Ethics in Space Security

Abstract

Abstract The peaceful uses of space is the focal meaning of space security. As documents that concern this idea work as legally non-binding soft law instruments, nations furtively tend not to follow such instruments if they do not deem it to be in their national interests. Therefore, to realize this idea, a certain shared understanding of ethics must be required to dissuade countries from taking advantage of loopholes and make them understand the intrinsic value of the idea. This chapter scrutinizes which ethics is most appropriate to realize the idea. First, it identifies two conditions of such realization that ethics must satisfy. Then, examining three moral views in international relations theory (skepticism, state moralism, and cosmopolitanism) and three moral theories (deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics), it argues that virtue ethics-based cosmopolitanism satisfies the conditions most. It concludes that nations and space agencies must promote space education to cultivate a cosmopolitan mind.