The Seeds Of The Earth (will fill millions of worlds in the course of a few thousand years)

The title of this track is inspired by a quote from Thomas Robert Malthus (see below). Malthus is often depicted as a prophet of doom, but he was a realist who understood the power of a single seed. When I see a seed, I always think of Malthus and this quote. Life from our planet has the potential to spread to the stars, possibly through the agency of humanity or through our creations (such as Artificial Intelligence / Robotics / Molecular Nanotechnology Assemblers, Genetically Engineered Humans etc). "Through the animal and vegetable kingdoms, nature has scattered the seeds of life abroad with the most profuse and liberal hand.... The germs of existence contained in this spot of earth, with ample food, and ample room to expand in, would fill millions of worlds in the course of a few thousand years." — Thomas Malthus, 1798. "An Essay on the Principle of Population". ---------------------- Richard Dawkins shared a similar sentiment in "Rivers Out Of Eden" (1995): "We humans are an extremely important manifestation of the replication bomb, because it is through us - through our brains, our symbolic culture and our technology - that the explosion may proceed to the next stage and reverberate through deep space." -------------------- K. Eric Drexler, of nanotechnology fame, has something similar to say (this was in the context of life spreading to the stars) - Engines Of Creation (1990): "Although endless exponential growth remains a fantasy, the spread of life and civilization faces no fixed bound. Expansion will proceed, if we survive, because we are part of a living system and life tends to spread." --------------------- Photograph - Rachel Coutts-Bollen, 2018.