Stuck in the Cave

For Earth Day of this year Bill Maher ran a piece on his HBO show entitled “New Rule: Make Earth Great Again.” When I finally saw the bit in June, I was writing a piece on the Saturn V, so I saved this critique until now. Essentially, Maher believes we should squash the idea of colonizing Mars because it gives us free rein to destroy Earth. Money used to conduct Mars landing missions and colonization were also targeted by Maher because the money could be spent repairing or improving Earth. Maher also stated that evolution had shaped humanity to thrive only on Earth, and he made clear his opposition to being a part of a multi-planetary species.

I know, that is a lot to absorb. Stated within The Space Endeavor's mission statement is the advocation of space colonization. And, as you can imagine, I have several issues with his line of thought. My goal here is take his key points, outlined in the first paragraph, and offer a strong rebuttal. 

Oh, and Buzz Aldrin is my spirit animal for this article.

Maybe you should ask Buzz about Mars, Bill. 

First, it should be stated that Mars is not a back-up planet for humanity, and destroying Earth is not a good idea. However, being a good custodian of Earth and hoping to colonize Mars are not mutually exclusive ideas. We can take care of Earth and have a permanent human presence on the fourth planet. Money is an often-cited excuse to oppose robust space exploration, but that argument falls short too. America is the wealthiest country in the world, which makes the U.S. more than capable of funding grand adventures in space. Other nations can spend more on space, but, like America, there is a terrible misalignment of spending and taxing priorities. So, on Maher’s two largest points, Earth being first and money, his argument appears to be very weak.

Another argument Maher made is just downright silly. Claiming that evolution had shaped humanity to only thrive on Earth has a major fundamental flaw—evolution has also shaped us to possess enough cognitive abilities to develop the needed tools and machinery to venture into space. Therefore, why should we restrain ourselves to only one planet if the technology can be created to explore new ones? Humanity can explore space, and we should not squander that gift.

Finally, Maher said he does not believe we should become a multi-planet species, which a perfectly valid opinion to have—but I must disagree. Humanity cannot chain itself to only living on Earth forever because it goes against our very nature to push boundaries and explore. Not to mention the possibility that a threat to human existence could come from space, such as an asteroid. If we choose to pull back on exploring deep space, our chances of averting that disaster diminish. Continuing to be a one planet species will likely sign a premature death certificate for human civilization as we know it.

My reaction to Maher's little rant. (GIF Credit: giphy.com)

I understand that the segment was designed to be funny, and Maher has a point about not destroying Earth, obviously. My problem was the strong implication that humanity should stay grounded on Earth simply because it is our original home. Bill Maher’s thoughts on Mars colonization and exploration appeal to the lowest, simplest, naivest, and darkest aspects of humanity. This type of appeal has often been used throughout history to exploit people through populist movements.

Constantly gravitating towards the simplest answer in space policy, or public policy in general, usually leads to less than favorable results. We can take care of Earth and colonize Mars at the same time. I never said it would be easy, but that is what makes each challenge a worthy endeavor. Civilization can do amazing things assuming we have the courage to repel the cynics and the doubters. Hence, the real thrust behind my critique—attacks directed towards exploration and advancement will ultimately leave humanity stuck in the cave. 

Can't wait until we explore this beautiful world. (Photo Credit: NASA)

Here's a link to Bill Maher's thoughts on Mars, but be ready for some deep bull sh-t. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrGFEW2Hb2g

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