Episode 8: Chris McKay
Let’s take this up a level. Dr. Chris McKay is a planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center who searches the solar system for microbial life. Dr. McKay is also active in discussions of bioethics, Mars colonization, and terraforming. We spoke about the search for life on Mars and how it can inform our thinking about life, biodiversity, and ethics on Earth. You can expect the themes of biocentrism and anthropocentrism to rear their heads again, making Dr. McKay’s conversation an interesting contrast to Jan Lundberg’s biocentrism.
Speaking in terms of what the microbes value, wouldn’t it be the same good that all other species save us value, survival?
I found it interesting that Dr. McKay referred to religion as a crutch, considering his end goal of having a perfect set of values in God-like mastery of them is not unlike many of the world’s religions’ pure teachings, including the Judeo-Christian theology.
I also found it interesting that in the middle of a conversation about anthropomorphic views of the world, a scientist brought up the potential extinction of polar bears while indulging in a very human-centric perspective and ignoring science. Specifically, science shows us that the polar bear population has been reduced to much smaller numbers than it is currently at long before humans were a factor. It reminds me of how much scientists operate within the constrains of uniformitarian thought and human concerns, such as our effect on the planets versus understanding the our systems potential for cataclysmic event. The minds at work in politics or economics don’t seem to be much different. This makes me even more eager to learn more about Micah’s work.