Humans weren't 'given' earth - we evolved from the survivors of the last mass extinction event, alongside and in competition with everything else here. We have no more right to survival than a termite, say, but we have the same right to shape our landscape to suit our needs. Expansion beyond earth is a logical and necessary manifestation of the survival strategy our species employs: applied intelligence.
Enlightened self interest requires that we treat other forms of life on earth better, but only because that same applied intelligence shows us how connected our own survival is to theirs. Equally, that same self interest should encourage us to study and preserve indigenous life on other planets, since it may provide knowledge which assists our own survival on those planets.
Enlightened self interest requires that we treat other forms of life on earth better, but only because that same applied intelligence shows us how connected our own survival is to theirs. Equally, that same self interest should encourage us to study and preserve indigenous life on other planets, since it may provide knowledge which assists our own survival on those planets.