Encountering Life in the Universe: Ethical Foundations and Social Implications of Astrobiology

9. Planetocentric Ethics: Principles for Exploring a Solar System That May Contain Extraterrestrial Microbial Life - Woodruff T. Sullivan III

167 chapter nine Planetocentric Ethics Principles for Exploring a Solar System That May Contain Extraterrestrial Microbial Life Woodruff T. Sullivan III Department of Astronomy and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and the more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above and the moral law within. —Kant, Critique of Practical Reason, 1788 The heavens and the philosophy of ethics have been connected for a long time. But the Space Age has upped the ante with its many unprecedented ethical questions arising from the novelty of our actually being able to visit, not just observe, the extraterrestrial space environment. In this chapter I will discuss the ethical issues raised by exploration of planetary bodies and by the possible presence of extraterrestrial life in our Solar System.1 I will argue for an extension and adaptation of a rigorous environmental ethics stance that has been proposed for Earth. On this scheme, planets have intrinsic value, and especially so if they might potentially harbor life.2 Such a “planetocentric ethics” treats all planets somewhat as we treat designated wilderness areas on Earth—that is, with a “hands off” approach unless other treatment is strictly justified for scientific or other needs. This system of ethics is the antithesis of one that allows terraforming and other activities that modify environments (see discussion of this alternative in McKay’s contribution in this volume). An analogy has often been made between twenty-first-century exploration of space and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europeans probing 168 · Encountering Life in the Universe the New World. The Europeans encountered vast, seemingly endless lands and over the centuries “tamed” them, though in the process they also eventually despoiled huge tracts. We today have the opportunity and duty to learn from these past mistakes on our home planet and now to get it right for our “New World,” the rest of our Solar System. Environmental Ethics in Space The worldwide space community has dealt with ethical issues in space since the 1960s, but only in a limited way with regard to the issues of this chapter (see also the contributions by Race and McKay in this volume). The first milestone was the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which prohibits various activities in space (such as use of nuclear weapons, claiming of territory , “harmful contamination”) but is often ambiguous and has only weak enforcement provisions. A stronger version of this, usually referred to as the 1979 Moon Treaty (although it would apply to all planetary bodies), has unfortunately remained unratified by the major spacefaring nations. The fields of exobiology and astrobiology have spurred many further ethical discussions. Astrobiology’s inquiries into the origin of life, its history , the very nature of life, and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life raise compelling, fundamental questions. If microbes were to be found on Mars or Europa, it would be of great philosophical, theological, and scientific importance, especially if their biochemistry was different from that of Earth life. With a second example of life, the new datum would imply a Universe possibly rich with life, and we could begin to investigate the nature of life as a phenomenon. Chris McKay (1990, 2007, and this volume) has been a pioneer in urging that ethical principles be discussed and applied regarding potential life-bearing sites, in particular Mars.3 He has argued that if technically feasible, the greatest good that we could do with any ecosystem that we found on Mars would be to modify Mars as needed in order to help it reach its greatest potential (more biomass, more biodiversity). He calls this “ecosynthesis” or “restoration ecology,” based on the idea that any ecosystem on Mars today is probably a faint remnant of the Martian ecosystem 4 gigayears (Gyr; 1 gigayear equals 109 years) ago when Mars was warm and wet and clement, perhaps with a flourishing biosphere. Similarly, McKay argues for an ethical scheme in which a life-filled planet is more valuable than a “dead” one, so that if possible, we ought to bring any lifeless planet to a state where it can support Earth life (terraforming). Planetocentric Ethics · 169 In response to missions with astrobiological goals or ramifications, NASA has developed policies on “planetary protection,” meaning keeping planets biologically isolated despite interplanetary traffic by machines and humans (each accompanied by ~1014 microbes). Such policies must be informed by...