Frequently Unasked Question (FUQ) #9
Is Elon Musk the modern-day Noah?
For this FUQ, I draw on two sources:
The first source is the essay I just published on MISM — Make Yourself an Ark: Understanding media through the prism of Genesis 6:14. You can think of this post as an addendum to the essay.
The second source is the segment of the podcast episode where my guest and I discussed humanity’s possible future as a multi-planetary species. This topic came up in the context of a broader discussion of the exploration-exploitation trade-off.
With these sources in mind, I bring you my answer to this FUQ:
Is Elon Musk the modern-day Noah?
The answer, of course, is ‘no’ — so much for suspense — but it is the reason for the answer, not the answer itself, that makes this post worthy of publication. The reason has nothing to do with any technical challenges or costs of Musk’s mission to Mars. It’s a safe bet that the technical challenges will diminish with time, and it will become easier to say ‘yes’ to Elon’s Ark. But not for me.
Here’s how I arrived at my answer to this FUQ. I imagined a future in which Musk has overcome rounds and rounds of obstacles to his mission to Mars, and the project now presents an actual choice to a divided humanity: Do you go? Or, do you stay? In such a scenario, I knew, without any hesitation, that I would choose to stay.
Until we reach the future in which this is a real choice, I prefer to think of Musk’s mission to Mars as a work of art, an epistemic experiment, one of the finest PR stunts, and a case study in hyperstition. The mission to Mars interests me in the same way as Marcel Duchamp’s 1917 masterpiece Fountain, which forced people to ask: What is art?
The mission to Mars interests me in the same way as John Cage’s musical masterpiece 4’33”, which forced people to ask: What is music? And is silence even possible?
4’33”, the Fountain, and Elon’s Ark are all valuable works of art because they spark questions that would otherwise remain unasked. These consciousness-raising masterpieces disrupt habitual patterns of thought; they expose unexamined assumptions. Viewed this way, Elon’s Ark brings to mind this question: Is human identity portable beyond the Earth?
Also
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
The human superorganism lives out its myths in endless cycles. When we feel coming floods, we elevate heroes to build Arks. On the way to the promised land, we worship the Golden Calf. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
If Only
If only we could stop tripping over the connection between matter and metaphor. In maintaining balance, it may help us to listen to James Hillman’s introduction to myth and the world around us.
Thou Art That (You’re It)
It isn’t just a personal choice to die on the same planet where I was born. The choice also reflects my view of Elon Musk and our tendency to misread the Bible as something other than literature.
Elon Musk is not the modern-day Noah. You are. And I am. Musk will not do for us what we can only do with each other: create trust-based environments to protect us from the flood of bullshit in our media. (See “The Way Forward” in my MISM post.)
Practice What You Preach
In Practice What You Preach: Know Before Whom You Stand…
I imagined a future in which adherents of all religions dedicate themselves to a living alignment of preaching and practice. In this future, we would dare to know before whom we stand. Then, there would be nothing left to say, and we would rejoice in the resonant silence, and we would have peace.
In the wisdom of my people, Peace is one of the names for the nameless illumination at the core of our being. We lose our connection with this reality when we preach peace and knowledge but practice war and ignorance, or when we exalt life as a supreme value but support ideologies that devalue and destroy life and meaning, or when we claim to follow the words of the living God but worship the Golden Calf.
When the Preacher and the Practitioner split, it doesn't matter how many times we see or repeat the message displayed on the Torah ark; we remain at war and in ignorance because we dare not know before whom we stand.
I’m practicing what I preach by building an Ark. To learn more about my Ark-under-construction, join my Waiting List.
In Dialogue with Google Gemini
With his ambition to turn humanity into a multi-planetary species, does Elon Musk think of himself as the modern-day Noah?
Elon Musk has certainly drawn parallels between his vision for Mars colonization and the biblical story of Noah's Ark. He has explicitly stated that his Starship rockets could serve as "modern-day Noah's Arks," capable of saving life from potential Earth-bound calamities.
However, it's important to note that Musk's motivations and approach are grounded in scientific and technological advancements, rather than religious beliefs. He views Mars colonization as a long-term project aimed at ensuring the survival of humanity and expanding our species' reach beyond Earth.
While the comparison to Noah might be a striking metaphor, it's likely not a literal self-perception for Musk. His focus remains on the practical challenges and engineering solutions required to make Mars a habitable destination for humans.
Where did Musk compare his mission to Mars to Noah’s Ark?
Elon Musk has compared his mission to Mars to Noah's Ark in several interviews and public statements. Here are a few notable examples:
* Time Magazine Interview: In a 2016 interview with Time magazine, Musk discussed his plans for building a self-sustaining city on Mars and bringing Earth's animals and creatures there, comparing it to a "futuristic Noah's Ark."
* Daily Mail Interview: In a 2017 interview with the Daily Mail, Musk reiterated his belief that colonizing Mars would require a "Noah's Ark" approach to preserve Earth's biodiversity.
* Twitter: Musk has also used Twitter to express this idea, referring to Starship as a "modern Noah's Ark" capable of saving life from Earth-bound calamities.
These are just a few examples of where Musk has drawn parallels between his Mars mission and the biblical story of Noah's Ark. It's clear that he sees the potential for Mars colonization as a way to safeguard humanity and Earth's biodiversity in the face of potential threats.
In Genesis 9:11, God wrote: "I will maintain My covenant with you: never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Did God lie? It seems that we are continually flooded with world-destroying bullshit.
The interpretation of Genesis 9:11 and whether it has been fulfilled depends on how you understand the term "flood" and the scope of God's promise.
Some interpretations suggest that the promise refers specifically to a global flood that would destroy all life on Earth, similar to the one described in the earlier chapters of Genesis. In this view, as we have not experienced such a catastrophic flood since Noah's time, God's promise has been kept.
However, other interpretations suggest that the promise is broader, encompassing any type of flood that could potentially destroy all life. In this view, while we may not experience a global flood again, localized floods, natural disasters, or even metaphorical "floods" of destruction could still be seen as fulfilling the prophecy.
Ultimately, the interpretation of this verse is a matter of faith and personal understanding. Some may see it as a literal promise that has been fulfilled, while others may see it as a symbolic representation of God's commitment to protect humanity from overwhelming destruction.
If you have an opinion or a related source to share, leave a comment.