It could be argued that the public’s disinterest in these frontiers represent an underlying fears of accelerating innovation. New ideas and innovations have an inherently threatening quality to the status quo. A new idea or innovation represents to some the surrendering of control of part of their lives. Suddenly, the skills you spent years practicing and honing have no use.

Political and social systems are forced to respond to the accelerating change as well. How is a religious organization supposed to keep pace with technology on issues of ethics? Models of political behavior become irrelevant in an age where most people have access to technology. New models cannot be created fast enough.

Additionally, these frontiers and discoveries seem to have no direct bearing on our daily lives. Earlier frontiers, such as vaccinations or cancer research, have a direct bearing on our lives. The space program provided in direct benefit to the public through countless innovations. How is the public supposed to gain from funding a deep space program? While it is possible to explain the utility of a deep space program, no one will be interested in funding such a project until they see what they believe are practical benefits.

These answers overshadow another possible solution.

For me, the public’s apathetic and ambiguous feelings about innovation and exploration of the unexplored represents a deeper, metaphysical fear. On an individual level, we are afraid that we are not special or unique. I am not referring to a sense religious specialness, such as us being God’s chosen people or having a personal relationship with the lord. Discoveries, such as dolphins having personal unique names or chimpanzees going to war, crumble our self built walls that we erected to divide ourselves from the rest of the animal kingdom. No longer are behaviors once thought unique to humans only witnessed in humans.

If our biology does not make us unique or special as individuals, then what does? What makes us unique is that as a species we posses an inherent desire to explore. Individually, we may be content with with not knowing what lies over the next ridge, but as a species we are not. Each of us is filled with an incurable itch to explore and understand our world. How we act on this itch is up to us.

As a species we have reached a level of technological sophistication that allows us to accomplish much of the exploration process with little effort. With a touch of a button, I can access libraries of information on any subject on my choosing. We can destroy cities and create life. In a sense, we have developed powers akin to the Old Testament God.

An uncharitable observer would conclude that as a species, we see there is no inherent need to advance our technology any further. Our needs are met. Above the plateau lies other wonders to be discovered, but we have little interest in exploring them.

This technological plateau is a seductive trap. We have near godlike powers. We have discovered all the readily accessible secrets nature has to offer and used them to our advantage. The frontier is either too small, too distant or too expensive to reach. There is no financial gain in exploring anymore.

The explorers stood at the edge of the plateau, having mapped their world. They heard the universe call ad inexplorata but ignored it and turned inwards. Content with being adolescent gods, they looked to the stars and the deep oceans which had inspired their ancestors to explore and returned to playing Angry Birds.

It could be argued that lingering on the edge of the plateau while more sufficient moral and political systems are developed would be an advisable move for us to make as a species. What difference does it technologically make if we settle the moon in 2020 or 2025? The difference of five years may be detrimental to the legal world. Who would own the moon? Which group has legal jurisdiction? These question would need to be answered well in advance of the first settlement.

If we choose to linger on the plateau while discussing moral and ethical implications of our technology, the question that arises is “how long do we wait before exploring?” We want to avoid the extremes of exploring without an ethical understanding of our actions or waiting for too long to take the first step because of moral uncertainty. During the exploration planning process, we need agree that there is a point where we will take the plunge into the unknown.

​The explorers reached the edge of the plateau and decided that exploration was worth it. They decided to pause before departing to answer moral questions. They became lost in minutia and never left the plateau.

What happens if we choose to leave the plateau? I am not sure anyone knows for certain, instead let us focus on how we can leave it. First, stop using technology to build what are essentially toys. We do not need another Angry Birds. We need software that can process complex systems.

In a similar vein, turn scientific focus towards the esoteric fields. Focus research efforts on the brain, deep space and deep sea exploration and quantum physics. Encourage research in these fields, being mindful of the cost, but accepting that these investments may not yield rewards automatically.

Finally, as a species we do need to look inwards at our behavior. We need to accept that we have at our disposal powers once reserved for gods. Our existing legal and political systems will need to be reevaluated so they can function at a similar pace as technological development. The reevaluation of political and legal would be necessary to insure that those systems did not become obsolete or archaic.

Moral and behavioral codes would need to undergo a similar evaluation. A possible moral system could codify inalienable fundamental values as the ones we hold the most dear.They could be thought of as the modern Ten Commandments Other laws could be modified to fit the legal spirit of the times. Whatever systems we create, we must remember that a system that did not attempt to address new moral issues as they arose would prove increasingly irrelevant as technology advanced.

The explorers stood at the edge of the plateau, knowing they had learned all they needed to know from this place. They felt they sufficiently understood moral implications of their actions and were ready to accept the consequences. The universe called out ad inexplorata and the explorers followed.

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