Considering Moral Imperatives:

He looked up from the report,

His eyes dancing round his waiting colleagues. 

He held the casting vote so he had to be seen

To have carefully thought things through. 

There was the added complication

Of intense media interest –

Clever of whomsoever it was who contacted them! -  

And it was increasingly controversial. 

He had to ensure it didn’t become toxic

And damage the company’s good name.

“Well, I’ve carefully read the minority report

And know that the views expressed therein

Are carefully thought out,

And those who wrote it are

Sincere and well-meaning.”

He paused to smile sweetly at the little cabal.

“You have obviously studied these creatures

Over an extended period of time

And feel that they are sentient,

Have purpose,

And higher feelings.

I will deal first with the suggestion of sentience. 

One of the most emphasised points in support

Is their use of primitive tools. 

Many species use tools of different sorts;

I grant that these tools are more advanced than most. 

It’s true, too, that they seem to have cohesion and

They cooperate to form a complex society. 

Many creatures are capable of cooperation, however,

Building sophisticated structures and

Clearly delineating different roles.

Consider here the bees and ants.

Birds and, of course,

A broad range of primates,

Can also cooperate and use tools.

It has often, nonetheless, been suggested in this case

That though individually these creatures have little intelligence, 

Collectively, as a form of gestalt,

They have some sort of over-mind

Which gives their society a real purpose. 

There is no evidence to support this view.   

No purpose has been discerned other than survival.”

He paused slightly, coughed and sipped his drink

For dramatic effect, inwardly gently mocking himself.

He had always had a flair for the theatrical!

“I feel, therefore,

That there is insufficient evidence to support the view

That because they are busy they are sentient,

And have a sense of purpose. 

Further, I feel that my opinion is confirmed

By their total lack of higher feelings,

As evidenced by the way they treat and

Kill each other en masse,

Vast, untargeted slaughters,

Killing old, young,

Combatant and non-combatant,

With equal lack of discrimination.

Finally, I site their apparently total disregard

For damage to their local

And wider environment,

Fouling, as they do, their own nests,

Damage which will eventually, if unchecked,

Lead to the destruction of many of their larger habitats,

And possibly lead to species self-extinction. 

It is my decision, therefore,

That though we unfortunately

May hasten terminal damage,

There are other similar species elsewhere,

And our energy needs fairly outweigh

Any moral imperative to conserve these creatures …”

He found himself unable to avoid adding,

With slightly acid tongue,

As he again glanced up

At the troublesome,

‘Do-good’, clique …

“Cuddly and cute though some may see them!”

In more measured tones he then concluded.

“This project presents the cleanest,

Most efficient way,

To access much needed hydrogen and helium

With a minimum need for clean-up.  

I vote therefore in favour.”

…………………………………………………………………..

Shielded against the intense heat,

AIs maneuvered the great, brilliant-white tankers,

Carefully moving close, but not too close,

Giving the appearance of a sharp-cut diamond girdle,

And extended their lances deep into

The G V yellow-dwarf star,

At around 4.6 billion years old,

Ripe to the point of perfection,

And as they slowly drew its lifeblood,

Its orbiting planets imperceptibly,

But inexorably grew darker. 

It would not be long before vegetation began to fail,

And the much discussed creatures on planet 3

Started to fight for diminishing resources. 

......................................................................................................

Arrogant and care-less humanity had failed the tests,

A triple fail, for intelligence, purpose and empathy,

And was set to die for the greater good,

To enable a clean energy project to proceed

In a galaxy too few had tried to comprehend.

…………………………………………………………………...

And God sighed, gathering into his loving arms

The billions of homeless souls,

Once again.

Created he then a new universe

And, in deep love and hope,

Once more spake he thus

Into the darkness:

“Fiat lux!”