Mars
- Thread starter Libby
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There could well be a multiverse of alternative dimensions, beyond the comprehension of our human brains, which we may or may not get to experience.
I suppose my question was more aimed at the 'why' part though. Do you entertain the idea that all of this could be out there (or in there) without there necessarily being a reason for any of it, other than what we attribute to it ?
Of course I've thought about it and considered other theories, including the idea that this particular universe is actually the latest one of several previous Big Bangs which have expanded and then contracted back to the point just before the Big Bang which in turn led to the next one. This is a theory that's also been put forward, which would mean that the 12 billion years stated by BRB earlier would actually only be this current one and we could be talking trillions of years.
But ultimately I think there is a reason for it all and it's basically a theological one. There is far too much (as far as the nature of human existence and how the world & nature functions) for me to believe otherwise.
I think as Humans we like to give meaning to things, our brains work in that way, always seeking out patterns, faces, order and structure. It seems that our brains need to be able to organise our perceptions in order to have some stability, otherwise we'd be overwhelmed with the amount of information coming in.
I'm open to the idea that it all has a meaning and a greater purpose, but it doesn't unsettle me that it could all just be random, without reason and the only meaning to any of it all, is that which we attribute to it.
Of course, our human experience of the universe, is just the perception of a fairly narrow bandwidth and the potential for 'stuff' to be out there that we cannot even comprehend is more than possible.
Personally speaking, I find it's the small things which suggest there's a greater purpose or meaning to it all. The fact that one species not only became the dominant force on this planet but it just so happens to be the only one to develop language or the capacity for abstract thought. Another example is chlorophyll (believe it or not), which when you really look into how it works and the fact it's even a thing, the best that science can do is explain the how it works rather than why it does. Than here's something very random, but cats taking a dump - why do they dig up, take a crap and cover it up? Or it could just be as you say, my mind trying to make sense of it all, but there's method in the madness at work here in the form of something greater.
Lol at that last example
I would contest that Humans are the only species to develop language and the capacity for abstract thought. We're only really beginning to understand the depth of consciousness of animals like Dolphins, Elephants, Chimpanzees, and even Octopus (or is it Octopi ?) all of which show complex emotional behaviour, problem solving skills and the ability for abstract thought.
Are we the most intelligent species ? We'd like to think we are. I think our species is very adept at manipulating the natural world around us. Probably too good at it to be honest, which is why we've got ourselves in such a mess in terms of trashing our planet. But I suppose it comes down to how you measure intelligence. Some species have survived on Earth for millions of years and have adapted to their changing environment. At the moment we look like we might wipe ourselves out, so who is more intelligent there ?
As for the method in the madness ? again I don't know. I'm open to the idea of grand design, but like I say, that could just be our human brains trying to give meaning to stuff in order to make sense of it all.
Lol at that last example
I would contest that Humans are the only species to develop language and the capacity for abstract thought. We're only really beginning to understand the depth of consciousness of animals like Dolphins, Elephants, Chimpanzees, and even Octopus (or is it Octopi ?) all of which show complex emotional behaviour, problem solving skills and the ability for abstract thought.
Are we the most intelligent species ? We'd like to think we are. I think our species is very adept at manipulating the natural world around us. Probably too good at it to be honest, which is why we've got ourselves in such a mess in terms of trashing our planet. But I suppose it comes down to how you measure intelligence. Some species have survived on Earth for millions of years and have adapted to their changing environment. At the moment we look like we might wipe ourselves out, so who is more intelligent there ?
As for the method in the madness ? again I don't know. I'm open to the idea of grand design, but like I say, that could just be our human brains trying to give meaning to stuff in order to make sense of it all.
Yeh I know what you mean about other animals, but any form of communication or possible abstract thought in other species only serves to survive, while ours is to progress. That's the difference I was getting at.
The fact we're making a mess of it leading to ultimate destruction could also be part of a grand design
Having said that it could all be humans trying to make sense of it all.
Our brains run like computer systems, you gain information in new surroundings which your brain stores, hence why it goes on to form patterns of routine, because like computers our cache needs to be able to retrieve information instantly for our bodys to be able to function, even in familiar surroundings. A good example of this was the underground attempting to suddenly change the way people stood on an escalator, it had to be abandoned, because it caused confusion (as well has unwillingness). You were asking thousands of people to change something they did on a daily basis, and our brains can't cope with that change quick enough, and while our brain is computing what to do, the queue behind us is growing, despite the change being meant to ease the queues. That is just for our brain to understand a basic instruction, so we stand no chance when it comes to understanding our universe, because as you state, we have a fairly narrow bandwidth.
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That's the one. Though that's still a best estimate rather than proven fact iirc.
I'm gonna do a fred about it one day.
octopodes, it's latin, whereas hippopotami is greekLol at that last example
I would contest that Humans are the only species to develop language and the capacity for abstract thought. We're only really beginning to understand the depth of consciousness of animals like Dolphins, Elephants, Chimpanzees, and even Octopus (or is it Octopi ?) all of which show complex emotional behaviour, problem solving skills and the ability for abstract thought.
Are we the most intelligent species ? We'd like to think we are. I think our species is very adept at manipulating the natural world around us. Probably too good at it to be honest, which is why we've got ourselves in such a mess in terms of trashing our planet. But I suppose it comes down to how you measure intelligence. Some species have survived on Earth for millions of years and have adapted to their changing environment. At the moment we look like we might wipe ourselves out, so who is more intelligent there ?
As for the method in the madness ? again I don't know. I'm open to the idea of grand design, but like I say, that could just be our human brains trying to give meaning to stuff in order to make sense of it all.
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I'm not talking about life existing I'm on about the sheer distance between Stars and Planets .
I watched a Discovery Science program once where they said its possible that 2 Galaxies could Run into each other yet no Stars could collide coz of the distance
There are now theoretical models for traversable wormholes which no longer require exotic negative mass particles, distance would become fairly irrelevant.
are you limiting all possible life in the universe to our current technological level?
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