…have a completely pointless discussion about human spaceflight.
The whole thing, of course, begs the question (as usual) about whether or not it’s about science and exploration. And Chomsky’s economic insanity shines through, as always.
11 thoughts on “Lawrence Krauss And Noam Chomsky”
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By and large, this article was a frustrating waste of time.
I don’t understand the point Professor Chomsky is making when describes the low level computer research done by the government. It’s like he thinks there’s no existing knowledge base of spaceflight which companies can use?
I have two graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Both paid for by working on projects for companies. It’s commonplace, at least in Mechanical Engineering, to have graduate research funded by a company.
The question about “what can really be done to reclaim the commons of space?”. How about we radically lower the cost of access to low Earth orbit? Unfortunately, that’s being done by the private companies they so detest.
I chuckled at the derogatory way in which the summary was phrased: “…new space companies see the final frontier as a gold mine”. Frontiers have always been opened by those who wanted to *and* could afford to go.
By and large, this article was a frustrating waste of time.
Hey, I warned you. 🙂
“…the commons of space?”
Commons, as in Tragedy of?
Historically a lot of frontiers have been opened by someone looking for something of value. The profit motive can do a lot more good than the central planners will admit.
The problem of space debris has aspects of the tragedy of the commons to it. Everyone agrees debris is a problem but no one is willing to pay for removing it, so the problem continues to get worse.
Will be interesting to see how asteroid miners deal with this.
Pointless, yet a necessary reminder.
Both Chomsky and Krauss act as if we’re going to be stuck in the buggy whip era of spaceflight forever, and concepts like reusability will always be beyond our reach. The reminder comes when you read Chomsky’s anti-human comments about market economics. This is a man who once denounced the late Vaclev Havel, the first leader of post-Communist Czechslovakia (later to split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia), and a dissident who was imprisoned by the late Communist government, as an American stooge.
Two State Stuppers commenting on something they know almost nothing about. Their own accomplishments in their respective fields and over-inflated their egos and allowed them to step outside their respective lanes into the fields of mal-wisdom.
I will confidently say that I know more about Spaceflight than either one of them just from reading this blog and others without any letters, Ph.D or accolades to my name.
Two people who think that private citizens shouldn’t have direct private access to outer space and its places and resources without first getting governments’ permission.
They don’t seem to be aware that they are perpetrating a triggering, macro-aggression.
Perhaps USA Today’s review of Jurassic World would make a nice palate cleanser.
It’s too bad that the Pilgrims left before the Royal Society was founded. If they had had a chance to listen to their intellectual betters, they never would have left. After all, the Western Hemisphere was a shared space.
Now we see the terrible, disastrous results of people migrating without the guiding hand of
narcissists who want to control every minutiae of our livesour betters.The anti-human worship of state is almost universal, these idiot savants just make it obvious.