Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Meet on the ground floor of QNC, on or near thegray slab benches at 7:20ish, and a regular will let everyone into a room in IQC for 7:30 pm. You can see the precise location onplus.codes. The benches are near the Ring Road entrance, and across the hall from an orange-tinted lab space.
As always, vegetarian snacks will be provided.
Activity
This week we are going to talk about space colonization. We’ll read some optimistic and pessimistic views on the feasibility of colonizing other planets and decide where we fit on the spectrum. We’ll also discuss what we think our future as an interplanetary species will look like and the chances of finding them aliens.
If we get a Mars settlement in your lifetime, would you visit if you won a free trip?
Do you think humans will ever leave our solar system?
What is your p(aliens)? What do you think of the Fermi Paradox, Great Filter, and Dark Forest Theory?
How should we balance programs like SETI, NASA, etc vs spending resources focused on Earth?
Do you think asteroid mining will ever takeoff? What impacts will it have on our economy?
Should we focus more research efforts on designing a successor species?
Do you think a generation ship is possible? Ethical?
If we can’t upload minds, or put humans in stasis, would you consider sending AI controlled robots to other solar systems a win? A terrible idea?
What are your thoughts on colonizing another planet with life on it? How much does the suspected intelligence of that life come into play?
Are there enough resources on earth to sustain interstellar travel? If we lost most of our technology to a major disaster, could we get back to where we are, or are all the easy to access resources used up?
Do you think we have a limited window to seriously start on space colonization?
Space Colonization
Meet on the ground floor of QNC, on or near the gray slab benches at 7:20ish, and a regular will let everyone into a room in IQC for 7:30 pm. You can see the precise location on plus.codes. The benches are near the Ring Road entrance, and across the hall from an orange-tinted lab space.
As always, vegetarian snacks will be provided.
Activity
This week we are going to talk about space colonization. We’ll read some optimistic and pessimistic views on the feasibility of colonizing other planets and decide where we fit on the spectrum. We’ll also discuss what we think our future as an interplanetary species will look like and the chances of finding them aliens.
Readings
Pro Mars Colonization
https://nss.org/the-case-for-colonizing-mars-by-robert-zubrin/
Anti Mars Colonization
https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/zach-weinersmith-space-settlement/
Explanations of the Fermi Paradox and Great Filter
https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html
https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/05/28/dont-fear-the-filter/
https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/03/ssc-journal-club-dissolving-the-fermi-paradox/
Supplemental Readings
Pro space colonization
https://nickbostrom.com/papers/astronomical-waste/
Anti space colonization
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/YKqKv8tckMHkmFB4z/summary-of-and-thoughts-on-dark-skies-by-daniel-deudney
Venus first colonization
https://blackthornhedge.substack.com/p/the-wet-route-to-the-stars
Asteroid mining
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining
https://hir.harvard.edu/economics-of-the-stars/
How to industrialize Mars
https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2018/09/03/how-to-industrialize-mars/
Terraforming Mars
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.07344
https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2018/08/05/atmospheres-and-terraforming/
https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2024/08/24/terraforming-mars-with-nanowires/
A take on resource limitations
https://aeon.co/essays/could-we-reboot-a-modern-civilisation-without-fossil-fuels
Discussion Questions
How realistic is a sustainable Mars settlement?
If we get a Mars settlement in your lifetime, would you visit if you won a free trip?
Do you think humans will ever leave our solar system?
What is your p(aliens)? What do you think of the Fermi Paradox, Great Filter, and Dark Forest Theory?
How should we balance programs like SETI, NASA, etc vs spending resources focused on Earth?
Do you think asteroid mining will ever takeoff? What impacts will it have on our economy?
Should we focus more research efforts on designing a successor species?
Do you think a generation ship is possible? Ethical?
If we can’t upload minds, or put humans in stasis, would you consider sending AI controlled robots to other solar systems a win? A terrible idea?
What are your thoughts on colonizing another planet with life on it? How much does the suspected intelligence of that life come into play?
Are there enough resources on earth to sustain interstellar travel? If we lost most of our technology to a major disaster, could we get back to where we are, or are all the easy to access resources used up?
Do you think we have a limited window to seriously start on space colonization?