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Cool video. I think he gets asked these questions as he was the voice of downgrading Pluto but he is really excited on new discoveries in the field as he should be.
To me, the most entertaining part about this is how excited people are about this. I personally really don't get excited by space exploration. I really do think it's a waste of money. Unless there is something physical that we, as humanity, can gain, I just don't view space exploration as a worthy cause of government money. However, seeing people like Neil speak about so passionately about it, it becomes a bit worth it just to see their excitement.
See maybe I get excited because I feel humanity is gaining from this. Maybe not in a physical senseat this time as we will not be colonizing Pluto I'm sure but in the sense of learning more about a celestial body could lead to something that would give us a physical gain.
We learn more about Dwarf Planets by looking at Pluto close up. They even made a map of it. They can sell the maps for people who want to learn about Pluto.
The thing is, you should be able to decide how your own money is used. In this case, it's been forcefully taken from you, and then expended on making some scientists' wet dreams come true. It's certainly good for them, but it's not good for you.
Even if you think you support the idea of space exploration on your dime, it doesn't really matter because you don't actually have a choice in the matter, and even if you did, you couldn't legitimately make that choice for anyone else.
Then there are other problems, like your money being used to fund killing innocent people halfway across the world, and so on.
Fine. I shouldn't have to pay for anything to do with you. You shouldn't have to pay for anything to do with me. We're now all islands of isolation where all interactions are purely voluntary.
You know what's going to get done? Absolutely nothing. Nothing gets done in societies where competition is considered a greater virtue than cooperation and we return to feudalism as power concentrates in the hands of the elite.
If you don't want to contribute a few pennies to some scientist's "wet dream" then don't. Withdraw from society and its social contract to live on your own. No one will stop you.
How would it follow from all interactions being purely voluntary that competition is considered a greater "virtue" than co-operation? If you can't answer that, you're making no sense at all.. which is at least seemingly the case already.
Because in a society where everyone guards their own resources jealousy as you've described here, everything becomes a competition. So again, if you want to be an island unto yourself go and do that. Grow your own food, build your own roads and mix your own medicines. Until then, you pay into the cost of running our modern society like the rest of us.
Hehe, space fish...
Hi! What can I do for you?
Oh, I was just getting a chuckle out of the wordplay in your name
Man, people do that all the time. They say my name but they don't actually want anything. Can't a guy swim in peace around here? ;)
Wanting to use your own property as you personally see fit is not the same as "guarding your resources jealously". Competition has nothing to do with it, because the resources in question are not being competed for - they're already yours.
Yes, it means you're restricting your resources to only be used as you see appropriate and not giving the rest of society a share unless you personally approve of everything it's used for. That's being competitive, by deciding to withhold your support based on your personal opinion.
Cooperating in society means you don't always win the argument. You don't always get to decide how public resources are used, but that doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to pay in anyway. You don't always get to decide when to be selfish or altruistic. That's part of the social contract you engage in when you participate in society.
You have no idea what this research may ultimately mean for society. No one can predict that. You're focused on what's important to you right now. That kind of thinking is inherently competitive and not healthy for society as a whole.