arXiv subjects

Lukáš Likavčan

Publications and source records attributed to Lukáš Likavčan.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Substrate-Agnostic 3x: Biosignatures, Technosignatures, Ecologies

Substrate-agnostic perspectives are currently attracting increased attention. For example, it has become customary to refer to agnostic biosignatures to reflect the range of alternative extraterrestrial biospheres and to account for the deeper philosophical dependence of candidate biosignatures on the underlying theory of life. Analogously, one can formulate a concept of agnostic technosignatures, reflecting that the more we expand the search for technosignatures, the more we invite theories of technology that undo the terrestrial bias. For this reason, this paper argues that there exists a strong theoretical justification for an integrated study of technosignatures and biosignatures, articulated in a unified perspective on substrate-agnostic ecologies. The paper introduces the concept of substrate-agnostic ecology as an abstraction unconstrained by terrestrial circumstances, anchored instead in a functional understanding of agent-ecology coupling provided by niche construction theory.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2025

Is the Solar System a Wilderness or a Construction Site? Conservationist and Constructivist Paradigms in Planetary Protection

Outer space exploration is one of the most prominent domains of earth-space governance. In this context, multiple policy documents by the UN, NASA, or Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) pledge to protect extraterrestrial environments from harmful human influence under the framework of planetary protection or planetary stewardship, understood primarily as the isolation of other celestial bodies from possible biological contamination. This paper analyses justifications of this framework that rely on analogies with the protection of terrestrial wilderness and nature's intrinsic value, portraying them as representative of a conservationist paradigm of earth-space governance. After presenting this paradigm, the paper builds an alternative constructivist paradigm, grounded in recent findings about the evolution of the solar system, planets, and life. Ultimately, the paper argues that conservation is not the opposite of construction but one of its modalities: a conclusion that encourages the development of pragmatic protocols for space exploration instead of absolute imperatives.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2025

The Grass of the Universe: Rethinking Technosphere, Planetary History, and Sustainability with Fermi Paradox

SETI is not a usual point of departure for environmental humanities. However, this paper argues that theories originating in this field have direct implications for how we think about viable inhabitation of the Earth. To demonstrate SETI's impact on environmental humanities, this paper introduces Fermi paradox as a speculative tool to probe possible trajectories of planetary history, and especially the "Sustainability Solution" proposed by Jacob Haqq-Misra and Seth Baum. This solution suggests that sustainable coupling between extraterrestrial intelligences and their planetary environments is the major factor in the possibility of their successful detection by remote observation. By positing that exponential growth is not a sustainable development pattern, this solution rules out space-faring civilizations colonizing solar systems or galaxies. This paper elaborates on Haqq-Misra's and Baum's arguments, and discusses speculative implications of the Sustainability Solution, thus rethinking three concepts in environmental humanities: technosphere, planetary history, and sustainability. The paper advocates that (1) technosphere is a transitory layer that shall fold back into biosphere; (2) planetary history must be understood in a generic perspective that abstracts from terrestrial particularities; and (3) sustainability is not sufficient vector of viable human inhabitation of the Earth, suggesting instead habitability and genesity as better candidates.

physics.soc-ph↗