The existential threat of bad ideas

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The speaker argues that the major threat to humanity in this century, similar to the 20th century, is bad ideas revolving around the notion of scarcity leading to conflicts. Wars like World War I and II were not caused by climate change, resource exhaustion, or overpopulation but by the idea of limited resources, leading to the belief that war is inevitable. Tyrants rely on this idea to justify their rule, making it crucial to address and overcome these bad ideas to prevent widespread conflict and ensure a peaceful future for humanity.

When Robert Zubrin published his classic book The Case for Mars a quarter century ago, setting foot on the Red Planet seemed a fantasy. Today, manned exploration is certain, and as Zubrin affirms in The New World on Mars, so too is colonization. From the astronautical engineer venerated by NASA and today’s space entrepreneurs, here is what we will achieve on Mars and how.

Shermer and Zubrin discuss: why not start with the moon? • what it is like on Mars • whether Mars was ever like Earth • how much it will cost to go to Mars • how to get people to Mars • resources on Mars • colonization of Mars • public vs. private enterprise for space exploration • economics, politics, and government on Mars • lessons from the Red Planet for the Blue Planet • liberty in space.

Robert Zubrin is former president of Pioneer Astronautics, which performs advanced space research for NASA, the US Air Force, the US Department of Energy, and private companies. He is the founder and president of the Mars Society, leading the Society’s successful effort to build the first simulated human Mars exploration base in the Canadian Arctic.