Who Owns the Moon?

One of Britain’s leading intellectuals, Professor A C Grayling, joins us to take a philosophical stance on the subject of the Moon. Does history give us confidence that humankind’s rapidly approaching commercial exploitation and possible colonisation of the moon will be peaceful and constructive, or further reason for conflict, trouble and wars?

If we look at the precedents – our ‘common inheritance’ of such places as the Antarctic and the world’s oceans – we must ask: How well have we succeeded in avoiding international competition and conflicts, and how well do international agreements work? The history of ‘gold rushes’ and the infamous ‘Scramble for Africa’ in the 19th century are troubling examples of what could go wrong. Who Owns the Moon? examines essential questions and precedents set by recent history to ask: What should be done to avoid competition in space becoming conflict on earth?

Professor A C Grayling, CBE, MA, DPhil (Oxon) FRSL, FRSA, Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford