Wendell Berry, Mars, and Manifest Destiny
Should we be going to Mars? I would love to hear your thoughts.
A number of folk have recently signed up to receiving Over the Field off the back of
’s recent piece on the necessity of Wendell Berry’s wisdom for the cultural and political moment we are all living in. In this short update, I want to welcome these new readers and give my existing readers an update on a long-form piece I am working on as well as inviting your comments on some of the themes relating to this upcoming essay.There has been lots of noise recently about the American “manifest destiny” of going to Mars. It appears that the two individuals at the helm of the American nation are committed to this somewhat unfathomable vision.
This got me thinking, what would Wendell Berry have to say about this? Especially in light of this quote from his speech It all Turns on Affection:
“No doubt there will always be some people willing to do anything at all that is financially or technically possible, who look upon the world and its creatures without affection and therefore as exploitable without limit.”
On the basis of this quote (and indeed, the entire corpus of his writing), I believe Mr Berry would be firmly against the whole idea of going to Mars as a fulfilment of a supposed manifest destiny. I am currently writing a long-form piece that argues this very point. My preliminary reasoning is that this vision rejects the goodness of limitations by implying our destiny transcends this planet; is ecologically costly; and incurs a high opportunity cost in that the immense amount of money spent on getting us to Mars could have been used to help resolve some of the pressing environmental, social, and financial challenges the modern world is facing. These issues should, I believe Mr Berry would argue, take precedence over any martian exploits.
But these are my preliminary thoughts. I would greatly value hearing from all of you. Do you agree that Mr Berry would be against this vision? If so, why/why not?
I would also love to hear your own thoughts on the while idea of a ‘martian manifest destiny’. Is this something you want to see happen? Are you happy for your leaders to work towards and invest towards this aim? What philosophical considerations and implications are there? You never know, your thoughts might warrant a footnote and a mention in my essay. The comments section and my email inbox are open for discussion.
It may be a while before this essay is published. Partly, this is due to my focus this year on writing less but writing better (which I am sure your inboxes will appreciate!) In the meantime, I leave you with two essays I wrote last year that touch on some of the issues I aim to cover in this future essay. And as always, my extensive essay archive found here.
The Cost Of Reading Wendell Berry
It is painful, at times very painful, reading Wendell Berry. There you are, sitting down comfortably to read what you think will be a quaint and nostalgic treatise on the virtues of horse-drawn tools, when suddenly you are confronted with Mr. Berry forcing you to reconsider your relationship with speed, efficiency, and the fast-paced life
Investing In The Precious Land
One of the most precious things anyone can own is a plot of land. Precious not only for what it can provide — a place to call home, sustenance from the ground, space to roam free — but more so because of its own inherent worth as a unique masterpiece of creation. Owning such a precious gift is an immense privilege. And an …
Finally, the next Wendell Berry Reading Group will be happening in a month’s time where we will be considering one of Berry’s foundational essays, The Agrarian Standard. Details can be found here.
Warmly
Hadden
I was taught ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’. I think we need to focus on what needs to be addressed here, on this planet, the billion people without clean drinking water or the starving children throughout our planet. We need to have a vision for helping each other and our local communities before we go off and ‘explore’ an uninhabitable planet.
One initial thought I have on this, and the reason why I will continue shaking my head sadly at the national leadership of my country.
You have written at length, Hadden, about the importance of concern for one's local community, and I heartily agree with your perspective on the subject. It seems to me that so many people in our technologically globalized culture have become convinced that it is more beneficial to while away their days thinking and talking and writing about the problems of the world, without taking action to remedy the problems of their own towns and neighbourhoods. It is easier to talk like you love your neighbour who is far away, than actively love those who live near at hand. This idea of colonizing Mars is, I think, this misguided mindset taken to the extreme.
Rather than concerning ourselves with the world which we have, which is full of brokenness and hurt, and people living in fear and loneliness, problems which we can address now, we have decided on a global scale to spend our time and resources trying to flea to another planet. To do what? To set up another kingdom of disordered loves, of profit and plastic?
I would rather work to create and nurture a life of beauty and wonder in this miraculous world which I have already been gifted, than go off into a desert far away, convinced that I will somehow build paradise in the rocks by use of my own wisdom.