Lt. Staplic wrote:I have thought about this before myself. My own personal opinion is that it would be somewhat unethical. While the 2nd Generation would have no knowledge of a planet they could live on, the fact that that experience is being taken from them without their consent is unethical in my opinion. I also see the fate of the 3rd Generation a little unethical. We have decided before their parents were even born that they would be destined to live a hard life on a strange world no other human has been to before. All the problems that could ensue to lead to slow painful death, in a way that could be even worse than what happened to the second generation
Lighthawk wrote:Lt. Staplic wrote:I have thought about this before myself. My own personal opinion is that it would be somewhat unethical. While the 2nd Generation would have no knowledge of a planet they could live on, the fact that that experience is being taken from them without their consent is unethical in my opinion. I also see the fate of the 3rd Generation a little unethical. We have decided before their parents were even born that they would be destined to live a hard life on a strange world no other human has been to before. All the problems that could ensue to lead to slow painful death, in a way that could be even worse than what happened to the second generation
The problem with that line of thought is then you could say that any time any group of people moved to settle elsewhere, it was unethical. Granted it's not in the same league of inability to return "home", but for the most part when a group moved out and settled somewhere new, that's where their kids grew up and lived. Most children of a relocated people through out history wouldn't have the means to go "home" and establish a life there.
Sionnach Glic wrote: Let's say Earth builds a giant starship to travel to and colonise another habitable planet. The trip will take approximately three generations, at which point the ship will arrive and the descendants of the original crew are to begin the construction of a colony. As it takes off, the ship is crewed with a variety of technical experts and menial workers, all of whom are volunteers.
Here's the thing though. The first generation is made up of people who decided of their own free will to go, so there's no real problem there. The third generation will be the ones who arrive and get a whole planet all to themselves.
But what of the second generation? Their entire purpose is simply to have kids, make sure nothing breaks, and die. They have no say over their presence of the ship, and no way to leave or change their surroundings. They are, to all intents and purposes, prisoners on the ship. They will never once set foot on a planet, or even leave the ship at all. Because of the length of the trip it is a certainty that they will die before reaching their destination. These people never volunteered to do this. They aren't getting paid either (and even if they were, there's nothing to spend it on out there). They're destined to live out their entire lives maintaining a ship they never built nor wanted to live on, and give birth to a new generation who is destined to leave the ship and colonise an entire planet. The only escape those of the second generation will ever have is death.
So, the question is simple. Is it ethical to create a generation ship? Is it ethical to effectively condemn hundreds, if not thousands, to a life of bleak and meaningless servitude on a ship for a mission they may not want any part in?
GrahamKennedy wrote:If we're talking about a crew of twenty or so, say, who live their lives within a few thousand square feet, then I wouldn't support it to be sure. You spend your life seeing the same few rooms, dealing with the same few people, doing one of a handful of jobs... no, I couldn't conndemn people to that.
But if we're talking about one of those "hollowed out asteroid" type designs, or something similar, where there is a area of many square miles available, with a crew of tens of thousands or more, then it's really no different to living in any other city. I live in a city of 50,000 people, and whilst I enjoy being able to go to other places, I can't say that the thought of being stuck within its borders for my whole life fills me with horror.
GrahamKennedy wrote:...In fact come to think of it, the first interstellar colonies should be all female with a great big sperm bank along.
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