The interesting case of Prince Vladimir Odoevsky and his speculations on civilization’s trajectories: Early thoughts on omnicide, lunar prospecting, geoengineering, world government & planetary defense

Abstract

The interesting and under-appreciated contributions of the 19th century Russian Prince, Vladimir Odoevsky, are explored. Odoevsky provided a number of speculations on the long-term futures and trajectories of human civilization. His case is interesting because he was sensitive to both the potential for technological progress to garner huge benefit, but also the risks it poses to our species. Indeed, he provides a very early speculation upon an omnicide scenario.Inspired by contemporary scientific predictions that a comet will collide with Earth at a set date in the far future, Odoevsky was compelled to attempt to predict as to what civilization might look like at that time.Not only were his answers surprisingly prescient for a 19th century writer, but many of the themes he dealt with remain pertinent within contemporary future studies. Not only did he envision geoengineering, climate control, and planetary defense against near-Earth objects, but he also speculated upon the expansion of humanity’s resource footprint beyond the Earth. Elsewhere, through a critical engagement with utilitarianism, he provided an early example of the so-called ‘benevolent world-exploder’ arguments against suffering-focused ethics.