Going to Mars in search of More Misery?Waldmark, 23 May 2008It is not prudent to go on a holiday when striving to meet the deadline of an important assignment. Why, then, do people not accept that Mars is not a good place to go to with there being so many urgent jobs to be tackled here on earth? People are intent on spending billion of dollars to shoot rockets to the planet Mars. Surely a great display of unparalleled knowledge. But is it wise? Alas, to native English speakers any effort aimed at accumulating knowledge is always considered wise because the English vocabulary equates wisdom with having knowledge. Thus, more knowledge means increased wisdom. The rationale for allocating billions of dollars to the Mars Exploration Program is stated on the official White House website1. One of the objectives of the Space Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit, is to: ‘Conduct robotic exploration of Mars to search for evidence of life, to understand the history of the solar system, and to prepare for future human exploration;’ Millions of people are starving for lack of food or medicine here on earth today. What is the point of flying millions of miles to a far away planet in search of possible evidence of life, when there are so many instances of life dying so close by? How many of the world’s poor and needy could be saved by allocating that sheer unimaginable amount of money to another cause? Surely wisdom had a day off when it was decided how to spend those billions. I’m afraid that as long as English remains the lingua franca of economics native English speakers will be unable to comprehend that wisdom comprises more than just knowledge or understanding. Philosophy means love of wisdom, not love of knowledge. That said, I do applaud the technical competence and scientific daring that catapulted a man-made module to Mars and make it land. It is an extraordinary achievement and even though it may not have been a wise decision to embark on the mission, seeing it successfully achieved is certainly a very impressive display of fortitude and tenacity. |  Choose font size |
