Lunacy: Ten False Promises of the New Space Age

by Ben Bramble

Why we shouldn’t colonize Mars or the Moon, or even vacation there

If certain business titans, corporations, and governments have their way, humans will someday be living, working, and vacationing in space. This is the much-vaunted New Space Age, and in Lunacy, philosopher Ben Bramble explains why it is a giant mistake. Bramble systematically refutes each of the ten most influential reasons given for this new generation of space exploration (and habitation), from the idea of Mars as a backup plan in case Earth meets an untimely end to the charms of friendship with extraterrestrials. Doing so, he reflects on deeper issues, exploring such questions as what the point of the human story is and what a good future for humanity would truly involve. (Spoiler it includes solving problems on Earth.)

Bramble does not think we should get out of space entirely. On the contrary, he thinks that there is an important and exciting future in space science. Our activities in space, he tells us, should be animated by a curiosity about space itself rather than narrow economic or military interests.

Genres: Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Galen]

Simplistic reasoning backed by emotional arguments with complete absence of how history, political science, psychology, political science can help predict the future.........as the author states, "we are not irredeemable. We can morally grow. And we ­don’t need to wait for Heaven. We can transform Earth into a paradise, if we are strong, loving, and determined." Such idealism for someone in their 40's who witnessed human behavior during the Pandemic in Australia showcases a lack of critical thinking about human behavior and willing blindness for a viewpoint against space exploration. The fact that we are facing half a planet being uninhabitable as CO2 levels render us overly emotional and dull seems never to enter the wheelhouse of this author.

[Andy Ritchie]

There's quite a bit to like about Ben Bramble's Lunacy.
And there's also a bit not to like - hence just 3 stars.
The 'not to like' first: even though the Preface makes it very clear that the book contains Bramble's personal views and is 'opinionated', this still doesn't quite prepare you for exactly how opinionated the contents are. Whilst there is some effort in trying to balance the arguments for and against the New Space Age as we proceed through each of the ten topic areas, it is largely token; and that becomes a little bit tedious because Bramble almost becomes a little preachy and self-righteous.
That said, the 'quite a bit to like' is , confusingly, Bramble approaching the issue from a social, moral and humanitarian perspective as much as from a technological one. And he clearly isn't anti-space - oh no - he's very positive about what space can have to offer, but only if it is explored for the right reasons...and he does make some compelling arguments about why what Musk and Bezos are saying are just not the right reasons!!
Of all the Chapters, the last chapter (10) is arguably the most compelling, outlining as it does the argument not just of why going on holiday in space is outlandish, but why it is in fact morally reprehensible.
Overall, an interesting book but not quite as great as perhaps it could have been.

[Tulley Dickins]

The author stated he intentionally tried to make this book assessable to everyone, without the need for any background knowledge on the sciences or space exploration. Whilst I appreciate this sentiment, I feel like it lead to a pretty bland read. I agree with and understand the majority of his arguments, but there was a lot of repetitive points throughout the chapters. Great subject matter, it was a book that needed to be written, but unfortunately fell short and missed the mark a bit. Just not very entertaining.

[John]

Well organized. Has clarity. But I kept wondering, "what's the big reveal?" There wasn't one. So plodding.