The second of the four goals formulated by Gerard K. O’Neill is to find (or rather create) an optimal living climate for all of humanity. Not surprisingly he spends a large portion of his book on orbital space settlements, discussing the internal design of space habitats in order to promote public well-being. Continue reading Public Green & Society
Category Archives: society
Another argument for Universal Healthcare
The following article on ScienceDaily:
Preventable deaths from lack of high-quality healthcare costs trilions
provides yet another, economic, argument in favor of universal healthcare system. The main argument of this study is that people dying from treatable conditions unnecessarily decreases a society’s labor force. And hence economic output is also diminished. Continue reading Another argument for Universal Healthcare
Land and inequality
Though inequality of wealth is a “hot” topic, one of its root causes is usually neglected. We are talking here about the unequal distribution of land. About a year ago The Guardian published the following article:
Urban design & Crime
A study conducted by scientists from the University of Virginia Health System shows that there is a relation between green space and violent crime:
How green space can reduce violent crime (source: ScienceDaily)
Space settlements and education
One of the most important things to considering when we are going to establish orbital space settlements is how to organize education in a new society. As stated earlier on this site we believe that education has two functions:
- Civic – prepare young people for active citizenship in a democratic society
- Economic – developing relevant and useful skills to earn one’s living
On water chlorination
We have been arguing against the practice of water chlorination for some time. Though water disinfection is an important tool to promote public health, we do not believe that this is the proper method to do so.
A Case for Tele-operation
ScienceDaily reports a study by the Boston University School of Medicine: Take-home’ exposure are a public health hazard. To quote from the article:
Workers in many industries inadvertently bring home toxic contaminants, endangering the health of their families.
Threats to IQ
We have already discussed lead as a cause of diminished general intelligence among the population. However, there are many more substances that have an negative effect on people’s IQ. ScienceDaily has the following report:
Flame retardants and pesticides overtake heavy metals as biggest contributors to IQ loss
Cycling for live
We believe that health policy should be focused on prevention or health promotion. This will, in our humble opinion, lead to lower medical expenses in the long run. Like other public policies health promotion consists of many different elements. ScienceDaily reports on one of this building blocks: Continue reading Cycling for live
Slavery and modern management
The following article in the New York Times, American Capitalism Is Brutal, You Can Trace That To The Plantation, describes in an excellent manner how modern management systems have their roots in slavery and plantation economy. A short summary: an efficient plantation required an elaborate bookkeeping to keep track of each slave’s productivity. Hence a multilayered system of supervision of labor was necessitated. Continue reading Slavery and modern management
