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AT THIS VERY MOMENT at Worldcon in Glasgow, the panel "The Science, Fiction, and Ethics of Terraforming" is happening. In the program guide, the final sentence in the description asks,
"Even if we do [have the ability to terraform], should we, if the world has the potential to develop life of its own?"
What do people think? More broadly, how do people feel about settling on other planets, both in fiction and irl?
It's my observation that H sapiens haven't, so far in our history, looked at a place and said, "Oh, but we'd best not disturb it--it's got its own thing going on"--not when self-interest was propelling us to go there for some reason or other. The only thing that seems to stop us from doing things is a counterbalancing self-interest. So I doubt that principled self-restraint will stand in humanity's way if we develop an ability to mold a place to meet our needs.
My experience of terraforming in fiction is limited to the Genesis planet in the OS Star Trek movies, Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and sequels (very awesomely done in that series--well, first two; still haven't read the third), and Tade Thompson's Far from the Light of Heaven). I'm thinking of terraforming as something different from living in domed/shielded cities in an inhospitable place.
What other examples do you guys have?
"Even if we do [have the ability to terraform], should we, if the world has the potential to develop life of its own?"
What do people think? More broadly, how do people feel about settling on other planets, both in fiction and irl?
It's my observation that H sapiens haven't, so far in our history, looked at a place and said, "Oh, but we'd best not disturb it--it's got its own thing going on"--not when self-interest was propelling us to go there for some reason or other. The only thing that seems to stop us from doing things is a counterbalancing self-interest. So I doubt that principled self-restraint will stand in humanity's way if we develop an ability to mold a place to meet our needs.
My experience of terraforming in fiction is limited to the Genesis planet in the OS Star Trek movies, Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and sequels (very awesomely done in that series--well, first two; still haven't read the third), and Tade Thompson's Far from the Light of Heaven). I'm thinking of terraforming as something different from living in domed/shielded cities in an inhospitable place.
What other examples do you guys have?
