Why does conflict persist even after centuries of biological evolution, remarkable scientific progress, global economic interdependence, and a period of relative stability? One possibility is that despite everything we have built, we still carry instincts shaped by millions of years of survival.
For most of human history, conflict was inseparable from survival. Ancient civilizations such as Rome, Greece, and Persia fought wars to secure fertile land, expand influence, and obtain vital resources like water. These casus belli mattered because resources were scarce and survival was uncertain. Today, territorial borders are largely stable, industry produces more than we consume, and religious freedom is broadly protected, yet conflict has not disappeared.
A modern, interconnected world does not erase deep-rooted impulses for dominance, competition, and fear. While societies increasingly reject large-scale wars with human casualties, conflict has simply shifted into subtler arenas: espionage, cyberattacks, trade disputes, and diplomatic battles over technology and rare-earth minerals. Violence is no longer always physical, but the instinct behind it remains familiar.
If the roots of conflict lie in instinct, perhaps the solution lies in redirecting that instinct. Throughout history, exploration has given humanity an alternative outlet for ambition, curiosity, and competition. Early explorers were driven not only by survival but by a desire for discovery, expansion, and a sense of wonder. Oceans and uncharted lands offered freedom, resources, and opportunities for new alliances.
Today, the Earth feels largely known. Most physical frontiers have been mapped, claimed, or transformed. But new frontiers have emerged: cyberspace, artificial intelligence, and most importantly the vastness of space. These domains show that humanity’s desire to push boundaries never faded; it simply needs somewhere new to go.
With fewer unclaimed frontiers on Earth, nations express ambition inwardly, often intensifying conflict. This mirrors the behavior of animals in confined environments: when space is limited, competition grows. Space exploration offers a way out literally and figuratively. The Moon, Mars, and more distant worlds represent new domains where ambition could shift from competition to collaboration. Building colonies beyond Earth would require cooperation on a scale never seen before, pushing humanity toward shared goals rather than mutually destructive ones.
Imagine a future where nations compete not for military dominance, but for breakthroughs in space travel, planetary science, and interstellar technology. Redirecting resources from warfare to exploration could transform competitive instincts into engines of innovation. In nature, many social species channel aggression into rituals or cooperative behaviors; humanity could do the same on a cosmic scale.
None of this is easy. Space colonization demands technological leaps, new systems of governance, and careful negotiation over sovereignty, resources, and risk. Yet these challenges present an opportunity: the chance to rethink how we grow, how we collaborate, and how we define progress.
Space is more than a scientific frontier, it is a test of who we are. It asks whether we can rise above ancient instincts and choose cooperation over conflict. If we embrace exploration with intention and humility, the pursuit of the unknown could outweigh humanity’s long history of division. For now, we remain animals shaped by evolution but we are also the only known species capable of questioning our nature and choosing a different path.
… In the year of ’39, assembled here the volunteers
in the days when lands were few ...
Thank you for reading.
White Mamba