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Space Capitalism pp 1–11Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Privatize Space Travel!

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism ((PASTCL))

Abstract

Our motive for writing this book is our love for humanity. To that end, we urge that we not keep all of our “eggs” in one earthly basket, but rather spread them out over the entire solar system and, eventually, beyond. To this end, we recommend private enterprise as the best means toward this end.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This aphorism applies to all initiatives. The conflict is private vs. bureaucratic management. For a detailed account of the shortcomings of the latter refer to von Mises (1944). While all endeavors (even such as caring for the disabled) benefit from private administration this becomes ever more important where great opportunities and challenges are at stake.

  2. 2.

    Statists will think us “Out of touch” and even call us sickos and weirdos. We do not care. Our love for humanity is so great that we are willing to bear the “slings and arrows” (Hamlet , Act III, Scene 1) of critiques of this variety. No matter what the opposition, we cleave to our desire to leave the human race in as good a position as we can, after our departure from it. Most of our best friends are human beings. All of our family members are of this species. We generalize our love for them to the entire human race . We would hate to see them or it disappear. That would be the worst possible disaster imaginable in our view. Space colonization is an insurance policy against that horrid scenario.

  3. 3.

    Note the use of this word, “man.” It is politically incorrect, but we do not buy into the cultural Marxist requirement that “inclusive” language be used, such as “person.” This word, too, would fall victim to this crazed desire to alter the language, since its last syllable is “son,” which would never do in that realm. Must we resort, instead, to “perdaughter?” This inanity has spread far and wide. Many of the newer biblical translations use “inclusive terminology.” Little or no notice is given to the fact that the original 2000 plus year-old manuscripts use masculine forms. Yet the words are taken to be “inclusive ” while similar English is not. “When Paul wrote that ‘a man (anthrôpos) is justified by faith’ (Rom. 3:28), the Greek word anthrôpos does not mean ‘a man’; it means ‘a person.’” So say Strauss and Wegener (2000). That may be, yet, “Ανθρωποσ” in Greek is a first person, masculine, singular form. As that very same article demonstrates, the English word “man” also has a “generic” meaning. To illustrate what they are saying, when Jefferson wrote that “All men are created equal,” he did not refer to only males. No, he meant to include all human beings. The point is not to make a more accurate or even a more “inclusive ” translation. No, politically correct versions are intended solely to score political points and to improperly, ex post facto, impose them on writers from two millennia in the past. We have here yet another reason to escape from this “third rock from the sun” of ours: to leave this particular insanity behind. Throughout, this book uses Jeffersonian not Dalyian (after Mary Daly ) style inclusiveness.

  4. 4.

    Rothbard is referring to The Sources of Invention, St. Martin’s Press, 1959. It discusses such wild inventions as the helicopter and polyethylene. In it Jewkes et al. discuss the influence and relationships of research organizations on and to recent inventions.

  5. 5.

    This applies even to such mundane activities as collecting refuse (Savas, E. 1979), delivering mail (Adie, D. 1988) and fighting fires (Ahlbrandt, R. 1973).

  6. 6.

    A recent case in point is Solyndra . But the record is replete with numerous failures; for a long list of such unrequited bailouts , see Bailout Tracker 2015; Kiel, P. 2012; Sprague, I. 2000.

  7. 7.

    For the view that this had little or nothing to do with ending World War II, but rather was the opening salvo in the Cold War , see Alperovitz , G. (1994, 1996). For the opinion that U.S. entry into World War II in Europe was unnecessary in the first place because prior to December 7, 1941 Germany was already guaranteed to lose the war , see Maybury , R. and Williams, J. (2003). For the perspective that had the United States not entered World War I , there would not have been any World War II , see Barnes , H. 1982, 2004; Buchanan , P. 2014; Fay , S. 1967; Ferguson , N. 2000; Fleming , T. 2004; Keynes, J. 1920; Nock , A . 2011; Radosh, R. and Rothbard 1972; Rothbard , M. 1972, 1980, 1989; Stockman , D. 2014; Tooley , T. 2014.

  8. 8.

    Block , W. 2006; Branfman , F. 2013; Conquest , R. 1986, 1990; Courtois , S. et al. 1999; DiLorenzo , T. 2006; Rummel , R. 1992, 1994, 1997.

  9. 9.

    For which we also hold responsible statists acting through governments (Block, W. 2009).

  10. 10.

    Recent examples include such sickening happenings as the mass shooting of police officers in Dallas, TX, the shooting up of Istanbul Airport in Turkey, the Paris attacks in France, and the riots in Milwaukee, WI.

  11. 11.

    And then, in other solar systems . While time-consuming, expensive, and risky, travel to the binary (possibly trinary) Alpha Centauri (Proper name: Rigel Kentaurius) system (NASA n.d.-a), Barnard’s Star (Dolan , C. 1989), or Wolf 359 (Dolan , C. 1989) would probably be possible with existing or readily anticipated technology. The spaceship would have to be, in effect, a self-sustaining world that could keep people alive for the duration. Of particular interest is Proxima Centauri , a red dwarf which appears to orbit the central Alpha Centauri couple. At 4.22 light years, it is now near our side of the solar system and approaching. Round trips would be in the order of a century, maybe less.

  12. 12.

    To recreate mankind, as each of the forgoing programs would do, in one’s own image is the unfortunate first impulse of tyrants.

  13. 13.

    Far apart: fences (or the great distances of space) make good neighbors.

  14. 14.

    This may sound like the pessimism that leads to statism. In fact, we are optimistic regarding the prognosis of the race . Humans are resilient. No matter how destructive governments act, individuals overcome and prosper. Hiroshima, a shining example and the first city to be nuked back to the stone age, is now a prosperous and vibrant community after only 72 years and has been for some time.

  15. 15.

    See on this Bergland , D. 1986; Block , W. 2008; Hoppe , H. 1993; Huebert , J. 2010; Narveson , J. 1988; Nozick , R. 1974; Rockwell , L. 2014; Rothbard , M. 1973, 1978; Woods , T. 2013; Woolridge , W. 1970.

  16. 16.

    Here, we are talking about the salutary effects of exploration. Perhaps more important are the adventurous motivations discussed elsewhere in our book.

  17. 17.

    For more on this see Hawking , S. 1996. His book is written for the layman and is easy to follow.

  18. 18.

    But already implications suggest themselves. We will be more likely to save mankind in this manner if charitable and other discretionary money is directed less towards addressing knowledge gaps between various ethnic groups, and helping mentally handicapped people, and more on the intellectually gifted. As advocates of the free enterprise system we urge no such policy on the part of government . Our recommendation here is a complete separation of the state and education. But, still, as a purely cause and effect relationship, more emphasis on child geniuses and less on others, would be logically implied.

  19. 19.

    Well, maybe, several hundred generations for distant stars.

  20. 20.

    On the issue of earth-like planets in other solar systems see Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2015; Mother Nature Network 2015; Zolfagharifard , E. 2015; Knapp , A . 2014; Kavli Foundation n.d.

  21. 21.

    While impossible in terms of our current knowledge, we do not mean to say that trans-light speed is forever beyond the possible. However, before it can become possible, it will take a revolutionary scientific breakthrough in the order of a new theory, like relativity was.

  22. 22.

    Ex-ante, risks can only be surmised. One probable peril is the collision with natural space debris such as asteroids too small to be detected yet large enough to destroy a spaceship. For interstellar travel, such an obstacle could be an earth-sized object which would be invisible when the nearest light source is, say, 2 light years (1 × 1013, or 10 trillion miles) away. That is almost beginning to sound like the size of the national debt.

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  1. PL Nelson Engineering Inc., Lakewood, CO, USA

    Peter Lothian Nelson

  2. Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Walter E. Block

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Nelson, P.L., Block, W.E. (2018). Privatize Space Travel!. In: Space Capitalism. Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74651-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74651-7_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74650-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74651-7

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