Space Settlements and Future Generations

Oskari Sivula (University of Helsinki), Gary David O'Brien (Lingnan University)

Before too long, humans may establish permanent settlements on other planets and moons, and this may entail procreation off-Earth. This raises serious ethical issues explored in this talk. Given the harsh conditions and lower prospects for wellbeing faced by people born in space settlements, we must ask whether it is permissible to reproduce in such circumstances. Against the sceptical position common in the literature, we argue that procreation off-Earth may be permissible if certain conditions are met. We argue that a plausible threshold for permissible procreation can be grounded in needs-based sufficientarianism, according to which future people should have the basic needs essential for autonomous pursuit of a good life. Whether this threshold can be met will depend on the specific conditions of the settlement. Because space habitats require extensive life-support systems, procreation is not merely a private matter. It has a distinctly political dimension: procreation in such contexts presupposes reliable systems and institutions capable of maintaining a sufficiently good life. If these cannot be provided, then space settlements should not be based on reproduction.