- Registrado
- 23 de Feb, 2019
You have to decide if you want to violate this principle in the name of research, potential benefits or threats to society, general curiosity, etc (or your own motives), in the way that I'll describe afterwards.
* Roughly, what I mean here by "scientific conservation" is simply a guideline that states that an object/thing/whatever that is being investigated should not be done through destructive or heavily invasive means, unless there's no alternative.
So for example, cutting down an old tree to research its characteristics would generally go against the principle, because you're essentially killing it, and you're also eliminating future potential reasearch on it that you could do if it were alive.
Here you are, you're the next Elon, and after abandoning the idea of actively colonizing Mars, you get another brilliant one: sending microorganisms or other life forms to this planet, in order for it to potentially thrive, grow and evolve.
It's known that Mars' environment is hostile enough (just like pretty much every other planet in the Solar System), however I believe there are regions where extremophiles (from Earth) can live.
This is just the most practical example I have available (sending it to Mars), but the hypothetical can extend itself to other planets, even ones that are yet undiscovered, the point is what you would do.
So you can send these lifeforms, and metaphorically let it grow like a plant, or be just like a kid watching their ant-farm develop. It would mean putting into action one of the most devastating practices of interplanetary contamination, but it would also be fun!
New medicine could be created, but also new threats (new diseases, etc); it could also create new ways of processing matter/energy (e.g: like an organism that naturally excretes diamonds, or purifies water, etc), so you're left with this, do you do it or not? What's the reason?
And also: if you do, and when/if intelligent lifeform develops, do you give them rights, do you give them sovereignty if asked? Do you see anything immoral in doing/not doing so? Would that contradict your actions if aliens came, claiming that they were the ones who injected life on Earth, much like you did to Mars/wherever, and ask that you serve them? (this is just for fun)
* Roughly, what I mean here by "scientific conservation" is simply a guideline that states that an object/thing/whatever that is being investigated should not be done through destructive or heavily invasive means, unless there's no alternative.
So for example, cutting down an old tree to research its characteristics would generally go against the principle, because you're essentially killing it, and you're also eliminating future potential reasearch on it that you could do if it were alive.
Here you are, you're the next Elon, and after abandoning the idea of actively colonizing Mars, you get another brilliant one: sending microorganisms or other life forms to this planet, in order for it to potentially thrive, grow and evolve.
It's known that Mars' environment is hostile enough (just like pretty much every other planet in the Solar System), however I believe there are regions where extremophiles (from Earth) can live.
This is just the most practical example I have available (sending it to Mars), but the hypothetical can extend itself to other planets, even ones that are yet undiscovered, the point is what you would do.
So you can send these lifeforms, and metaphorically let it grow like a plant, or be just like a kid watching their ant-farm develop. It would mean putting into action one of the most devastating practices of interplanetary contamination, but it would also be fun!
New medicine could be created, but also new threats (new diseases, etc); it could also create new ways of processing matter/energy (e.g: like an organism that naturally excretes diamonds, or purifies water, etc), so you're left with this, do you do it or not? What's the reason?
And also: if you do, and when/if intelligent lifeform develops, do you give them rights, do you give them sovereignty if asked? Do you see anything immoral in doing/not doing so? Would that contradict your actions if aliens came, claiming that they were the ones who injected life on Earth, much like you did to Mars/wherever, and ask that you serve them? (this is just for fun)
