Is the financial resources spent in research in the field of Astrobiology justifiable?

Abstract

The main idea here is to provide a reflection on whether spending financial resources for research in the field of Astrobiology is justifiable. The reason for this article is linked to the growing interest in this research program, not only by the media, but nowadays also by the scientific community through good science.The methodology to develop this article is based on the concatenation of favorable and unfavorable arguments that science practitioners provided, over time, about this research activity. The results point to the use of the principle of mediocrity by optimistic inductivists as a means of argumentation, trying to establish that the practice of this research is based on good science and justifiable. On the other hand, the group of skeptical science practitioners who contest this research argue that there is no evidence to support all the commitment, supply and expenditure of scientists' energy and time, as well as financial resources. Finally, Astrobiology is a science, and helps society by providing us with knowledge subsidies that have great potential to be explored by pharmacology, the food and agricultural industry, and bioremediation treatment of environments contaminated by oil.