Omelas and Space Colonization

Abstract

Ursula K. Le Guin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” presents a thought experiment: a utopian city whose happiness depends on the perpetual suffering of one child. This scenario is analogous to the potential downsides of space colonization and the pursuit of a post-human future. While proponents envision a technologically advanced utopia, the possibility of creating astronomical amounts of suffering through increased computational power and the expansion of conscious life outweighs the potential benefits. Like the citizens of Omelas, those advocating for space colonization accept a non-zero, and arguably high, risk of immense suffering as a necessary condition for their envisioned paradise. Even if a future civilization achieves a state of widespread happiness, it does not justify the inevitable suffering that will also exist. Therefore, those who find the Omelas scenario morally reprehensible should reconsider their support for space colonization. – AI-generated abstract.