Space Exploration... Requires Socialism or Communism?

communisum works as long as there is no corruption. Democracy takes into account corruption and minimizes it's affects

If you look at all the countries that are planning or have a space program all of them are in industrialised nations. IMHO it is technology and the drive that creates a space program. Not the governement.

Even despotisum could eventually come up with a space program, if it survived long enough and had the "brain" assets to do it

Originally posted by Jehosephat
communisum works as long as there is no corruption. Democracy takes into account corruption and minimizes it's affects

If you look at all the countries that are planning or have a space program all of them are in industrialised nations. IMHO it is technology and the drive that creates a space program. Not the governement.

Even despotisum could eventually come up with a space program, if it survived long enough and had the "brain" assets to do it

OK, let's look at this from another angle. I agree capitalism drives technology. But let's say that the technology arrives from our ongoing capitalist society. Now, the planet is in trouble and we need to build a large cruiser, from the capitalist's technology. We need to get as many people as possible on the cruiser and search for an inhabitable planet. What then? You cannot run a cruiser on capitalism, it just seems impossible. It would have to be more like military life, which is somewhat a socialist program within itself.

Originally posted by steggyD

Originally posted by Nygdan
Trots in Space

www.forteantimes.com...

A related and relevant article.

Interesting read. I don't know about the UFO part, but there are some good points by this guy, who most would call bizarre. I was thinking of making us UFO's, not having UFO's come to us.

Here's my take. Capitalism puts man against man. No matter how far we get into space travel, there will be different factions working against each other. They will keep resources from each other, horde scientists, and many other things that will only slow us down.

Well, there are two takes that I see. One is that, any real space travel has been done by free market economies. And all global exploration has been done by, well, certainly non-communist groups. So history says no on communism being better for it.

As far as communism itself. One line of thought would be, the proletariate doesn't need space colonies, it needs stuff right here. A massive government project to fund a space colony and such is against the will of the proletariate, hence it will not be done. The other would be that, its inherently a part of the dialectic progression that the whole world will become communist, and that space exploration is also a part of the dialectic for humanities future, therefore communism must implement space exploration.

Get all our scientists together working on the project and use resources without paying for it.

You need to pay people to get the resources, or have slaves to do the work. THe government can't requisition it without paying for it. You can't get good quality researchers ina communist utopia, because people have no reason to do research. Or work in dangerous mines and toil in engineering plants.

Also, in capitalism, there is no need to go into space. Unless some company finds out that there are money trees in the next solar system over.

There are tremendous profits to be had in space. You can strip mine an entire dead planet without havign to comply with the minimum of ecological standards, since there is no ecology to safeguard. Also, Corporations, after the Conquerors, were the ones who made explorationa and colonialisation work on earth. They'll behave the same in space. Think of it this way. China, The Soviet Union, Cuba, and North Korea are communist. Two have a space program. None have a shuttle. China only just started it. Meanwhile, Nasa has put people on the moon, and the ESA has sent satilietes all over the solar system. And beyond that, there are several private corporations that are the ones really pushing to get into space now, IE Branson's Virgin and others. So Communism seems to be the system least capable to exploring space, at least in practice.

Sure, we have ships that will soon take you right out into space, but that doesn't get us through space...

Forget all this petty capitalism. What's it for? You work, buy things that make you temporarily happy, then you die. What's the point? It's endless slavery that gets you nowhere, just moments of earthly happiness. I would be much happier with the idea that we are searching the galaxy and universe for more, maybe the answers to everything.

Forget all this petty capitalism. What's it for? You work, buy things that make you temporarily happy, then you die. What's the point? It's endless slavery that gets you nowhere, just moments of earthly happiness. I would be much happier with the idea that we are searching the galaxy and universe for more, maybe the answers to everything.

Personally I would be happy if we were just seeking one answer to the biggest question mankind has to ask, Are we Alone? That should be reason enough IMHO.