The Cosmic Habitat for Earth-Life and the Issue of Sustainable Development
Journal Title: Papers on Global Change IGBP - Year 2017, Vol 24, Issue 24
Abstract
The subjects under consideration here are the philosophical consequences arising as the cosmic dimension to ecology is taken into account. If the habitat for Earthlife is a part of the cosmic environment, then cosmology and astrophysics become a part of ecology. The human species is furthermore a participant in a vast process of cosmic evolution, with sustainable-development strategy thus defi ning the conditions for – and time needed to achieve – a technological civilisation allowing Earth-life to be evacuated to another part of the galaxy as and when the further existence of life on this planet becomes (or threatens to become) an impossibility. In the context of such a cosmic perspective, the value ascribable to our scientifi c and technological civilisation (and future versions thereof) changes, given that only this kind of civilisation offers a chance for Earth-life to persist in an extra-terrestrial environment.
Authors and Affiliations
Zdzisława Piątek
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