Affiliation:
1. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK
Abstract
AbstractTo enhance the chances of building successful free societies beyond Earth, engineering can be used to design structures and parts of settlements to mitigate or minimise the tendency for highly autocratic modes of governance. The design of settlements to discourage excessive centralisation, the capacity for overproduction of vital resources such as oxygen, and the diversification of production methods are examples of how engineering can be used to enhance the conditions for freedom. These ideas can be applied to the freedom of movement problem by improving the flexibility and mass production of spacesuits. Conditions for economic freedom can be advanced by improving the capacity for the movement of materials and people throughout the Solar System, primarily by constructing reliable, mass-produced spaceships. In other words, engineering can be used to plan for freedom.
Publisher
Oxford University PressOxford