Más allá de la Tierra. Ética y política de laexploración espacial humana

Abstract

Human space exploration raises philosophical and ethical questions of paramount importance that demand systematic reflection from the standpoint of practical philosophy. This article critically examines the main ethical justifications for space expansion, from the species-survival imperative to transhumanist techno-utopian rhetoric, and analyzes the moral, political, and legal implications arising from the colonization of other celestial bodies. It is argued that the expansionist narrative frequently conceals geostrategic and commercial interests, and that terrestrial ethics proves insufficient to address the challenges of outer space. The article proposes the need to develop a specific ethical framework, an astroethics, that integrates considerations of distributive justice, planetary protection, rights of potential extraterrestrial life forms, and democratic governance of space.