Astrotopia

The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race

De: Mary-Jane Rubenstein

Narrado por: Elizabeth Klett

As environmental, political, and public health crises multiply on Earth, we are also at the dawn of a new space race in which governments team up with celebrity billionaires to exploit the cosmos for human gain. The best-known of these pioneers are selling different visions of the future: while Elon Musk and SpaceX seek to establish a human presence on Mars, Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin work toward moving millions of earthlings into rotating near-Earth habitats. Despite these distinctions, these two billionaires share a core utopian project: the salvation of humanity through the exploitation of space.

In Astrotopia, philosopher of science and religion Mary-Jane Rubenstein pulls back the curtain on the not-so-new myths these space barons are peddling, like growth without limit, energy without guilt, and salvation in a brand-new world. As Rubenstein reveals, we have already seen the destructive effects of this frontier zealotry in the centuries-long history of European colonialism. But Rubenstein does more than expose the values of capitalist technoscience as the product of bad mythologies. She offers a vision of exploring space without reproducing the atrocities of earthly colonialism, encouraging us to find and even make stories that put cosmic caretaking over profiteering.

©2022 The University of Chicago (P)2023 Tantor

An Undeniable Critique of Christianity’s Link with Colonialism

Rubinstein, in an incredibly readable/listenable book, makes the clear connection between Christianity, imperialism, colonialism, and the space race. While Christianity is a big tent with multiple streams within it, it is undeniable that Christianity has been the handmaiden of imperialism. And it has thus been used to justify the exploitation and oppression of humans across the world. Rubenstein shows in this book how this same unjust spirit will carry into our exploration of outer space if we do not intentionally think about the myths and beliefs that are driving the space race.

Fascinating, witty, knowledgeable

A wonderful, often very funny, scathing critique of the new space cowboys and their shortsighted, possibly deadly, vision of cosmic conquest. Highly recommended

Totally Clueless Author

Went into this with an open mind, but was disappointed by the author’s non-sensical arguments and factual errors. This book was not worth listening too. Suspicious of the positive reviews.