Checks & Balances of The Universe

Published on January 15, 2005 By stevendedalus In Philosophy

Judging from the current “discovery” of a gigantic black hole 2.6 billion light years away, a layman has to wonder if the “truth” of science is on a path of counter productivity and adding fuel to the incomprehensible, thus engendering blind faith in a mysterious God. Black holes seem to be deadly contradictions to a universe bent on creativity. Just as most of us fail to comprehend the counter productivity of nature’s wrath here on earth that seems bent on destruction preventing utopian ends, the universe itself seems to have built into it checks and balances on a free-wheeling expanding universe without purposeful direction.

How does this differ from Armageddon or Judgment Day? Almost daily we are reminded of the tinder box on which the planet’s mantle is perched, having to bear the brunt and fear of floods, avalanches, tectonic movements causing tsunamis and earthquakes, let alone the vulnerability to the flying circus within the solar system. The more scientists know beyond which makes any human sense, they become more bewildered and are no more enlightened than the primitives who first gazed upon the stars with awe. Discovery of another black hole ten trillion light years away by definition will shed no further light on human wisdom but only increase the pain of indescribable mystery and alienation.

The magnificence of human intelligence in producing pictures from Titan is nonetheless little comfort to find but another inhabitable satellite in a solar system without promise beyond mining prospects for the third millennium. About the only promise — and this is hardly in opposition to faith — is a superior intelligence from a highly developed planet outside our system. Even so, it is unlikely that they will have solved the ultimate Why but only supplied more to the countless How.

http://stevendedalus.joeuser.com

Comments

stubbyfinger

on Jan 15, 2005

In humanities search for truth, colored by arrogance, we seem to forget that we are infants. What little enlightenment we have is owed to science. In fact the only true path to enlightenment is science. You can pray, meditate, postulate and study all you want. Without the scientific method you will always be limited to existing human truths. It’s very difficult for anyone deal with the possibility that they will never know the meaning of all of this. Philosophy professor Antony Flew a devout atheist, whom recently proclaimed after 50 years of study, the universe and life were too complex to exist without intelligent design, is an example of someone coming to the end of a life study without any answers, needing to proclaim some sort of insight before death. Theologist were quick to twist his words to say, “Atheist finds God”, even though he clearly stated that he still didn’t believe in God. We in fact could be billions of years from understanding the meaning of life. And that sucks, who wants to believe that?

Furry Canary

on Jan 15, 2005

'Black holes seem to be deadly contradictions to a universe bent on creativity.'

Who said the universe is 'bent on creativity', or indeed, that it has any intent whatsoever? It only becomes 'the pain of indescribable mystery and alienation' if one chooses to imagine a greater purpose behind the universe's existence in the first place.

The 'counter productivity of nature's wrath' to which you allude here is, I think, not so much a tendency to wilful destruction; rather, it is evidence of the well-understood physical phenomenon known as entropy, whereby changes in the physical universe are far more likely to produce an increase in disorder than in order.

stevendedalus

on Jan 16, 2005

whereby changes in the physical universe are far more likely to produce an increase in disorder than in order.

Aye, there lies the rub in human terms. Granted in pure terms the universe is indifferent, but humans are not indifferent to the universe.

Furry, don't get uptight--I have no axe to grind. The universe is a creation whether or not it has always been in existence and has no purpose; the elements don't know that while they busily swirl about to do whatever they do is not for some end.

Well put, Stubby.

Furry Canary

on Jan 16, 2005

Whoops! I'm not uptight,. Steven - sincere apologies if the wording of my contribution gave that impression.

'Granted in pure terms the universe is indifferent, but humans are not indifferent to the universe.' Absolutely - I couldn't agree more ... except that even the word 'indifferent' implies an emotional response which I'm not sure is appropriate in these circumstances. Nevertheless, your point is well made.

The universe as a 'creation', on the other hand, I have a little difficulty with, for what it implies. I'm not reacting specifically against the suggestion of 'a creator', but of the assumption of a time before, of a cause and effect. Hawking (and many others, of course) postulate that time did not pre-exist the origin of the universe, but arose within and as a consequence of the universe's very early development. While I don't necessarily subscribe lock, stock and barrel to this theory, if room is to be made for it (and other such approaches) in the discussion, then describing the universe as 'a creation' seems to me not only inadequate but potentially misleading.

stevendedalus

on Jan 20, 2005

Limitations of language. See my

http://stevendedalus.joeuser.com/index.asp?AID=61845

TaBoo Tenente

on Jan 22, 2005

hey, why not put some hope in the fact that we know nothing?

i know there are people who are people of FAITH, and i suppose no new scientific news could disturb such contentment. but for the rest of us, life is about chaos and wishing for purpose. when we encounter something like a blackhole, it proves that more exists than we previously have given credit. cavemen looked at stars. the ancients looked at stars. copernicus looked at stars. einstein looked at stars. each looked at them with wonder, and with new understanding as well. we might not be einsteins, but our understanding is beyond copernicus' conception of the universe. and when i say beyond, i do not mean closer to enlightenment, i mean that our scope is larger. we can see farther into the future of human consciousness.

one can look at a blackhole as another catastrophic ending to life, but why? the ties between reality and human consciousness are becoming more apparent, especially as quantum physics develops. there's no end to the puzzle, perhaps, but why not find hope in that simple fact?

TBT

AndyBaker

on Jan 22, 2005

but why not find hope in that simple fact?

TaBoo, hope for what? (Just interested.)

TaBoo Tenente

on Jan 23, 2005

consider your life right now. it probably isn't too bad. if you put it in perspective, it probably feels, at worst, okay. but most people also deal with doubt, purpose, and misgivings throughout every day.

something like a blackhole may seem frightening, but in my mind it is something unknown, something that proves that we don't know everything now (and probably never will), but one day we (or humanity) will have such a greater understanding of life and the physics of the universe--we will know so much that our present understanding will seem as sheltered and childish as a person who believed the earth was flat and the center of the universe.

i am an uneducated tourist when it comes to physics, but the some of the madness seeping from quantum physics journals makes me feel that we're not only learning about deep reaches of space, but our inner cosmology as well. it seems possible, and even likely, sometimes, when i let myself hope, that we could be discovering a path toward the essence of what we see as reality.

tbt

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