Some people do specifically state why they think it'll be freer, e.g. because it's a frontier society and frontier societies are more libertarian. Separate from what I think about the specifics, I don't understand why you wouldn't expect Earth-like social stuff to pop up.
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And ya- life in space is painful, Mars life will be sucky, not spectacular.That’s how it is but we do many other sucky things! :-)
There's an American tradition of saying they were, but even Laura Ingalls Wilder, very much into the political purposes, wrote a book where the town violently enforces a redistribution of assets to keep everyone fed until government assistance shows up.
Space won't be like that. Maybe away from Earth you can try new kinds of social organization, but self-reliance is not an option.
https://bsky.app/profile/angadhn.com/post/3lfd42vliss25
Cheaper and routine commercial spaceflight, esp if it replaces air travel, could incentivise populations to prioritise exercise/be fitter (orbital flights). ;)
I think you can also include Huxley's "Brave New World" (things work very well indeed - there's an even island for Randian Supermen to uh swordfight).
https://www.angryflower.com/348.html
[The Old West was also much less libertarian in reality.]
>>snort<<
*And, maybe, "them."