“The space effort is very simply a continuation of the expansion of ecological range, which has been occurring at an accelerating rate throughout the evolutionary history of Man… Successful extraterrestrial colonization, for example, might be counted as an evolutionary ‘success,’ and unsuccessful colonization–abandonment of the space effort–as an evolutionary ‘failure…’ Space exploration should be considered primarily as a biological thrust outward for the human species, and not just another step toward making life easier through a speedup in technology.”
Ward J. Haas, “The Biological Significance of the Space Effort”, Annals of the New York Academy of Science, Vol. 140 (1966), pp. 659-666. First noted in Sylvia Engdahl’s Space Quotes to Ponder pages.
Centauri Dreams note: The attempt to defend space exploration on the grounds of near-term technological benefits, though well-meaning, has always betrayed a lack of imagination. The human movement into space only makes sense when seen in the context of the biological imperative to explore. It is an imperative that seems hard-coded in the human genome, one that has manifested itself throughout history. Interstellar exploration may seem improbable, but it is in all likelihood inescapable.
