ABSTRACT

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have been investing in improving human spaceflight capabilities through the development of reusable rockets to greatly reduce the cost of orbital launches. One such entrepreneur is the controversial Elon Musk who projects a techno-optimistic vision of the future in which humans live on other planets, enabled by his company’s technologies. This is a technologically utopian and libertarian vision that has implications for ongoing contestations about the future of Earth and humanity. For Musk and his investors and supporters, their vision is about how human action in outer space will transform things ‘down here’, bringing about positive social change. While many celebrate such business leaders of Silicon Valley, critical voices challenge their evasion of current global challenges. Musk’s techno-optimistic visions can be illuminated by the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries that draws attention to how public debates about science and technology also often evoke feelings of excitement, adventure, disappointment and anxiety. Science fiction narratives and digital simulations play an important role in conveying to multiple publics the desirability and feasibility of such imagined futures. However, although exciting in ambition and design, Silicon Valley visions of outer space futures offer little to the flourishing of humans and the planet.

摘要

硅谷企业家一直在投资，通过开发可重复使用的火箭来提高载人航天能力，以大大降低轨道发射成本。一位这样的企业家是有争议的埃隆马斯克，他对未来人类生活在其他星球上的未来提出了技术乐观的愿景，这得益于他公司的技术。这是一种技术上的乌托邦和自由主义愿景，对有关地球和人类未来的持续争论具有影响。对于马斯克和他的投资者和支持者来说，他们的愿景是关于人类在外太空的行动将如何改变“这里”的事物，带来积极的社会变革。虽然许多人庆祝硅谷的这些商业领袖，但批评的声音挑战他们对当前全球挑战的逃避。马斯克的技术乐观愿景可以通过社会技术想象的概念来阐明，这些想象提请注意关于科学和技术的公开辩论如何也经常唤起兴奋、冒险、失望和焦虑的感觉。科幻叙事和数字模拟在向众多公众传达这种想象未来的可取性和可行性方面发挥着重要作用。然而，尽管在雄心和设计方面令人兴奋，但硅谷对外太空未来的愿景对人类和地球的繁荣几乎没有帮助。科幻叙事和数字模拟在向众多公众传达这种想象未来的可取性和可行性方面发挥着重要作用。然而，尽管在雄心和设计方面令人兴奋，但硅谷对外太空未来的愿景对人类和地球的繁荣几乎没有帮助。科幻叙事和数字模拟在向众多公众传达这种想象未来的可取性和可行性方面发挥着重要作用。然而，尽管在雄心和设计方面令人兴奋，但硅谷对外太空未来的愿景对人类和地球的繁荣几乎没有帮助。