A planet is a physical environment. An inhabited or colonized planet is also a social and cultural environment. Intelligent beings reshape their pre-existent physical environments for their own conscious purposes that simply did not exist when only physical and chemical processes operated. At some point, the philosophical mind-body question arises. Empirically discernible neurological processes are part of the physical environment and are completely continuous with the rest of that environment which can be fully described without attributing any consciousness to it and yet these neurological processes somehow generate subjectively experienced sensations, feelings, intentions and other conscious states. How?
The physical environment of Avalon and its surrounding space is enhanced by:
hundreds of automatic space stations, each housing only defensive screens and offensive projectors;
supply craft shuttling between stations and planet;
on the planet and its moon, a grid of detectors, launch tubes and energy projectors too big to be carried by spaceships - the planetary installations variously buried in rock, hidden under the oceans, on the ground or afloat;
in the Avalonian atmosphere, many patrolling pursuit craft ready to converge at once on any detected invader -
- everything constructed in secret by automated factories far from civilization so that not only the Terrans but also most Avalonians did not know of the existence of this defence system although the electorate, of course, had voted for defence measures to be taken.
All these systems work according to physical laws but, of course, would not have come into existence if only the physical laws had been operating.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Most people won't trouble themselves with such philosophical questions when colonizing real or fictional planets. They'll simply do what needs to be done to make living there as comfortable as possible.
Ad astra! Sean
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