The Universe Knowing Itself

My last post was very Descartes ("I think, therefore I am"). Today, I want to talk about space.

Hey van Gogh, paint this.

What fascinates me about the universe is that it's already so vast (and still growing), though it's totally possible that life on Earth is the only life around.

Wrap your head around that idea for a second. Earth could be the beginning (and hopefully not the end) of the only sentient beings to ever exist.

Why is that such a big deal? Astronomer David Kornreich (via Space.com) claims there could be as many as 10 trillion galaxies in the universe. There's an estimated 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Multiply the two and you get 100 octillion stars, which Blogger doesn't even think is a real word. 100 octillion looks like 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Yeah.

Skyandtelescope.com uses a different estimation for the number of stars in our universe and decided on 70 billion trillion. Now, we can talk about the stars in the "observable" universe, meaning the 13.7 billion light-years we think is as far as we can see of an even bigger universe, or the fact that our universe could be part of a complex system of universes (a multiverse, as Space.com calls it), or the curve of space-time distorting our view of distant objects' distance from Earth, but let's just stick with numbers for now.

If the universe really does have 70 billion trillion stars in it, there must be planets out there with proper living conditions for other creatures? Well, the closest star to our sun is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.24 light-years away. That's pretty far. The chances of a space rock orbiting a star close enough to not burn or freeze its inhabitants is probably also very unlikely.

The reason I'm so nuts about this idea is that if we are the only conscious beings, that leaves the rest of the universe as very big... and very stupid. The nebulae, stars, and space objects that fascinate us have no idea what they are, can't perceive themselves or anything around them, even though they are moving fast. There's that BS question about whether or not a falling tree would make a "sound" if no one is there to hear it, but I think it would be a shame if the whole universe existed with no one there to appreciate it.

Carl Sagan once said "We're made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." This is such a beautiful concept because if we are the only living things in the universe, we're also the only chance it has at understanding its secrets.

Let's go.

You are a Thinking Thing

I'm a misanthropic optimist.

What does that mean? Let me put it like this. If we met, I'd probably give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're a good person. And if you're not cynical like me, we'd get along fine.

Just don't expect me to enjoy mosh pits.

I haven't blogged in ages. And to all my reader(s) out there, I am sorry my good man (or woman... or Jenner's gender). I'd apologize for not writing for a while, but I was taught that sometimes the best excuse is no excuse.

This is some time we're living in.

Now that I'm back online, I want to talk about something exciting-- the chances of being born. I've been contemplating it and realized the chances of being born are closer to zero than anyone can imagine.

Matter of fact, I came across another blog by a guy who uses math to predict the chances of being born. Someone else summarized his thoughts into this amazing infographic (which you can right click, open in a new tab, and zoom in on if you're not already an eagle).

The point he makes is that the chances of being born as "you", meaning all of your ancestors procreated down the line until you came about, are pretty much impossible. It's a tricky concept to grasp because when you think of it, your life was inevitable. There couldn't have not been a "you"... right?

Think about all the millions of potential brothers and sisters you could have had, each born with slight variations. Some might be more prone to genetic disorders, or genetic advantages, they would each inherit physical, mental, and personality features of your mother or your father, the quirks of your grandparents, and so on.

Now forget about all of that and think of being born as someone else from a different family entirely.

Forget about that and think about being born as an animal or an insect.

What determines whose consciousness we start off with? You could have been born as one of your siblings just as easily as you could have been born as pop culture phenomenon Carrot Top, chef Gordon Ramsay, or the homeless veteran holding up a sign in front of your favorite supermarket.

In the end, we're all stuck in our own bodies. There's no Jimmy Neutron science experiment that will transfer your mind into another person's body (which Jimmy ended up doing with his crush, Cindy, via telephone lines). You're you. And even though most of modern human life is spent doing mundane tasks, returning e-mails, driving around, waiting in lines, and sleeping in hopes you'll wake up with enough energy this time, you have the gift of perception. You're literate, which allows you to put yourself in someone else's imagination. You've seen good things, bad things, and probably lots of Kermit the Frog. But in everything you've experienced, in every choice you'll ever make, there is a "You" and I encourage you to make the most of it.

Be well.

-Philip