[ExI] Are Dyson swarms a good idea?

[Jason Resch]

On Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 10:46 AM Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> On 27/01/2026 14:51, Jason Resch wrote:
> > We see the aliens from the movie independence day as evil for trying to
> wipe out life on Earth. Is it not an equivalent evil to build a Dyson swarm
> around an alien star and preclude any chance of life from emerging on any
> planet in that system?
>
>
> No it is not.
> Doing harm to something which exists is totally different to doing
> hypothetical harm to something which doesn't exist.
>

If you consider life in earth a net good, then any action that precluded
life on earth is actually more of a wrong than stamping out life after it
had some period of time to exist.


> You're talking about the kind of thinking which leads people to conclude
> that contraception is evil and similar bonkers ideas.
>

There are too many differences between contraception and the preclusion of
life on earth, to that make the situations incomparable.

Try to explain from first principles why it is morally acceptable to
prevent life from ever forming on earth. (Assuming we agree life on earth
is a net good)

Jason
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