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Beyond the Goldilocks Zone: Reconsidering the Ontological Conditions for Interstellar Life
Yujin Hwang
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5313/2025.04.002
Independent Researcher, Seoul, South Korea
This paper critically re-examines the anthropocentric “Goldilocks Zone” paradigm that has dominated the search for extraterrestrial life. As of 2024, more than 5,500 exoplanets have been identified, yet only about 2% are located within the traditionally defined habitable zone (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Exoplanet Archive, 2024; Kane et al., 2023). Moreover, the discovery of extremophiles—organisms thriving in high-radiation, extreme heat, or vacuum environments—demonstrates that the boundaries of life far exceed Earth-like conditions (Rothschild & Mancinelli, 2001).
Goldilocks Zone, ontological conditions, interstellar life, exoplanets, extremophiles, planetary ethics, habitability
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