Foreword xv
Preface xix
1 Astrobioethics: Epistemological, Astrotheological, and Interplanetary Issues 1
Octavio A. Chon Torres
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Epistemological Issue 3
1.3 Astrotheological Issue 6
1.4 Interplanetary Issue 9
1.5 Conclusions 12
References 13
2 Astroethics for Earthlings: Our Responsibility to the Galactic Commons 17
Ted Peters
2.1 Introduction 17
2.2 Laying the Foundation for an Astroethics of Responsibility 20
2.2.1 First Foundational Question: Who Are We? 21
2.2.2 Second Foundational Question: What Do We Value? 22
2.2.2.1 Science and Value 24
2.2.2.2 Religious Reliance on the Common Good 25
2.2.2.3 A Secular Grounding for Astroethics? 27
2.2.3 Third Foundational Question: What Should We Do? 29
2.2.3.1 From Quandary to Responsibility 29
2.2.3.2 From Space Sanctuary to Galactic Commons 30
2.3 Astroethical Quandaries Arising Within the Solar Neighborhood 32
2.3.1 Does Planetary Protection Apply Equally to Both Earth and Off-Earth Locations? 32
2.3.2 Does Off-Earth Life Have Intrinsic Value? 33
2.3.3 Should Astroethicists Adopt the Precautionary Principle? 36
2.3.4 Who's Responsible for Space Debris? 36
2.3.5 How Should We Govern Satellite Surveillance? 37
2.3.6 Should We Weaponize Space? 38
2.3.7 Which Should Have Priority: Scientific Research or Making a Profit? 39
2.3.8 Should We Earthlings Terraform Mars? 40
2.3.9 Should We Establish Human Settlements on Mars? 42
2.3.10 How Do We Protect Earth from the Sky? 43
2.4 Levels of Intelligence in the Milky Way Metropolis 44
2.4.1 What is Our Responsibility Toward Intellectually Inferior ETI? 46
2.4.2 What is Our Responsibility Toward Peer ETI? 46
2.4.3 What is Our Responsibility Toward Superior ETI or Even Post-Biological Intelligence? 48
2.5 Conclusion 50
References 51
3 Moral Philosophy for a Second Genesis 57
Julian Chela-Flores
3.1 Moral Philosophy on Earth and Elsewhere 58
3.1.1 The Origin of Ethics and Its Universal Relevance 58
3.1.2 Why Should We Act Morally? 59
3.1.3 Is a New Morality Needed for Astrobiological Explorations? 60
3.2 Identifying the Lack of Ethical Substance in Science Communication 61
3.2.1 Understanding the Boundaries of Knowledge 61
3.2.2 Implications of the Limits and Horizons of Science 63
3.3 Going from Astrobiology to Astrobioethics: A Big Step for Science and Humanism 64
3.3.1 The Pathway from Ethics to Bioethics and to Astrobioethics 64
3.3.2 The Question of the Role of Ethics in Astrobiology 64
3.4 Would There Be New Ethical Principles if There Were a Second Genesis? 65
3.4.1 Inevitability of the Emergence of a Particular Biosignature 65
3.4.2 Universalizable Ethical Criteria 66
3.5 Astrobioethics is Subject to Constraints on Chance 67
3.5.1 Not All Genes Are Equally Significant Targets for Evolution 67
3.5.2 Evolutionary Changes Are Constrained 67
3.6 How Are We Going to Treat Non-Human Life Away from the Earth? 68
3.6.1 Can Ethical Behavior Be Extended into a Cosmic Context 68
3.6.2 Instrumentation for the Search of Life 69
3.7 Ethical Principles in Early Proposals for the Search for Non-Human Life in the Solar System 69
3.7.1 Ethical Considerations in Previous Research in the Solar System 69
3.7.2 Instrumentation That Might Harm Exo-Microorganisms 70
3.8 Conclusion 71
Glossary 72
References 73
4 Who Goes There? When Astrobiology Challenges Humans 79
Jacques Arnould
4.1 Introduction 79
4.2 The Copernican Revolution 80
4.3 Religious Reactions to the Copernican Revolution 81
4.4 Astrobiology and Speculation 83
4.5 Heretics 84
4.6 The Many Worlds Hypothesis 86
4.7 Desecration of Planets Beyond Earth 86
4.8 The Precautionary Principle 87
4.9 The Sacred Beyond Earth 91
4.10 Who Goes There? 91
4.11 Conclusion: The Astrobiological Apocalypse 92
Furher Readings 93
5 Social and Ethical Currents in Astrobiological Debates 95
Kelly C. Smith
5.1 Introductory Musings 95
5.2 Uncertainty Opens the Door 97
5.3 Time Frames 100
5.4 Conceptual Frames 103
5.4.1 Error Avoiders vs. Optimizers 104
5.4.2 Ecologicals vs. Anthropocentrists 105
5.4.3 Communalists vs. Commercialists 106
5.5 Complications, Connections, and CYA 107
5.6 A Concluding Thought 109
References 110
6 The Ethics of Biocontamination 113
Tony Milligan
6.1 The Beresheet Tardigrades 114
6.2 Our Conflicting Intuitions 117
6.3 The Intelligibility of Microbial Value 123
6.4 Contamination and Discovery 128
6.5 Conclusion 131
References 132
7 Astrobiology Education: Inspiring Diverse Audiences with the Search for Life in the Universe 135
Chris Impey
7.1 The State of Astrobiology 136
7.2 Astrobiology as a Profession 138
7.3 Graduate Programs 141
7.4 Undergraduate Programs 142
7.5 Conferences and Schools 143
7.6 Courses for Non-Science Majors 144
7.7 Massive Open Online Classes 149
7.8 Teaching Materials and Books 149
References 152
8 Genetics, Ethics, and Mars Colonization: A Special Case of Gene Editing and Population Forces in Space Settlement 157
Konrad Szocik, Margaret Boone Rappaport and Christopher Corbally
8.1 Introduction 158
8.1.1 The Complex Relationship Between Population Forces and Ethics 158
8.1.2 Humans Evolving on Earth and Mars 159
8.1.3 Bioenhancements: Science, Technology, and Ethics 160
8.1.4 A Set of Astrobioethical Guidelines for Off-World Exploration 161
8.2 Population Forces and the Ethical Issues They Raise 163
8.2.1 Natural Selection and Genetic Drift on Mars 163
8.2.2 Contrasting and Convergent Population Forces on Earth and Mars 164
8.2.3 Population Forces When Humans Colonize Mars, the Asteroids, and Outer Planets 165
8.3 Ethical Issues Implied by Population Forces and Genome Modification 166
8.3.1 Selection of Interplanetary Migrants Based on Invasive Genetic Procedures 166
8.3.2 Required Pre-Settlement Genetic Remediation 167
8.3.3 Moral Context for Genetic Engineering for Space 168
8.4 Case Types for Off-World Population Changeand Their Ethical Implications 168
8.4.1 The Case of the Isolated Space Colony 168
8.4.2 The Case of an Inclusivist or Exclusivist Space Colony: Science, Research, Intelligence 169
8.4.3 The Case of the Space Refuge as an Ethically Expensive Option 170
8.4.4 The Case of the Formation of a New Species of Human 171
8.5 Religious Ethics and Population Forces 172
8.6 Conclusions 174
Acknowledgement 175
References 175
9 Constructing a Space Ethics Upon Natural Law Ethics 177
Brian Patrick Green
9.1 Introduction 178
9.2 Space Ethics and Natural Law Ethics 179
9.3 A Natural Law Ethics Including Space 182
9.4 The Disadvantages, Ambiguities, and Advantages of a Natural Law Space Ethics 185
9.5 Conclusion 188
References 189
10 Two Elephants in the Room of Astrobiology 193
Jensine Andresen
Abbreviations 194
10.1 Identifying the Two Elephants 195
10.2 The Phenomenon Elephant 197
10.3 The Weaponization Elephant 204
10.4 U.S. Government Spending on Weapons for Space 206
10.5 The Military-Industrial Complex Operates Under Euphemisms Citing Government-Industry Linkages 211
10.6 How the Two Elephants Are Connected 215
10.7 The Astroethics Public Policy Path Forward 216
References 219
11 Microbial Life, Ethics and the Exploration of Space Revisited 233
Charles S. Cockell
11.1 Introduction 233
11.2 Critiques of Intrinsic Value 235
11.2.1 The Argument from Existing Destruction 235
11.2.2 The Argument from Sheer Numbers 237
11.2.3 The Argument from Impracticality 238
11.2.4 The Argument from Prevailing View 241
11.2.5 The Argument from Respect 243
11.3 What of Intrinsic Value? 244
11.4 Adjudicating Other Interests 247
11.5 Do We Need a Cosmocentric Ethic for Microbial-Type Life? 249
11.6 Conclusions 251
References 251
12 Astrobiology, the United Nations, and Geopolitics 255
Linda Billings
12.1 Introduction 255
12.2 What is Astrobiology? 258
12.3 Ethical Issues in Astrobiology 258
12.4 Astrobiology and Planetary Protection 259
12.5 Conflicting Ideologies 262
12.6 International Cooperation-or Not? 266
12.7 Conclusions 267
References 269
13 An Ethical Assessment of SETI, METI, and the Value of Our Planetary Home 271
Chelsea Haramia and Julia DeMarines
13.1 A Brief History of SETI and METI 271
13.2 Ethical Analyses of SETI and METI 273
13.3 Ethical Proposals for the Road Ahead 282
References 289
14 The Axiological Dimension of Planetary Protection 293
Erik Persson
14.1 Introduction 293
14.2 The Relation Between the Epistemic and the Axiological Dimensions of Planetary Protection 294
14.3 The Axiological Dimension of Planetary Protection Today 296
14.4 The Nature of Epistemic Values 298
14.5 The Outer Space Treaty and the Axiological Dimension of Planetary Protection 299
14.6 The Axiological Dimension of Planetary Protection - Historical Background 302
14.7 Ethics and Planetary Protection 305
14.8 Competing Values - Planetary Protection and the Commercial Use of Space 307
14.9 Conclusions 308
References 309
15 Who Speaks for Humanity? The Need for a Single Political Voice 313
Ian A. Crawford
15.1 Introduction 313
15.2 The Need for Global Decision-Making in an Astrobiological Context 315
15.3 Some Socio-Political Implications of Astrobiological Perspectives 319
15.4 Who Speaks for Humanity? Building Appropriate Political Institutions for Space Activities 324
15.4.1 A World Space Agency 325
15.4.2 Strengthening the United Nations for the Governance of Space Activities 327
15.4.3 Space Activities in the Context of a Future World Government 328
15.5 Conclusions 331
References 332
16 Interstellar Ethics and the Goldilocks Evolutionary Sequence: Can We Expect ETI to Be Moral? 339
Margaret Boone Rappaport, Christopher Corbally and Konrad Szocik
16.1 Introduction 339
16.1.1 The Little Broached Question of Ethics 340
16.2 Astronomical Detection of Possible Life 341
16.2.1 The Complex Relationship Between Signals and Ethics 341
16.2.2 Astronomical Signal Detection, the Goldilocks Zone, Habitation, and Ethics 342
16.2.2.1 Exoplanets 342
16.2.2.2 Exoplanets in the Goldilocks Zone 342
16.2.2.3 Exoplanets, Oxygen, and the 'Red Edge' 343
16.2.2.4 The Great Leap from Plant Cover to Ethics 344
16.3 Operationalizing Human Neurological Features for an ETI Vetting Protocol 344
16.3.1 Parallel Moral Assessments by Host and Visitor 344
16.3.2 Anthropocene or 'Adolescence'? 345
16.3.3 Vetting ETIs: Friend or Foe? Right vs. Wrong 346
16.3.4 Rationale and Approach: Operationalizing Human Neurology to Assess ETIs 347
16.3.4.1 Theory of Mind 349
16.3.4.2 Sequence of Evolutionary Innovations: Logical, Determinate, Systemic 350
16.3.4.3 Cultural, Moral, and Religious Capacities - How Important and in What Order? 351
16.3.4.4 Assessing ETIs for Culture 352
16.3.5 A Test for Neuroplasticity: The Clincher if We Have Time 353
16.4 Fictional Case Studies of Vetting ETIs 354
16.4.1 Examples from Film and Television 354
16.4.2 Case Study of the Film Arrival 355
16.5 Conclusion 356
References 357
17 Intrinsic Value, American Buddhism, and Potential Life on Saturn's Moon Titan 361
Daniel Capper
17.1 Introduction 361
17.2 Titan and Possible Weird Life 363
17.3 Some Strengths and Limitations of the Intrinsic Value Concept 365
17.4 Buddhist Scriptures and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life 368
17.5 American Buddhists and Life on Titan 369
17.6 Discussion 372
17.7 Conclusion 374
References 375
18 A Space Settler's Bill of Rights 377
Russell Greenall-Sharp, David Kobza, Courtney Houston, Mohammad Allabbad, Jamie Staggs and James S.J. Schwartz
18.1 Introduction 377
18.2 Basic Physiological Needs 380
18.3 Physical and Psychological Well-Being 381
18.4 Freedom of Expression 383
18.5 Privacy 383
18.6 Reproductive Autonomy 384
18.7 Vocational and Educational Liberty 385
18.8 Communication 385
18.9 Constrained Dissent 386
18.10 Self-Governance and Revisability 386
18.11 Conclusion 386
References 387
Index 389
