Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T07:25:18.877Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Conceptual discussion around the notion of the human being as an inter and multiplanetary species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2021

Octavio Alfonso Chon-Torres Open the ORCID record for Octavio Alfonso Chon-Torres [Opens in a new window]  and
César Andreé Murga-Moreno Open the ORCID record for César Andreé Murga-Moreno [Opens in a new window]
Octavio Alfonso Chon-Torres*
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales, Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
César Andreé Murga-Moreno
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología, Lima, Peru Laboratorio de Inmunología e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, Cajamarca, Peru
*
Author for correspondence: Octavio Alfonso Chon-Torres, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The current advances in our exploration of Mars have made us think of the human species as a multiplanetary species. However, we have certain challenges before we can truly consider ourselves such a species, especially moral ones. Therefore, astrobioethics would be the right one to examine what it takes to consider ourselves a multiplanetary species. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the meaning and significance of being an inter- and multiplanetary species. To achieve this, a philosophical and critical analysis will be made, using as input aspects of biology, ethics and moral community. We conclude that to be a truly multiplanetary species, more than the technological aspects that allow us to reach other planets, a change at different levels will be needed.

Keywords

Astrobioethicsastrobiologyinterplanetary speciesmoral communitymultiplanetary species
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , October 2021 , pp. 327 - 331
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aldhebiani, A (2018) Species concept and speciation. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 25(3), 437–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Billings, L (2017) Should humans colonize other planets? No. Theology and Science 15, 321–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cerro, C (2017) The importance of design in helping humanity become a multi-planetary species. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment 233, 255–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chon-Torres, OA (2017) Astrobioethics. International Journal of Astrobiology 17, 51–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chon-Torres, O (2020) Astrobioethics: a brief discussion from the epistemological, religious and societal dimension. International Journal of Astrobiology 19, 61–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cockell, C (2005 a) Planetary protection – a microbial ethics approach. Space Policy 21, 281–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cockell, CS (2005 b) Duties to extraterrestrial microscopic organisms. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society 58, 367–373.Google Scholar
Cockell, C, Landfester, U, Remuss, N-L, Schrogl, K-U and Worms, J-C (2011) Humans in Outer Space – Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Berlin: Springer, pp. 80–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dick, SJ (2000) Interstellar humanity. Futures 32, 555–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dobos, V (2017). Habitability of exoplanetary systems. 10.15476/ELTE.2016.121.Google Scholar
Fang, Y, Mauzerall, D, Liu, J, Fiore, A and Horowitz, L (2013) Impacts of 21st century climate change on global air pollution-related premature mortality. Climatic Change 121, 239–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forterre, P, Gribaldo, S and Brochier, C (2005) Luca: À la recherche du plus proche ancêtre commun universel. Medical Science 21, 860–865.Google Scholar
Franck, S, Bloque, A, von Bloh, W, Bounama, C, Schellnhuber, H and Svirezhev, Y (2000) Habitable zone for Earth-like planets in the Solar System. Planetary and Space Science 48, 1099–1105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawking, S (2018) The search for a new earth. BBC. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0953y04Google Scholar
Hublin, J-J, Ben-Ncer, A, Bailey, SE, Freidline, SE, Neubauer, S, Skinner, M. M., Bergmann, I., Cabec, A. L., Benazzi, S, Harvati, K and Gunz, P (2017) New fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, and the pan-African origin of Homo sapiens. Nature 546, 289–292.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jaiswal, A (2007) The hominization process of Homo sapiens. 1st Summer School of the European Anthropological Association, EAA Summer School eBook. 1. 43–46.Google Scholar
Jones, B (2008) Exoplanets – search methods, discoveries, and prospects for astrobiology. International Journal of Astrobiology 7, 279–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kardashov, NS (1964) Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations. Soviet Astronomy, 8. Available at http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1964sva.....8..217k/0000217.000.htmlGoogle Scholar
Mason, C (2019) Can we genetically engineer humans to survive missions to ars? Space. Available at https://www.space.com/genetically-engineer-astronauts-missions-mars-protect-radiation.htmlGoogle Scholar
Mata, SA and Bottjer, DJ (2012) Microbes and mass extinctions: paleoenvironmental distribution of microbialites during times of biotic crisis. Geobiology 10, 3–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milligan, T (2014) Nobody Owns the Moon: The Ethics of Space Exploitation [Kindle Edition]. USA: McFarland & Company.Google Scholar
Morin, E and Kern, AB (1999) Homeland Earth. A Manifesto for the New Millennium. USA: Hampton Press.Google Scholar
Morin, E, Roger Ciurana, E and Domingo Motta, R (2006) Educar en la era planetaria. Barcelona: Gedisa.Google Scholar
Musk, E (2017) Making humans a multi-planetary species. New Space 5, 46–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proemse, BC, Eberhard, RS, Sharples, C, Bowman, JP, Richards, K, Comfort, M and Barmuta, LA (2017) Stromatolites on the rise in peat-bound karstic wetlands. Scientific Reports. 7, 15384.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ridley, M (1993) Evolution. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 6, 615–617.Google Scholar
Sarwer-Foner, G (1972) On human territoriality: a contribution to instinct theory. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal 17, 169–183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scharf, C (2015) The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities. Scientific American.Google Scholar
Seymour, V (2016) The human–nature relationship and Its impact on health: a critical review. Public Health 4, 260.Google ScholarPubMed
Singer, P (2011) Practical Ethics (3rd ed). USA: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stace, CA (1989) Plant Taxonomy and Biosystematics. London: Edward Arnold.Google Scholar
Stapledon, O (1948) Olaf Stapledon: interplanetary man? Journal of the British Interplanetary Society 7(6), 213–233.Google Scholar
Waltham, D (2014) Lucky Planet: Why Earth is Exceptional-and What that Means for Life in the Universe. USA: Basic Books.Google Scholar