OffEarth, Erika Nesvold
OffEarth, Erika Nesvold
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Off-Earth
Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space

Author: Erika Nesvold

Narrator: April Doty

Unabridged: 9 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/28/2023


Synopsis

Can we do better in space than we've done here on Earth?

We've pinpointed the destination, refined the technology, designed the habitat. Are we forgetting something? A timely reminder that it's not just rocket science, this book explores the all-too-human issues raised by the prospect of settling in outer space. Accordingly, her work highlights the complex ethical challenges that accompany any other-worldly venture—questions about the environment, labor rights, and medical ethics, among others.

Any such venture, Nesvold contends, must be made on behalf of all humanity, with global input and collaboration. Off-Earth thus includes historical and contemporary examples from outside the dominant Western/US, abled, and privileged narrative of the space industry. Nesvold calls on experts in ethics, sociology, history, social justice, and law to launch a hopeful conversation about the potential ethical pitfalls of becoming a multi-planet species—and, ideally, to shed light on similar problems we presently face here on Earth.

Space settlement is rapidly becoming ever more likely. Will it look like the utopian vision of Star Trek? Or the dark future of Star Wars? Nesvold challenges us to decide.

About Erika Nesvold

Erika Nesvold, an astrophysicist, has worked as a researcher at NASA Goddard and the Carnegie Institution for Science. She is a developer for Universe Sandbox, a physics-based space simulator; cofounder of the nonprofit organization the JustSpace Alliance; and the creator and host of the podcast Making New Worlds.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Eli on July 20, 2024

3.5 stars Took me a while to get through this because it’s so dense. It’s really not a long a read but the author covers a lot of ground here relating to space-settling ethics. 4 sections phrased as questions with 3-4 chapters (also phrased as questions) per question: how do we begin, how will we liv......more

Goodreads review by Giuliano on May 06, 2023

What an outstanding book. Concise, well researched, with ideas discussed logically and without any hidden agenda. The author asks many questions - why settle space, how do we settle space? What form of government should colonists adopt? What about the economy? And civil rights? How do we ensure the......more

Goodreads review by Ramin on March 11, 2023

I enjoyed reading Erika Nesvold's book, which poses lots of fascinating and important questions. I had the opportunity to ask her questions too, in an interview that we published in WIRED magazine. You're welcome to read it here. [URL not allowed]-nes.........more

Goodreads review by Ryan on April 17, 2024

Off-World 11/2024. Nesvold hosted a podcast called “Making New Worlds” on the ethics of space develop. This is an extension of that. Here, she’s concerned with uncritical belief in the goodness of space exploration without dedicated ethical review. Much of her criticism (which I share) amounts to “th......more

Goodreads review by Tonya on May 14, 2023

I love learning about space exploration. In fact, I literally get paid to do so. So that’s nice. This book asks all the big ethical questions that those seeking to explore the heavens, be they public entities or private corporations, should be asking themselves. How will we ensure that laborers in s......more