MICRO-ESSAY
On Gerry Canavan, If Those Goes On Green Planets: Ecology and Science Fiction’, 2014 & Benjamin Bratton, ‘Planetary Sapience Technology & The Human’, 2021
Both Bratton’s “Planetary Sapience” and Canavan’s “If This Goes On” touch upon the concept of intentional terraforming, albeit in significantly different contexts. Bratton frames it as a necessary outcome of planetary-scale computation, a technologically driven project to create a worthwhile planetary-scale environment. This aligns with his broader argument for embracing “synthetic intelligence” as a tool for managing Earth’s future. His vision implicitly rests on the assumption of abundant resources and technological prowess to overcome ecological limitations.
Canavan, however, approaches terraforming through the lens of a “spaceman economy,” a concept borrowed from Kenneth Boulding. This highlights the inherent limitations of a closed system with finite resources. Unlike Bratton’s optimistic technological fix, Canavan uses the “spaceman economy” to illustrate the inherent scarcity and constraints of a planet unable to endlessly expand its resources. Intentional terraforming, in this context, becomes more problematic, possibly even dystopian. The finite nature of resources necessitates careful management and a reevaluation of societal values that prioritize endless growth and consumption.
The contrast between these perspectives is striking. Bratton’s “Planetary Sapience” envisions a technologically advanced future capable of overcoming limitations through technological intervention. This contrasts sharply with Canavan’s “spaceman economy” which emphasizes the ecological limits inherent in a finite system, suggesting that large-scale terraforming projects, without addressing underlying consumption patterns and resource management, might prove unsustainable or even exacerbate existing ecological problems. Ultimately, a successful approach to terraforming requires a synthesis of both perspectives – a technologically informed approach coupled with an ecologically conscious and ethically responsible framework.
KEY TERMS
TERRAFORMING: Process of
altering a planet’s enviroment.
SPACEMAN ECONOMY: A open,
free horizon of endless expansive
possibilities.
