Privatized Space Exploration

For a while now I've dreaded the day with news that Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos makes a new discovery in space. Some things, or even all things in a perfect world, should not be in the hands of individuals; the Covid-19 vaccines and other medicines are a prime example as things that should be readily available to everyone, instead of being used by private entities to make a lot of profits.

But of all the things that shouldn't be exploited by private individuals, knowledge should be right at the top. Any true scientist will admit without hesitation that all the knowledge we possess is built upon the past knowledge gathered by millions over countless generations. Knowledge, my friends, is the prime example that that we don't ever do or reach anything on our own. But... A couple of days ago the news was saturated by this headline: "Elon Musk & NASA’s Terrifying NEW Discovery on Neptune Changes Everything!". Now, the actual discovery isn't nearly as terrifying as the headline suggests, but that's not the topic I want to discuss anyway, so for those who don't like to read, I've linked the video with the exact same content for your viewing pleasure at the bottom.

The headline is misleading to say the least, and its implications are far more terrifying than its actual content. First of all, while Elon Musk is mentioned first, he had absolutely nothing to do with the discovery on Neptune. That was all done by real scientists at the publicly funded National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Just like almost all scientific progress, by the way. The bulk of all research into medicine, for example, is done at universities. Heck, even Facebook was developed at Harvard University and started under the name "Facemash" developed by Zuckerberg in his second year of college. The headline on the Neptune discovery is in line with Elon Musk's nasty habit of appropriating everything he comes across; he's a business man, not a scientist or inventor. He didn't make Tesla, he didn't make PayPal, and he didn't make the discovery on Neptune. What he does is what every business or corporation does; he uses his money to scoop up the hard work of others.

Still, the headline is an early indication of where we're headed in this crazy world. People hate the government for obvious reasons, and aren't willing to fund the hated government with their tax dollars. But my biggest gripe with this growing attitude is that the government is not the problem here; it's the corporations and people like Elon Musk. Capitalism is the problem. The fact that private individuals are allowed, no, encouraged even to own the stuff that should be owned by everyone. And that's the same as saying it should be owned by no one. We all need water, so the next world wars will probably be fought over water. That's crazy, just think about it; on a planet with 70 percent of its surface covered by water, that's the thing we'll fight over because drinking water has been bottled and privatized. But that's not even half as crazy, in my opinion, that knowledge can be privatized. Just imagine a world where someone like Elon Musk makes all the discoveries in space and keeps that knowledge for himself to profit from. Do you think that if he, or someone like him, succeeds in colonizing Mars, we'll all be invited? If you do, I ask you to think again.

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