Letters | Moving to Mars? First, bring the human ego under control
Readers discuss why humanity needs to manage the forces within rather than change planets, and the problem with delegating work to machines
Mars colonisation has moved from science fiction to engineering road maps. SpaceX envisions robot missions this decade, crewed flights in the 2030s and a self-sustaining city by mid-century. The vision is bold: a second home for humanity, a plan B for civilisation.
Yet beneath the excitement lies an uncomfortable paradox. If the gravest threats to civilisation are not cosmic accidents but human-caused disasters, can changing planets really change our fate?
Supporters of Mars colonisation often frame it as a kind of insurance. However, natural disasters are statistically rare, while the more immediate dangers seem to be human-caused: nuclear conflict, climate change and increasingly, the advent of artificial intelligence.
Moving to Mars won’t save us if we don’t fix our existing problems. A colony that depends on Earth for survival just delays the end instead of preventing it.