Future Human Space Missions and the Procreative Ethics: Between Human Enhancement and Antinatalism

The subject of this article is a philosophical and ethical reflection on hypothetical challenges that may arise in future human space exploration. One worst-case scenario is considered, in which human space explorers will employ radical biomedical human enhancements, which in turn may significantly limit their freedom, autonomy and enlarge the exclusion of marginalized groups such as women and people with disabilities. The article considers these issues from a feminist perspective. It concludes by considering the philosophy of anti-natalism as an alternative. According to it, the quality of life of future generations in space may be so low that the morality of such a costly extension of human reproduction through space settlement comes into question.