Charles S Cockell
Biographic Data
| ID | 3486393 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Charles S Cockell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Charles S |
| FAMILY NAME | Cockell |
| SIGNATURE | COCKELL C S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Columbia University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3662-0503 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Taxi from Another Planet
Interplanetary Liberty
Taxi from Another Planet
Dissent, Revolution and Liberty Beyond Earth
The Meaning of Liberty Beyond Earth
The purpose of this book is to initiate a new discussion on liberty focusing on the infinite realms of space. The discussion of the nature of liberty and what it means for a human to be free has occupied the minds of thinkers since the Enlightenment. However, without exception, every one of these discussions has focused on the character of liberty on the Earth.The emergence of human space exploration programs in the last 40-50 years raise a funda…
The Microbial Stages of Humanity
The history of the development of human civilization mirrors the evolutionary innovations and habits of microorganisms. Escape from environmental extremes within caves (cryptoendolithic habitats) has given way to a predominantly surface-dwelling (epilithic) civilization. Humans, like microorganisms, extract minerals and elements from rocks — a form of biological rock weathering — which are fashioned into houses and other technology — a type of bi…
Environmental Ethics and Size
Environmental policy has a size bias. Small organisms, such as microorganisms, command less attention from environmentalists than larger organisms, such as birds and large mammals. A simple thought experiment involving microscopic polar bears and giant microorganisms illustrates the importance of size in environmental ethics. Given the positive correlation between body size and brain size, there is probably a basis for a size bias in environmenta…
Mutually assured pathogenicity
(2007). Mutually assured pathogenicity. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews: Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 7-10
The Ethical Relevance of Earth-like Extrasolar Planets
The discovery of Earth-sized extrasolar planets orbiting distant stars will merit an expansion of the sphere of entities worthy of moral consideration. Although it will be a long time, if ever, before humans visit these planets, it is nevertheless worthwhile to develop an environmental ethic that encompasses these planets, as this ethic reflects on our view of life on Earth and elsewhere. A particularly significant case would be a planet that dis…
The rights of microbes
Over the last forty years, the circle of organisms thought worthy of inclusion within an ethical framework has expanded markedly, in large part in response to Aldo Leopold's 'land ethic'. However, there are still clear limits to the forms of life we are willing to include in such a framework. In this paper I suggest that a strong case can be made for microorganisms to be accorded special ethical status, as they represent the base of all food chai…
The uses of Martian ice
In this paper I explore potential relationships between humans and Martian polar ices. Martian ices contain within them multimillion year histories of atmospheric, geological and maybe even biological processes. Polar ices will have many scientific uses, as well as providing resources for human explorers. Their hydrogen atoms may be used to make methane fuel by combination with carbon atoms from atmospheric carbon dioxide. It would be possible to…
Protection from UV Radiation in the Economic Crop, Opuntia Spp
Article Commentary
A scientific response to small asteroid and comet impacts." Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 28(2), pp. 74–75
The science and scientific legacy of Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise, more often known as the ‘Dambusters raids’, was one of the most audacious aerial military \noperations of the Second World War, in that it made use of operationally untested technical innovations under \nextreme logistical constraints. Of particular interest is the scienti c environment in which the mission was \nimplemented. Here I review the principal scienti c innovations that were necessary for the realisationof the missio…
Mars is an awful place to live
Some believe that the planet Mars holds promise as a new home for humankind and that it could become the focus of a large scale colonisation effort at some undefined point in the future. In this paper I support the assertion that Mars holds promise as a site for human scientific, and possibly commercial, exploration, but I question the idea that Mars will be colonised in a manner akin to the New World. The surface of Mars is physically extreme. M…
Astrobiology' and the ethics of new science
Astrobiology has recently been feted as a science for the twenty-first century. Founded as a science in the Soviet Union in 1953, its recent manifestation has been accompanied by a large media response and a series of new books. The histories of the term 'astrobiology' and its twin sister 'exobiology' raise interesting ethical questions about how the scientific community recognises a field as being a separate entity and about the processes by whi…
The rights of microbes
Over the last forty years, the circle of organisms thought worthy of inclusion within an ethical framework has expanded markedly, in large part in response to Aldo Leopold's 'land ethic'. However, there are still clear limits to the forms of life we are willing to include in such a framework. In this paper I suggest that a strong case can be made for microorganisms to be accorded special ethical status, as they represent the base of all food chai…
Mars is an awful place to live
Some believe that the planet Mars holds promise as a new home for humankind and that it could become the focus of a large scale colonisation effort at some undefined point in the future. In this paper I support the assertion that Mars holds promise as a site for human scientific, and possibly commercial, exploration, but I question the idea that Mars will be colonised in a manner akin to the New World. The surface of Mars is physically extreme. M…
Astrobiology' and the ethics of new science
Astrobiology has recently been feted as a science for the twenty-first century. Founded as a science in the Soviet Union in 1953, its recent manifestation has been accompanied by a large media response and a series of new books. The histories of the term 'astrobiology' and its twin sister 'exobiology' raise interesting ethical questions about how the scientific community recognises a field as being a separate entity and about the processes by whi…
The science and scientific legacy of Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise, more often known as the ‘Dambusters raids’, was one of the most audacious aerial military \noperations of the Second World War, in that it made use of operationally untested technical innovations under \nextreme logistical constraints. Of particular interest is the scienti c environment in which the mission was \nimplemented. Here I review the principal scienti c innovations that were necessary for the realisationof the missio…
Mars is an awful place to live
Some believe that the planet Mars holds promise as a new home for humankind and that it could become the focus of a large scale colonisation effort at some undefined point in the future. In this paper I support the assertion that Mars holds promise as a site for human scientific, and possibly commercial, exploration, but I question the idea that Mars will be colonised in a manner akin to the New World. The surface of Mars is physically extreme. M…
Article Commentary
A scientific response to small asteroid and comet impacts." Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 28(2), pp. 74–75
The rights of microbes
Over the last forty years, the circle of organisms thought worthy of inclusion within an ethical framework has expanded markedly, in large part in response to Aldo Leopold's 'land ethic'. However, there are still clear limits to the forms of life we are willing to include in such a framework. In this paper I suggest that a strong case can be made for microorganisms to be accorded special ethical status, as they represent the base of all food chai…
The uses of Martian ice
In this paper I explore potential relationships between humans and Martian polar ices. Martian ices contain within them multimillion year histories of atmospheric, geological and maybe even biological processes. Polar ices will have many scientific uses, as well as providing resources for human explorers. Their hydrogen atoms may be used to make methane fuel by combination with carbon atoms from atmospheric carbon dioxide. It would be possible to…
Protection from UV Radiation in the Economic Crop, Opuntia Spp
The Ethical Relevance of Earth-like Extrasolar Planets
The discovery of Earth-sized extrasolar planets orbiting distant stars will merit an expansion of the sphere of entities worthy of moral consideration. Although it will be a long time, if ever, before humans visit these planets, it is nevertheless worthwhile to develop an environmental ethic that encompasses these planets, as this ethic reflects on our view of life on Earth and elsewhere. A particularly significant case would be a planet that dis…
Mutually assured pathogenicity
(2007). Mutually assured pathogenicity. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews: Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 7-10
Environmental Ethics and Size
Environmental policy has a size bias. Small organisms, such as microorganisms, command less attention from environmentalists than larger organisms, such as birds and large mammals. A simple thought experiment involving microscopic polar bears and giant microorganisms illustrates the importance of size in environmental ethics. Given the positive correlation between body size and brain size, there is probably a basis for a size bias in environmenta…
The Microbial Stages of Humanity
The history of the development of human civilization mirrors the evolutionary innovations and habits of microorganisms. Escape from environmental extremes within caves (cryptoendolithic habitats) has given way to a predominantly surface-dwelling (epilithic) civilization. Humans, like microorganisms, extract minerals and elements from rocks — a form of biological rock weathering — which are fashioned into houses and other technology — a type of bi…
The Meaning of Liberty Beyond Earth
The purpose of this book is to initiate a new discussion on liberty focusing on the infinite realms of space. The discussion of the nature of liberty and what it means for a human to be free has occupied the minds of thinkers since the Enlightenment. However, without exception, every one of these discussions has focused on the character of liberty on the Earth.The emergence of human space exploration programs in the last 40-50 years raise a funda…
Dissent, Revolution and Liberty Beyond Earth
Taxi from Another Planet
Interplanetary Liberty
Taxi from Another Planet
Physics (10 works) · Astrobiology (8 works) · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life (7 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · Astronomy (5 works) · Biology (5 works) · Environmental ethics (5 works) · Geography (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Law (4 works)