[ExI] is a FTL drive a dream without any physics to back it up?

[Stefano Vaj]

On 19 December 2011 11:24, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

> Why did the astrochicken cross the interstellar void?
> To get to the other side.
>

I really like that.

All my cultural background would also make me wary of optimism (O. Spengler
"optimism is cowardice").

But on a more positive angle, what about the fact that a more
outward-oriented, daring and dynamic civilisational orientation would also
be best placed to resist and avoid collapse?

The crises we are possibly facing are an altogether different scale, but
after all Europe inverted its decline around 1300 by embarking in
exploration, change, paradigm shifts, political unrest, etc. most of which
was not per se aimed at immediate returns.

In this respect, vigorous and competing space programs, even of an "Everest
nature" ("I want to climb it because it's there"), could in principle pay
indirect dividends also with regard with the dire prospectives in
discussion...

-- 
Stefano Vaj
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