About and Introduction – Richard J Tilley: Space Ethics and First Contact

This website is more like a conversation. It is designed to help move the new field of Space Ethics into an admittedly questionable, speculative field of First Contact Ethics. While very few scholars are currently working in the field of Space Ethics, I hope to assist by advancing proposals and strategies that might be discussed when contemplating First Contact Ethics. Now, is the in the realm of science fiction? Yes, of course! However, is it also something that ethicist need to be considering in the event that we find ourselves in this situation? Yes, that, too! While I do not claim in any method or manner that humanity has made first contact or that we are going to soon, I do claim that these are thought exercises that need to be considered moving forward. I should also state upfront that while I frame myself as an ethicist, I am much more like an ethicist in training. I don’t think there is any such thing as a fully self-realized ethicist in this world.

What qualifies me to lead such a discussion? During my extensive time in college I was fortunate enough to have many, many great professors. Through I completed university with the less than impressive degree of a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University, I did throughout my time in university become cemented in discussions on ethics. I have continued those studies after I completed my master’s.

I immersed myself into Violence Studies, with the belief that violence is not inevitable and that if society is to overcome violence, it must be understood. I have also worked on a self-imposed regimented program and independent research related to sociology and radical geography. I have an extensive scholarly library that I have built up over the years. My research is based on my continued focus on history and literature. I also incorporated my research on Violence Studies and Space and Place and some elements of cultural anthropology. Some of my writing on Interdisciplinary Violence Studies can be found here: Towards Post-Violence Societies: An Outline of Interdisciplinary Violence Studies and Violence Research.

My interest in Violence Studies and my internalized realization of the importance of the understudied field came directly out of my theological research.

This is not the only place you will see me discussing ethics. I have a site where I post the ethical considerations of science fiction here: Science Fiction and Ethics: scifi.global.

I hope you will join me as I attempt to build and contribute to what will become the very important topic of Space Ethics. Though I am well-studied and can say with confidence that I have continued to apply critical thinking on a graduate level long after university, I am not a scientist. That, of course, will be a major drawback for many who might consider my ideas insufficiently grounded in the sciences. I understand. However, I do think an objective scholar or reader of Space Ethics will also concede that there is room, no, necessity for the discussion of Space Ethics to be interdisciplinary and of wide range.

We all want meaning in our lives. It my hope that https://www.firstcontact.earth/ will lead to more. Please first read what this website is for, here.

I should also add that 100% of the posts here are written by me and me alone. Nothing written here is constructed, consulted, or brain stormed by AI available systems. Here is the article I was reading that made me realize I should offer that assurance and it is natural to assume AI generated websites will be, or have already started, launching all over the place.