I’m not exactly sure what it means to rule the world. Come to think of it, I don’t even know where the world (my sovereignty) would end—should I take the usual approach of my fellow Americans and confuse the United States with the world, or should I define it as planet Earth, the solar system, or the entire universe?
Ruling the universe would be challenging since without some advanced scientific and technological breakthroughs, I couldn’t communicate with any of the life forms that are probably out there. That wouldn’t be my only scientific goal, however, since science can benefit living beings in a plethora of ways and basic science is usually what drives big changes. In any case, I’m pretty curious about the inanimate objects that populate the universe too.
In the solar system, I would hold off colonising Mars. Not because I’m afraid of Martians protesting, but because it would be a good idea to address our problems on Earth first. Besides, Mars doesn’t seem very pleasant. I’m guessing that in the near future our resources can be more sensibly deployed on Earth.
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