Ignorance is bliss?

[henrah]

https://www.pistolwimp.com/media/53235/


Ignorance was bliss. Now it's just arrogance.


I'm going to crawl into bed now and implode my mind by thinking about just how big IT is.

[prometheus]

Like I said before in a topic, before it was taken over by others, we now think there are probably around  4*10^22 stars in the observable universe. But a new idea is that the actual universe may contain 2.5*10^53 stars. That's 31 more zero's...

It means that the observable universe stands to the actual universe as the nucleus of a hydrogen atom stands to the observeble universe.

Of course this is still just a wild idea but one that came forth from the bright people in the field.

Hubble will get one more service. I hope they will finish the next space telescope not long after Hubble is taken out of service.

[henrah]

It means that the observable universe stands to the actual universe as the nucleus of a hydrogen atom stands to the observeble universe.

Ok that creeps me out even more 

[prometheus]

Why do you think it is scary?

Personally I don't really know what to think. And on an emotional level I can't comprehend the numbers anyway.

As for the topic title, this is what Feynman used to say:


I have a friend who's an artist and he's sometimes taken a view which I don't agree with very well. He'll hold up a flower and say, 'Look how beautiful it is,' and I'll agree, I think. And he says, 'You see, I as an artist can see how beautiful this is, but you, as a scientist, oh, take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing.

And I think that he's kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me, too,I believe, although I might not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is; but I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time I see much more about the flower that he sees. I can imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside which also have a beauty....

Also, the processes, the fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting - it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: Does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which shows that a scientific knowledge only adds to the excitement and mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds; I don't understand how it can subtract.

To me these kind of people are as big a mystery as to Feynman. And to both of us mysteries inheretly annoy us.

As for 'Ignorance is bliss' in the more conventional sense. I think it probably holds up in a majority of the cases.
But I also think that well-informed people can and need to put more effort into viewing the world/their lives in such a way it is pleasant. At least, that's what I think.

[pianistimo]

what 78 billion light years away isn't even the end of the universe!  it's just as far as we have been able to see with the hubble telescope.  there's nothing in the bible that discounts the possibility of other life forms (humans ) in space.  they would probably be just like us - as God favored making adam and eve in His image and his likeness.  noone is stopping God - so He can basically do whatever He wants to do with His creation.

but, the interesting thing is that WE have not found any other life forms.  that would make us MORE important than ever.  it is God's way of saying to us - even though you are in the 'remotest parts of heaven...'  we are important to Him.  'what is man that you are mindful of him? ...' 

if God can do this - why can He not create 'a place for us?'  He says that at the ressurrection 'I go to prepare a place for you ...'  Do you realize how long He's been preparing this place for us?  if He can create diamonds and jewels on our planet - there must be things we haven't even seen!  'eye has not seen, nor ear heard the wonderful things God has in store for those that love Him...' i believe this - BECAUSE of the size of the physical universe.  and that is only what we can see.  what about what we can't see?

[henrah]

but, the interesting thing is that WE have not found any other life forms. that would make us MORE important than ever. it is God's way of saying to us - even though you are in the 'remotest parts of heaven...' we are important to Him. 'what is man that you are mindful of him? ...'

The fact that we haven't found any other life forms is the fact that we can't - due to technology - explore that far into space. From your point of view, God gave us science did he not? But he hasn't given us the advances in science: only we ourselves have advanced the very basics that we learnt or were given from your point of view.

A possible conspiracy might lie in that God (again this is all from the point of view of God existing) actually has many planets of life, and many races that worship him, and in a bid to keep them worshipping him he limits our technology to not allow us to see each other. Hmmm.... c'est possible, non?

[pianistimo]

discovering each other would be interesting - but not for long.  then there would be intergallactic battles to take over the least CO2 damaged planet.  now that we can see these galaxies - it will be interesting if we find any other planets such as earth (with atmosphere and water and life sustaining oxygen in just the right proportions).  i'm not doubtful that it can be - just wondering when we will see it?  and, wouldn't it be a bit like seeing a new brother or sister.  first you hate them because you're not the only one any more - and then - ok.  you're accepted.

one theological argument against this would be that since there is ONE God - it would appear that if other earth's were found - there would be MANY gods.  necessitating the 'died once for all' to be an element of salvation for other planets - and necessitating the one God to go around dying a million times - or making other planet earths believe that he died - withiout having died on the planet they lived on.  i don't think this would make sense.  therefore - being that there is ONE God - i am guessing - and this is only aguess - that in 20 years we still will not have discovered another earth like our own.  capable of sustaining life.  if it were a relatively common occurance - we would have discovered millions already.

[henrah]

So we can then start polluting that planet? lol I can imaging the human race going down in universal history as the destroyer of many planets, and we'll probably be thought of as a plague.


Yet the government's ignorance to hemp astounds me. It is the solver to all our problems. Well, at least most of them. We just need a hemp-fueled car and hemp-fueled air travel. Though the latter would probably be easier as you can just get all the passengers extremely stoned and then move the airplane up and down very slightly and they'll all think "We're flying, we're flying!!"

[pianistimo]

yes.  ignorance is bliss.

a scripture i was reminded of for showing how important we are in this vast universe (and how unimportant we COULD be - if God decided otherwise) is romans 8:38 'for i am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other CREATED THING, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

once you really believe that - imo, you are no longer AS ignorant.  of course, unless we are astrophysicists - we're all ignorant of a lot of stuff.  but, if God is so near to us that all we have to do is pray - then we can at least do that.  it gives us a proximity to a vast store of knowledge that we might ask questions from.  and, even if we don't get full answers now- we can glean some information from the bible and from inspiration about how to treat people, how to let go of anger, how to forgive.  these things start wars.  if we can control our tongue and our spirit - we have more knowledge than those who are without love.  i'm talking to myself right now - as i'm sort of po'd at my husband at the moment.  but, when i think of how God treats me, then i think - 'oh, i see the light.'