Elon Musk: Becoming a Spacefaring Civilization Gives Humanity Purpose and Hope

Elon Musk: The idea of us being a spacefaring civilization is incredibly inspiring and exciting.

“We must get past this Fermi filter, this great filter of being a single-planet civilization. If we do that, we are more likely to understand the nature of the universe and what questions to ask.

Being a multiplanet species is more than simply life insurance for life collectively. That's a defensive reason. But I think also that life has to be more than simply solving one sad problem after another.

There have to be reasons why you wake up in the morning, and you're happy to be alive. What gives you hope? If you aren't sure, ask your kids.

I think the idea of us being a spacefaring civilization and being out there among the stars is incredibly inspiring and exciting and something to look forward to, and there need to be such things in the world.”

The New York Times DealBook Summit, November 29, 2024