Quote:
Originally Posted by KenGee
Carl I think the issue here is that most people, people like yourself can't or don't want to face the reality that deep down we already know the answer. The answers to why things are way they are, is cause they are there is no "reason" ! The questions "people of faith" ask themselves have simple answers just not the ones they were expecting. A question for you, if you get your degree and find a research job, what questions are you going to try to answer?
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Problem is, Ken, is that nothing is as simple as it looks. If things happened for no reason whatsoever, what would be the point in anything happening. As a matter of fact, if everything occurred for no reason at all, then it would be meaningless to even bother to study anything. There would be no purpose to existence and a world with no purpose would be a very hollow world, indeed. It would essentially be a random, chance occurrence...a fluke, anomaly, even useless if you look at it in the cold light of physics. Why would the universe even exist in the first place, if you look at it in that light. I can think of far more efficient uses of the energy budget present in our universe than what it's being used for. As a matter of fact, why even bother to have universes forming with similar characteristics to ours when it would be much better to have superspace expand in all its 11D glory. You could even have life occur there...it would be far less restricted than it is in a 4D universe like ours. Hell, why even have any life of any description, no need for it...is there. As a matter of fact, why even have universes of any type occurring.
No, there is a reason as to why an universe like ours has appeared with life being present in it, and it probably has something to do with the conditions needed by physical life to occur and experience existence.
If you wanted to take a completely literal and totally reductionist view of existence, as a "hard line" scientist would, then you would believe that everything was random and totally occurring for no reason. Just the outcome of what the laws of nature (i.e. physics) have produced. But is everything random and without reason??. Take a real close look at the fundamental constants in the laws of nature and the equations of state which everything operate by. Despite what might be said, the fact that those 6 numbers are so finely balanced and even the slightest deviance from their values would mean no universe, let alone life existing. The fact that gravity, EM and both nuclear forces behave the way they do and the physical equations which define their behaviour are consistent everywhere we look means that there is reason behind it all. If everything was random and for no reason, then the laws of nature and the equations which describe them would have any value they like at any point within the universe. The a priori outcome of this would mean there'd be no universe...it couldn't exist because it would mean there'd be no stable atoms forming, particles would randomly pop in and out of existence (with any values they liked), gravity would be doing all sorts of wild things, spacetime would be popping into and out of existence...it'd be utter chaos.
The term, "people of faith", is a heavily loaded term. It's basically understood as being religious (devout or otherwise). However, understanding and knowledge have nothing to do with religion as it would normally be thought of. But pure, hard line, science is just as ignorant as religion can be. Both can be just as ignorant as the other, except they approach things from two antithetic angles. Dogma and ideology can reign supreme in both. Both have paradigms which define their reasons for being. Neither has a monopoly on the truth, if the truth could ever be defined, quantified or qualified.
So, before you go ahead and say that there is no reason for existence, think carefully. Is your existence random and meaningless?? Is mine, or is anyone else's for that matter. Is a tree meaningless. Are the stars, planets, galaxies, the laws of nature, those 6 fundamental numbers...everything which exists...meaningless??. And that is just physical existence. What about intelligence, consciousness, thought, life itself....meaningless?? No reason??
As far as myself is concerned, I'll try and answer whatever questions the universe throws up for me. If I can't answer them, it won't be a failure. People far smarter and more intelligent than I am have struggled with very similar experiences and have come away just as perplexed as they were at the start. It's a learning experience, isn't it
Anyway, this is getting way off topic....let's get back to faux bugs
