REPORTER: The climate crisis. We’ve seen protests all over the globe this month. Mostly led by young people like Gretta Turnburg. Does the public outcry...does that increase the urgency for what you guys are doing here?
ELON: Well, I mean I really view what we’re doing here as making life multiplanetary as opposed to escaping, and I think like 99 percent of our resources should be spent making sure the future on Earth is good. But I think at least 1% of our resources should be used to make like multiplanetary and extending consciousness out to other planets. Both for the defensives reason of preserving the light of consciousness into the future as well as the adventure, the excitement - I find it personally more motivating than the defensive argument.
REPORTER: So you prefer to be an optimist rather than a pessimist?
ELON: I mean I think excitement and adventure and a sense of possibility about the future are incredibly important. Otherwise, why live?
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I’m getting to the point where I assume that comments like yours are dramatically mischaracterizing Musk. He’s so easy to criticize without ascribing hyperbolic-ly stupid arguments to him.
ELON: Well, I mean I really view what we’re doing here as making life multiplanetary as opposed to escaping, and I think like 99 percent of our resources should be spent making sure the future on Earth is good. But I think at least 1% of our resources should be used to make like multiplanetary and extending consciousness out to other planets. Both for the defensives reason of preserving the light of consciousness into the future as well as the adventure, the excitement - I find it personally more motivating than the defensive argument.
REPORTER: So you prefer to be an optimist rather than a pessimist?
ELON: I mean I think excitement and adventure and a sense of possibility about the future are incredibly important. Otherwise, why live?
—————
I’m getting to the point where I assume that comments like yours are dramatically mischaracterizing Musk. He’s so easy to criticize without ascribing hyperbolic-ly stupid arguments to him.