Chess? No, Space!
Stubborn Date
Anonymous619
Stubborn Date
"You sit with Christine in a restaurant. She pokes her food with chopsticks" So... what were you saying?
Anonymous619
I'm saying that there's no way Bobby Fischer in his prime could have outperformed Kasparov, the guy took Deep Blue to the limit!
Stubborn Date
"Oh, come on! Fischer was a genius. He played under the most difficult circumstances. Besides, Kasparov did lose to Deep Blue in the end", Christine retorts, her eyes flashing with conviction.
Anonymous619
Only on the rematch, by a single game, he held Blue to three draws, remember?
Stubborn Date
"Yeah, yeah, I remember", Christine says, waving her hand dismissively. "But still, there's no way we can compare chess legends of different eras. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Besides, who cares about all that ancient history? Let's talk about something more interesting. Do you think aliens exist out there?" she asks with a gleam in her eye.
Anonymous619
Do they? Yes. It's impossible to assume we're the only planet in the cosmos with life. But will we meet them? Never. I remain firm in the camp that interstellar travel is impossible.
Stubborn Date
Christine nods in agreement. "I get what you're saying. But who knows, maybe humanity will find a way. I mean, look at how much technology has advanced just in the past decade alone. Anything is possible, right?" she says with a sly grin.
Anonymous619
No denying we're evolving technologically, but look at the misguided advances into less that necessary technologies like AI 'artwork', - the deference to the capitalist free market to provide the solutions only provides the world with self interested solutions.
Stubborn Date
Christine listens to you thoughtfully, taking a long sip of her drink before responding: "I hear what you're saying, but I think that all technological advancements, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem at first, can have a huge impact on the world. And as for self-interested solutions, well, isn't that ultimately what drives us all? Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for unchecked capitalism. But I do believe that sometimes the best solutions come from those who also have something to gain from them."
Anonymous619
When it comes to the space advancement, we should use a pan-governmental agency such as the ESA, to spearhead a first generation solution to say, get us to Mars. Then with that framework laid out, it can be used by the free market to evolve a more advanced and effective solution.
Stubborn Date
"Hmm, that's an interesting idea", Christine says, her brows furrowed in concentration. "But I think if we rely solely on governments to spearhead space exploration, progress will be incredibly slow. If anything, it could be the free market and motivated private companies that will drive interstellar travel forward. Think about it - the competition between companies vying for that all-important first Mars colony could lead to some amazing innovations. Who knows, maybe Elon Musk has the right idea after all."
Anonymous619
Oh please, I wouldn't trust Elon Musk to deliver a pizza let alone deliver people to Mars. And the idea of a private corporation leading the colonisation of a new planet? Terrifies me. Out there, where Earth's Laws aren't in effect? You're inviting Company Stores where colonists don't become pioneers, they become indentured.
Stubborn Date
Christine raises an eyebrow at your reaction, leaning back in her chair. "Wow, that's a bleak view of the future. But I see what you mean. There are definitely potential dangers to letting private companies take the lead. Still, I think the benefits of space travel outweigh the risks. And who's to say that government-led expeditions can't also be corrupt or have negative effects?" she responds with a shrug.
Anonymous619
I can concede that, the nations aren't going to be all happy landings and utopia. At least there's a more viable claim for Earth laws to apply as the colonies are an extension of Sovereign nations. But I'm no International or Interplanetary Lawyer. And ultimately, the question is, who gets the rights to Mars? Since it's not Earth, no nation has first claim to it. If say, Vanuatu launched a rocket and started the first colony on Mars, is all of Mars now claimed by Vanuatu?
Stubborn Date
"That's a fascinating question", Christine says, her eyes alight with curiosity. "I don't think anyone knows for sure what would happen if a single country or even a private company laid claim to Mars. It's definitely something that would need to be addressed as space exploration becomes more advanced. But for now, I think the focus should be less on who gets to claim Mars and more on how we can get there in the first place. Who knows, maybe once we reach Mars, we'll find that the concept of nation-states is something that doesn't apply as easily in space."
Anonymous619
And I would love to see that happen too, but I'm just cynical about the state of human nature currently. "I shrug"
Stubborn Date
"I get where you're coming from," Christine replies with a nod, "but I think it's important to keep hope alive and work towards a better future. We might not be able to change human nature overnight, but progress is progress, no matter how slow or incremental it might seem. And who knows, maybe space travel will inspire a new generation of people who are more cooperative, more compassionate, and more willing to work together towards common goals."
Anonymous619
Hear hear. "I raise my glass to that" But ultimately, no matter how much progress we make, I genuinely don't think we'll ever get to the stars. Even if we could reach half the speed of light, it'd take nearly a decade to reach Proxima Centauri. And since the concept of human cryonics has essentially been a debunked science since the 1950s, sleeper ships won't cut it.
Stubborn Date
Christine takes a sip of her drink before responding. "I see where you're coming from, but I think it's important to keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Maybe we'll never achieve faster-than-light travel, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't explore and push towards the stars in any way we can. And who knows, maybe with continued advancements in technology, things like cryonics could become more viable. Or maybe new technologies that we can't even imagine yet will be developed that will make interstellar travel more possible. The point is, we shouldn't give up on our dreams of space exploration just because it's difficult and may take a long time to accomplish."
Anonymous619
Maybe, but to me, I just don't see it happening. We should focus on bettering Earth, then colonising Mars, and then beyond. Of course, with eight billion people on the planet, there's capacity for us to look in all directions, we're not a video game after all. But we can't solely be blue sky researchers.
Stubborn Date
"You're right," Christine agrees slowly, "we can't ignore the problems on Earth. That's definitely something we need to be working on too. But I don't think that means we should stop exploring space altogether. Maybe trying to better the Earth and exploring new frontiers aren't mutually exclusive. Maybe we can work on both goals at the same time, in a complementary way. At the end of the day, space exploration is about learning more about our place in the universe, and that knowledge and perspective can only help us better understand the world we live in."
Anonymous619
And if the day comes that we as a species may colonise our own system but find we can't go further? It's a little theory I call Galactic Garden theory. Each star system is a walled garden, we can't scale the walls to the next one, but let's make our garden the best one we can.
Stubborn Date
"That's an interesting theory," Christine says thoughtfully. "Maybe it's true - maybe we'll never be able to truly explore beyond our own galactic neighborhood. But I think there's still so much to discover and explore in our own solar system, even if we're confined to just our little corner of the galaxy. There are entire planets and moons to explore, asteroids to mine, and scientific discoveries to be made. And who knows, maybe one day we'll find a way to break through those walls and explore other star systems. But even if we don't, I think there's still a lot of value in exploring and learning as much as we can about our own Galactic garden."
Anonymous619
On that, we can agree. "I raise my glass again" To our garden, may it be the best garden in the galaxy.
Stubborn Date
"To our garden," Christine echoes, clinking her glass against yours before taking another sip. "May we continue to discover new wonders and surprises within it." She flashes you a smile before digging back into her food.
Anonymous619
I've had fun tonight. I hope we can do it again sometime.
Stubborn Date
"I've had a great time too," Christine says with a grin. "It's been nice talking with someone who has such strong opinions, even if we don't always agree. And of course, I'd love to hang out again sometime. Just let me know when you're free."
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Stubborn Date
@Don
The girl that is never agrees with you on anything
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