The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything

No, get the way you think about things wrong and it could kill you.

 

Hang on, isn't that what happens in hydrogen bombs?
Well at least in one direction.

 

I'm going to take a wild guess.. considering the billions of people that have lived on planet earth for a good many millennia, & considering the wide range of beliefs about the Big Questions, & the mutual exclusivity of many of them, not too many people have gotten anything 'right' regarding these Questions. Probably most, if not all, have been dead wrong, & somehow the human race has survived.

What i get from that is that Truth is not necessary for survival.. dumb luck & perseverance is sufficient.

What i also get from that is, very likely, the human race is currently WRONG about a great many things, especially relating to the Big Questions. I'm not too worried about it, especially since i don't really 'know' the answer to the Big Questions, either. the only thing i worry about are the dogmatists who declare unwaveringly that their belief system is Absolute Truth. They have a track record in history of killing any dissenters, so, yes, i'm a bit worried about that. Fortunately, i'm already old & cranky, so i don't have long to worry, anyway.

 

Give it time. More than you or I will have but someday math and science will get to origins, meaning, morality. Don't know about destiny. But perhaps that could be modeled and predicted.

 

Dumb luck and perseverance weren't sufficient to invent x-rays, vaccines, piped serwage, cardiac surgery, high-speed amulances, improvements in agricultural efficiency etc etc.
On the other hand looking at the world through a distorted philosophy can give birth to germ & chemical warfare, nuclear weapons, suicide bombers - the list could go on.
However, I suspect you have a narrow view of the realm of philosophy. It's not just an intellectual party game, it's absolutely critical to our species survival.
Maybe you could delve into the philosophy of science to widen your perspective?

 

Maybe. Someday. Hope springs eternal. But for now, all we have are beliefs. Math & science have been working on these questions, too, for at least centuries, & probably millennia. I don't think i'll hold my breath while waiting.

The topic is not xrays, technology, & improved farming or manufacturing methods. It is about the Big Questions of life.. Origins, meaning, morality, or destiny.

Oh, & i guess you think by injecting a little ad hominem into the discussion, it covers YOUR 'narrow view'? I have the broadest view in this thread, concerning the mysteries of the universe. You have not heard any dogmatic assertions or glib answers from me.. those are from the dogmatists who cannot grasp things beyond their finite comprehension, so they cling to assertions & mandated beliefs.

I have seen a lot of overlap from the alleged 'scientists' who try to blend beliefs with empirical facts. It is not a pretty sight. It does a great disservice to the scientific method, & only drags us back to the dark ages, where science was mandated & conformity was enforced by pain of death.

It's a nice dodge, though.. pretty typical on these forums. If you can't follow the topic, deflect & demean.. it is a lot easier than having to think & say something topical.

 

The Big Questions of Life are not those of cosmology, creationism or the big bang,the ultimate so called 'meaning' of everything etc . The big questions are about how to preserve and protect life on this planet, that is philosophy. As to ad hominem attacks, honey, I haven't even begun.

 

I have defined the 'Big Questions as many philosophers, gurus, & seekers of truth have seen them over the millennia. You are certainly welcome to your own 'big questions', & you could even list them for discussion, if you wish. Maybe to you, global warming, gay rights, white privilege, & income inequality are the 'Big Questions' of the Universe. A brief overlook in this forum might make one conclude that. ..at least, if i were a Cosmic Watcher, i might make such a conclusion.

Oh, i think you've begun with the ad hominem, but i'm sure you can take it up a notch, too. As a Cosmic Watcher, i have followed that phenomenon with great interest as well. But we Cosmic Watchers get bored easily, so don't be surprised if i fade away when the flame wars begin.

 

Yep, all many have are beliefs. Same as hope, yes.
Except with hope, one tries to form better and better understandings.
With beliefs, they are accepted and no further knowledge is seeked. And most beliefs just take what someone else says.

 

How very philosophical of you.

 

One direction...exactly.

Now with a UFT you could use Energy and generate any element you want.

With proper Quantum Computation you could also convert energy into any matrix you want.

AA

 

I fail to see how merely performing the maths enables such a conversion. I'm missing something again.

 

The UFT or Unified Field Theory is the Holy Grail of Modern Physics.

To be able to BOTH develop a UFT and understand it would result in the answer to all of Humanities ills.

AA

 

Care to list 'all of humanities ills'? I suggest we ourselves as our own greatest enemy will not in the least be cured by any Holy Grail of Modern Physics.

 

We are talking about the ability to generate at will both an endless clean source of energy but as well be able to convert energy into matter in any matrix we want.

Teleportation on vast scales.

No more Hunger.

No more disease.

AA

 

So where does the moral revolution in human behavior come from?

 

Simple....eliminate need...eliminate desire to take from another.

AA

 

Eliminate desire? No thanks, that too autistic a uptopia for me.

 

I'm sure you meant this as a little dig.. but i think you miss the point of the OP. This is not JUST an academic discussion about high minded notions & philosophical musings, but early on i tried to show how the BASIS for much of what we DO is based on our belief system.

from the OP:

I submit to you that the bold above is Reality. Nobody really knows, empirically, the Answers to the Basic Questions. BUT... that does not dissuade them from dogmatically declaring their OPINION as Absolute Truth. Therefore, the basis for many people's belief system is based on dogmatic opinion.. not anything empirical. And as such, it should be held lightly.. with uncertainty & circumspection. But alas, it is not. Too many people from EVERY ideological spectrum dogmatically declare their opinion as Fact. This breed bigotry & intolerance. Outliers are considered stupid, uneducated, & a blight upon humanity. Some ideologies advocate eliminating such 'inferior' people who believe contrary to the status quo.

So this is not just a 'philosophical' exercise, but the Bright Light of Truth shining upon man's biases & prejudices.

For example. Perhaps a belief in evolution & the advancement of living things is innocuous. But it has also been the basis for eugenics & the nazi movement, as well as much of the genocide in russia, cambodia, china, & other places. As a belief system, it has consequences of ideology. IF you premise that all life is evolving, & IF you believe that superior races & species are better suited for survival, why coddle inferior, lower evolved organisms? Why not 'work with' evolution, & help it along? This is the premise of many ideologies that have brought racism & genocide.

Now, say you belief in the equality of man. A Creator made him in His image, & each person has an eternal soul. This is the basis for most humanitarian movements in history. Abolitionists were not atheist naturalists, but devout theists who believed each person to be significant & worthy of protection.

This is but one small example of the CONSEQUENCE of belief. Too many people do not follow to the logical conclusions the implications of their belief system but have a blend of nostalgia, mysticism, & irrational disconnect with their worldview. It does make a difference, what you believe. It is perhaps the most important part of our existence, as it colors the rest of our lives & outlook.

"The fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt." ~Bertrand Russell

 

Life isn't that hard, if you don't make it hard.

 

Russell would have been listened to by many more but for his his treatment of women.
I doubt you can ever prove the basis of most humanitarian movements comes from a belief a creator made man in his image with each person having an eternal soul. You may make a case the fear of eternal damnation by thelogical blackmail scared many into avoid the more hiddious crimes against their fellow beings. As to such being a CONSEQUENCE of belief I suggest you're getting the chicken before the egg.

 

I am not talking about eliminating desire.

I am talking about fulfilling it.

If everyone's wants, needs and desires are fulfilled....the vast majority of people would not have a need for power.

There will always be some who crave power but when you can have a machine in your home that can directly convert energy into any matter and matrix....such as Gold, Diamonds, Food....anything....what need is there to steal, kill and drive for power because you will already have power.

AA

 

Neither of us will live that long and we're still faced with what I suggest a highly probably, the self induced extinction of our species.
You need also to ponder the potential for absolute bordom induced by having everything you want available instantly simply by wishing over your surgically installed chip (via blutooth or whatever?) for whatever it is you want.

 

We are seeing the beginnings of it.

Scientists have already used Quantum Teleportation to teleport at first atoms then molecules.

Within a decade they will be able to teleport a fist sized object.

It will take Centuries if not a Millennium to develop and understand a complete UFT or Unified Field Theory but with the advent of Quantum Computers this time might be cut drastically.

People will change over time and perhaps spend their time learning and bettering themselves.

I believe Interstellar Space Travel will be an impossible to avert result of a UFT being developed.

That should keep people busy.

AA

 

My example was the abolition movement, which is easy to document.. just a brief bit of research will show you the basic motivation was religious, by christians, with a 'dignity of man' basis. I also showed the basis for eugenics & the nazi movement, which was steeped in evolutionary theory, with a mandate to 'help' evolution along, purifying mankind, & making the world a better place.

The point of those examples was to show the CONSEQUENCES of belief. Your deepest beliefs flavor your outlook on life, & provide much of the motivation for your actions, whether you realize it or not.