EXCERPT In one of the most used slogans of the modern age, and yet one that does not seem to have been taken to heart, the great Russian pioneer of astronautics and cosmist philosopher Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky famously uttered: Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in a cradle forever. This is a slight mistranslation, however: the Russian original does not specify Earth (instead, it talks about a planet), neither does it specify humanity (talking about mind or intelligence). The real quote reads more like: A planet is the cradle of mind, but one cannot live in a cradle forever…
Chapters Where Are They? Why I Hope the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Finds Nothing Collapse Volume V Nick Bostrom