system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Would so-called generation ships be unethical under various sorts of ethics?

A generation ship is a sci-fi concept where, in order to travel incredibly large distances, a spaceship is loaded with volunteers who will die before arriving at the destination. The idea is that the volunteers will have and educate children who in turn will do the same until the destination is reached.

My gut reaction is that this is an unethical thing to do. It seems wrong to knowingly create a situation where humans will be forced to man a ship their whole lives, never to see Earth.

I was wondering how it changed under different ethical theories. First, I think it would be unethical according to Kantian ethicists, as the yet-to-be-born children are being used as a means to an end, whether that end be simple exploration or not keeping all of humanities eggs in one basket.

Would answering the question of whether such a ship were ethical under a utilitarian ethical theory require answering questions about the likelihood of success, the imminence of Earth's demise, or the likelihood that other means of travel could be developed later? I don't really know where to start with this one, but it seems as though it could be ethical under certain circumstances.

I'd love to get some feedback on which sorts of ethical theories forbid, permit, or require generation ships.
gpt
>It seems wrong to knowingly create a situation where humans will be forced to man a ship their whole lives, never to see Earth.

How is this significantly different than our creating political situations where we will be forcing our offspring to 'man' society their whole lives, likely never living themselves in the ideal and peaceful future state we are trying to reach?