarian transhumanists are increasingly asking in the 21st century is: Are so-called natural acts or occurrences immoral if they cause people to suffer? After all, taken to a logical philosophical extreme, cancer, aging, and giant asteroids arbitrarily crashing into the planet are all aggressive, forceful acts that harm the lives of humans.
Traditional libertarians throw these issues aside, citing natural phenomena as unable to be morally forceful. This thinking is supported by most people in Western culture, many of whom are religious and fundamentally believe only God is aware and in total control of the universe. However, transhumanists —many who are secular like myself—don’t care about religious metaphysics and whether the universe is moral. (It might be, with or without an almighty God.) What transhumanists really care about are ways for our parents to age less, to make sure our kids don’t die from leukemia, and to save the thousands of species that vanish from Earth every year due to rising temperatures and the human-induced forces.
Humanity’s first church on another world could be a dome perched on the rim of a huge crater near the moon’s south pole.
European Space Agency (ESA) artist-in-residence Jorge Mañes Rubio has drawn up plans for a “moon temple” that would help meet the spiritual, social and psychological needs of lunar settlers.
Those needs will likely be considerable, given that the pioneers will be isolated from the rest of humanity on a world hostile to life as we know it, Rubio said. [Visit the Moon Temple: Jorge Mañes Rubio’s Lunar Art in Pictures].
Will we land on Mars? Discover other life forms? Usher in the age of artificial intelligence Before his New Zealand talk tonight, celebrity scientist Professor Brian Greene talked to Jamie Morton about five big developments we can expect in the next 20 years.
When will the universe end? — New Zealand Herald.
Ten of the most promising new regional aerospace start-up companies descended on El Segundo on Tuesday to pitch their futuristic concepts for the next wave of industry advancement, from orbiting cell towers in space to drones that communicate with each other.
The event, organized by new-tech business support company Starburst Accelerator, was held at The Aerospace Corp., the research and development arm of the adjacent Los Angeles Air Force Base.
Such meetings between legacy aerospace companies and energetic up-and-comers are becoming commonplace, as the industry works to keep up with a flood of technological advancements propelling the commercialization of low-Earth orbit.
Want a career in AI and robotics? One of the best ways to enrich your knowledge about the sector is to follow these AI influencers.
The world of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics has never been more exciting. With questions around the ethics of AI and the ever-developing robotics sector, there are so many options for someone who wants a career in AI.
If you really want to explore the unknown, it’s necessary to put every effort possible into this venture. According to NASA, that’s exactly what they had in mind when their plans to fund some supporting institutes were announced.
The ultimate goal, of course, is not only to boldly go out there, but to extent humanity’s reach in our solar system.
The so-called Space Technology Research Institutes, or STRIs, will each receive the handsome amount of $15 million in order to develop groundbreaking technology in biomaterials and biomanufacturing.