Moral Vistas to Xenic Beyonds: Fostering Moral Imagination to Pre-empt Monsterization in Future Encounters With Extraterrestrial Life

Abstract

Outer space has been described as a liminal landscape. As such, it appears to have an intricate connection to the concept of the monster, which is a powerful metaphor that reflects and demarcates the culture that constructs it. In this vein, the scientific search for extraterrestrial life has been previously argued to possess characteristics of monstrosity. Consequently, the object of this search, that is, alien life, also bears the mark of the monster, as it can effortlessly tap into the particular leitmotifs of the monstrous that are largely constant across cultures, despite the situatedness of the monster. This foreshadows a risk of monsterization of the parties involved in a future discovery of extraterrestrial life, that is, the monsterization of both the humans and the extraterrestrial life. In turn, this can adversely affect moral appraisals in future encounters with extraterrestrial life by rendering theoretical ethical approaches ineffective, as monsters are not only always outside the moral order but essentially defy and transgress it. Grounded on the intertwinement of moral imagination and anticipation and drawing on the inherent educational power of monsters, this chapter offers a theoretical exploration and a practical intervention in the form of a novel futures literacy workshop to help pre-emptively decrease the potential for the monsterization of humans and extraterrestrial life in the case of a future discovery. This contribution is in line with pragmatist ethics and is envisioned as a preparatory, complementary pedagogical approach to the traditional teaching of ethical theories and applied ethics to university students.

Citation

Profitiliotis, G. (2024), "Moral Vistas to Xenic Beyonds: Fostering Moral Imagination to Pre-empt Monsterization in Future Encounters With Extraterrestrial Life", Stelios, S. and Theologou, K. (Ed.) The Ethics Gap in the Engineering of the Future, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 177-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-635-520241010