Manifest complexity: A foundational ethic for astrobiology?

Abstract

This paper examines the age old question of the basis of moral value in a the new context of astrobiology, which offers a fresh perspective. The goal is to offer the broad outline of a general theory of moral value that can accommodate the diversity of living entities we are likely to encounter beyond the confines of Earth. It begins with ratiocentrism, the view that the possession of reason is the primary means by which we differentiate entities having moral value in and of themselves from those having moral value merely by virtue of the uses to which they can be put. I extend this basic position by arguing that reason, sociality and culture tend to arise in evolution as a coevolutionary "package deal." Because of this, it's really the sociality-reason-culture triad (SRCT) which should be the criterion for intrinsic moral value, not reason alone. Interestingly, if the SRCT linkage is sufficiently strong, it follows that this sort of moral valuation would be shared by any non-human entities capable of reflection on the nature of such things, granting it a curious kind of objectivity. Then I suggest that the unfolding of complexity produced by SRCT species may be the best means to realize the manifest destiny (or manifest complexity) of all life, which may provide an ultimate, metaphysical foundation for ethical value. Finally, I outline how this new theory can be applied to different types of entities that we may encounter beyond Earth.

Humans Should Not Colonize Mars

“…Scherer (1988) argues that entities or systems that strive against entropy are intrinsically valuable, and thus space explorers have a duty to avoid endangering the disentropic enterprise wherever they go. Smith (2014) develops a theory of intrinsic value rooted in a complex of higher features he calls the ‘sociality-reason-culture triad’, and then he applies this theory to yield a permissive set of norms governing our treatment of any extraterrestrial life we might discover.…”

Astrobioethics: a brief discussion from the epistemological, religious and societal dimension

“…What if they evolved on Earth not just because of a contingent set of initial conditions which may or may not be found on other planets, but because such constellation of abilities is favored in general by evolutionary processes? (Smith, 2014) In fact, we can identify two versions of the SRCT proposal: the strong and the weak one. If we accept that every rational species can become more complex we could obtain the SRCT (strong version), our level of empathy would increase.…”

Optimality of Social Choice Systems: Complexity, Wisdom, and Wellbeing Centrality

“…Atoms organized into molecules, for example, molecules into cells, and cells into animals and plants. Some have called this bumpy trajectory manifest complexity [65], others call it the arrow of complexity [66].…”