paper
Original: paper on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
[The image is a screenshot of an online academic journal article page rather than a drawn comic.]
Label (top): Research Article
Title: To Each According to Their Space-Need: Communes in Outer Space
Authors: Kelly L. Weinersmith (a), Zach A. Weinersmith (e), Ran Abramitzky (b, c), John Lehr (d)
Link: Show more
Page actions: Add to Mendeley | Share | Cite
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2023.101592 | Get rights and content
Heading: Abstract
Abstract text: Space settlement advocates frequently argue that we will soon be able to settle humans in space. Surviving on Mars is clearly a pre-requisite to settlement, and much work has been done examining the engineering aspects of this endeavor. Much less work has been done, however, on questions related to how to arrange a society in space. Early settlements will be dangerous, isolated, and cramped, and picking a social arrangement that is likely to result in a vibrant and productive society will be critical. Moreover, given the high stakes of this endeavor, being able to anticipate and ameliorate likely social problems ahead of time would be beneficial. Some important questions to consider include: How can settlements pick members who are likely to contribute as much as or more than they take from the society? How will they make sure everyone continues to contribute? How will they retain their most talented members? The literature on space settlements frequently posits that early settlements are particularly likely to be communal, though settlement scholars rarely consult the social sciences literature to [text continues beyond the visible frame]
Votey: [The votey/aftercomic image could not be transcribed — the provided votey file is a broken/placeholder download (a 16-byte text file containing "<html>hi</html>"), not an actual image. No votey content is available.]
Label (top): Research Article
Title: To Each According to Their Space-Need: Communes in Outer Space
Authors: Kelly L. Weinersmith (a), Zach A. Weinersmith (e), Ran Abramitzky (b, c), John Lehr (d)
Link: Show more
Page actions: Add to Mendeley | Share | Cite
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2023.101592 | Get rights and content
Heading: Abstract
Abstract text: Space settlement advocates frequently argue that we will soon be able to settle humans in space. Surviving on Mars is clearly a pre-requisite to settlement, and much work has been done examining the engineering aspects of this endeavor. Much less work has been done, however, on questions related to how to arrange a society in space. Early settlements will be dangerous, isolated, and cramped, and picking a social arrangement that is likely to result in a vibrant and productive society will be critical. Moreover, given the high stakes of this endeavor, being able to anticipate and ameliorate likely social problems ahead of time would be beneficial. Some important questions to consider include: How can settlements pick members who are likely to contribute as much as or more than they take from the society? How will they make sure everyone continues to contribute? How will they retain their most talented members? The literature on space settlements frequently posits that early settlements are particularly likely to be communal, though settlement scholars rarely consult the social sciences literature to [text continues beyond the visible frame]
Votey: [The votey/aftercomic image could not be transcribed — the provided votey file is a broken/placeholder download (a 16-byte text file containing "<html>hi</html>"), not an actual image. No votey content is available.]
Alt text
A screenshot of an online academic journal article page (in the style of Elsevier/ScienceDirect), used in place of a drawn comic panel. At the top a small label reads "Research Article." The large title reads "To Each According to Their Space-Need: Communes in Outer Space." Listed authors are Kelly L. Weinersmith, Zach A. Weinersmith, Ran Abramitzky, and John Lehr. Below are typical journal-page links and buttons: "Show more," "Add to Mendeley," "Share," "Cite," a DOI link (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spacepol.2023.101592), and "Get rights and content." A heading "Abstract" follows a block of dense academic prose arguing that space settlement advocates expect to settle humans in space soon, that engineering of Mars survival is well studied but the social arrangement of off-world settlements is not, and posing questions about how isolated, cramped early communal settlements would recruit contributing members, sustain contribution, and retain talented people. The joke is that the SMBC author (Zach Weinersmith) presents a genuine, real-looking scholarly paper on space communes as the comic itself. The accompanying votey image is not available (the provided votey file is a broken placeholder download, not a real image).
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.