About this episode

Louise Perry discusses the implications of Artemis II and the cultural aspects of space exploration in relation to birth rates and societal evolution.

From the King Charles III Space Station, Tom and Calum welcome Louise Perry — reactionary feminist, space romantic, and descendant of Second Fleet convicts — to discuss Artemis II, the furthest humans have ever travelled from Earth. Louise makes the case that enthusiasm for space exploration is an overwhelmingly Anglo phenomenon, something between an anthropological pathology and a civilisational birthright. But the last great age of exploration coincided with an incredible cheapness of life, a tolerance for suffering and death that modern societies have entirely lost. Can you be expansionist with a 0.7 birth rate and no appetite for risk? This leads into Louise’s theory of the century: that birth rate collapse is not a policy failure but an evolutionary bottleneck. The people who make it through — more religious, more conservative, more willing to bear the costs — will inherit the Earth. Democracy probably can’t survive the gerontocracy that’s coming. The state pension certainly won’t. Your best hedge, she argues, is several children. The episode explores: * Why space exploration is an Anglo pathology — and why that’s glorious * The Moral Maze’s case against Artemis II…

People in this episode

Hosts: Tom Ough, Calum Drysdale

Guest: Louise Perry

Topics covered

• space exploration
• Anglo phenomenon
• birth rate collapse
• evolutionary bottleneck
• democracy
• expansionism

Keywords

• space exploration
• Artemis II
• birth rate
• evolutionary bottleneck
• Anglo phenomenon
• democracy
• expansionism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: King Charles III Space Station

Places: Earth, moon, Navajo

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