Human Reality is an Illusion
EpSil0n-// <[email protected]> Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:36:49 -0600 (CST)
| Newsgroups | gmane.politics.progressive.news |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--f07HFIvsq04l4B8H8ISVr1b9Clc9DWb3zHtBuOZ
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Permalink: http://inyourface.info/ArT/Sci/Elegance.shtml
H O M E - C R Y P T - B I O
Quantum Gravity, Parallel Universes,
Three Dimensional Sinkholes,
Curved Space-time and Black Holes
Science (physics) is not intuitive
and common-sense assumptions no longer work.
The Theoretical Elegance and Beauty of Supersymmetry
There are according to the theory of supersymmety MANY kinds of matter which
cannot be seen but they exist and these particles are called superpartners.
None have ever been seen in spite of all of the efforts which have been
attempted by particle physicists to detect them. If the When the Large Hadron
Collider at Cern finally works there is the hope that they will be discovered.
Even though hidden now, never-the-less, many physicists are passionate about
the existence of supersymmetry and superpartners.
LHC, the Large Hadron Collider is enormous; it is 27 kilometers (17 miles) in
circumference and contains 10,000 ultra-powerful large magnets to repeal
particles to speeds approaching the speed of light - which is the cosmic speed
limit - in a tunnel beneath Switzerland and France where it is situated.
When beams of protons smash into each other there eventually (it has not yet
been turned up to full power) will be so much energy compressed into a tiny
space that formerly unknown matter will be created, if only momentarily - like
it was at the time of origin of the cosmos. It most assuredly will also result
in micro-black holes very much like the primordial black holes created during
the Big Bang.
Will superpartner particles appear as new supersymmetry particles and
annihilate other matter in the universe? Will these black holes suck us all
into them? Will the Earth cease to exist? What effect will the LHC have on the
fabric of the universe; the one we live in?
In his famous general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein turned physics on
its head. He showed that Science (physics) is not intuitive and common-sense
assumptions no longer work. He demonstrated that the concept of space and the
concept of time are one and the same. Relative to an observer space stretches
and time moves slower as it approaches the speed of light. He established that
nothing can exceed the speed of light, which is 670 million miles per hour
(186,000 miles sec). And a decade on in his Theory of General Relativity he
further described gravity as the warping of space-time and the existence of
black holes.
We know now that there are fewer atoms in the universe and we don't know much
about dark matter and dark energy and cannot detect them directly, but they
have noticeable effects on energy and matter.
Whether or not we can identify everything in the universe, what we know for
certain is, it is not nothingness. The universe has something in it. It also
contains a lot of dust and we're also depositing a lot of space junk in space.
A Multiverse of Universes
We live in a multidimensional universe - perhaps a multiverse of universes.
"Like quarks or dark matter and dark energy, whose existence we only
indirectly ascertain, extra dimensions will not appear to us directly.
Nonetheless, signatures of extra dimensions, even when indirect, could
ultimately reveal their existence." (Warped Passages, Unraveling the Mysteries
of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions - Lisa Randall - Harper 2006)
Time also has no absolute meaning except as a measure of change. In space there
is no time. Time is only relative to the observer. We age, therefore we are
aware of our chronology because it is relative to how we change.
If there is no air resistance we are not aware of falling. We think we are
flying but when we are orbiting the earth we are not aware of our falling
around the earth, which is exactly what we are doing. However, falling is not
an observable phenomena.
"Neither space nor time has any existence outside the system of evolving
relationships that comprises the universe..." (Three Roads to Quantum Gravity,
Lee Smolin)
We cannot see the entire universe. We can only see it from our local area where
we are and that region which extends around us is approximately 14 billion
light years - and pursuant to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, we know also
that nothing can move faster than the speed of light.
"At this very moment, our galaxy is hurtling toward the Virgo cluster of
galaxies at a couple of hundred kilometers a second, faster literally than a
speeding bullet. Virgo is pulling us into its gravitational field. At the same
time, our galaxy continues to rotate sedately: The invisible hand of gravity
ties together the 100 billion stars that make up the galaxy..." (Einstein's
Universe, Gravity At Work and Play, by A. Zee - Oxford U Press - 2001)
Space and time is integrated into space-time, based on Einstein's theory of
general relativity; Space and time are geometrically integrated into a
space-time fabric warped, distorted and curved by matter and energy.
SPACE-TIME
You can get to the moon in TWO seconds. That is how long it takes light to
travel the distance. What we are seeing on the moon actually happened two
seconds ago.
What is amazing is how much we know and how short a time we have known it and
for that matter how much we do not know. We are also insignificant in the
overall scheme of things. A tiny speck of life with a unique perception that we
exist and our larger brains motivate us to sustain ourselves long enough so
life doesn't become extinquished before we can pass on our own historic
blueprint of life.
Space-time is a relative movement which seems normal but relies on a
self-centered, anthropomorphic perception and while life is perception, it is
not reality.
We Are Space Dust
How do so many become so brainwashed that they can be so anti-science, so
anti-humanist and so many can believe in miracles and the supernatural?
We are a mere speck - space dust. Our sun is among hundreds of billions of
stars in an island universe which is perhaps one of billions of universes, and
galaxies; ours is called the Milky Way - about 3/5th of the way from the black
hole in the center of the galaxy and we inhabit and in our little space, in our
little corner of one universe we will stay lost. It is unlikely we will suvive
long enough to ever meet other life like us, except for some of the millions of
other species which also inhabit this planet.
Natural selection is indifferent to morality unless those who are more moral
outproduce those who are not. Morality, however remains a human construction so
it takes on whatever meaning we assign to it. It may be that memes for "belief
in God" does have an effect on reproduction and those who believe outproduce
those who do not.
The ability to think is also the capacity to lie because the benefit accruing
from lies could result in a benefit to reproduction, including survivability
which is inherent component up to reproductive maturity and perhaps exceeding
reproductive maturity if there is a benefit to survival of related genes.
Civilization is drunk on itself. We like our comforts and we like our toys. We
are more interested in meat than in how we kill to obtain it. We want our
fossil carbon in spite of safer energy sources because it is cheap(er) and
there are profits to be made by oil cartels and money dictates policy, not what
is ethical or right.
"We are in our present mess through our intelligence and inventiveness. It
could have started as long as 100,000 years ago, when we first set fire to
forests as a lazy way of hunting. We had ceased to be just another animal and
begun the demolition of the Earth... (James Lovelock, The Revenge of Gaia -
2006)
6,000,000,000 Hungry and Greedy Humans
Aspiring to a First World lifestyle at any cost
Seven percent of adults in the UK believe in creationism. 45% Americans believe
in creationism. 84% of Americans believe miracles happen. 79% believe the
miracles in the Bible actually happened and 72% believe survivors of accidents
are spared because God intervenes. These figures are from a study done by the
University of California.
"Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; to lie in cold obstruction and
to rot." (William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure)
We generally fear death. Not to deny we may reach a point in our lives where
life becomes difficult and we do not cherish it so much. Losing those we love
may leave us feeling empty and more accepting of the thought of death. But
(Margulis and Sagan - What is Life?):
"If we did not fear death, we might be too quick to kill ourselves when
troubled or inconvenienced and thus perish as a species. Belief in life's
importance may not be a reflection of reality, then, but an evolutionary
reinforced fantasy that prejudices believers to do what is necessary, bear
whatever burdens to survive."
The Animal Ethics Encyclopedia (http://www.animalethics.org) says about
"sentient beings", "broadly, sentience is the capacity to perceive and feel
things..." Plants are not considered sentient and persons who are comatose are
not considered sentient at that moment. To have sentience one must have the
_capacity_ and feelings to suffer. It generally implies having a brain or
nervous system. Sentience is comparable to consciousness.
However, ALL living things may not be sentient, but MUST have perception. Put
simply, Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan wrote in What is Life?
"All living beings, not just animals, but plants and microorganisms,
perceive. To survive, an organic being must perceive--it must seek, or at least
recognize, food and avoid environmental danger."
"We all inherit a shared perspective bequeathed by our ancestors..."
(Margulis and Sagan)
And, the notion that life has meaning is evolutionary. Our mind is a benefit to
our species enabling successful survival and reproduction. But it is also
predicated on religious myths and philosophical memes that co-opt reason
reinforce the will to live.
"From a human point of view, it is our somatic selves--embedded in which
are things like mind, personality, love, will--that we cherish most and that
define us, to ourselves and to others. We think of reproduction as only one of
many activities we can choose to engage in. Perhaps this is not surprising,
since it is a point of view arising in the somatic part of ourselves--in our
minds. We have used our minds to invent complex belief systems to explain
death. None of these paint a picture of ourselves as excess baggage; none cast
us simply as tools for transmitting DNA. Yet when we trace the origin of our
death beyond mind and belief, to its true beginnings---the death of individual
cells---we come to a rather harsh and unflattering conclusion: the irrelevance,
in the grander scheme of the universe, of our somatic selves. No wonder belief
so often trumps over reason." (William R. Clark, Sex & The Origins of Death)
A Falling Person Does Not Know He is Falling
As an atheist who recognizes the possibility of something beyond my
understanding - though unconvinced it can be anything anywhere like the myths
about GOD and intentionality that one finds inherent in religion I can
never-the-less appreciate the following quote very much:
"God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is
nowhere. --- from Empedocles, fifth century B.C.
If I had a choice and the time was now (not over 50 years ago), the new wisdom
would certainly be a strong motivation for me to build my life around
astrobiology. Everything I have had to learn about the cosmos has been an
evolution in the knowledge we all have acquired in just the last few decades.
I was curious enough 50 years ago to become a Ham operator. Radio was new and
television experimental. I built everything, including my first computer with
resisters and capacitors. There were no transisters or circuit boards then. I
worked for presidents and for the top field officers in the War Room in the
Pentagon because I was informed by the latest "state-of-the-art" electronics,
and worked with the engineers who built their crypto and wide-band
communications systems. I was there at the White House when they installed
their FIRST television system. It was delightfully stimulating, but nothing
like what we are doing now. I was there at the White House when Sputnik orbited
around the planet and because of the president ushered in a new age of
technology. My uncle received the first computer, the ENIAC, from the U of
Pennsylvania and I was enthused and amazed when it was demonstrated - enough to
want to have my own computer when nobody knew what to do with them except the
calculations they were doing at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and later in the
Pentagon with their diode multipliers and tubes doing what today is done with
computer chips.
Science was philosophy before it was science and physics actually began with
gravity. Einstein was my hero at Princeton and he changed the way we thought
about everything - building on Newtonian theory which haunted physics up to his
time. Today it is Quantum physics and strings and membranes which are on the
mind of many scientists and more questions have been raised than answered.
Illusion is Equivalent to, But Not Equal to Reality
Most of the Universe is Composed of Dark Matter
(And, we are not exactly sure what it is.)
And how much of what we perceive
is actually an illusion and how much of it is real?
How we See the Multiverse
in Space and Time
Gravity Bends Light
Gravity is Curved Space-Time
Starlight which passes a heavenly body bends just as space and time is warped
by gravity and the words of politicians are most of the time deceptively
skewed.
Pluto is no longer a planet. We are a flawed species easily fooled.
Iintelligence is the illusion. And, truth and reality is a delusion.
Gravity curves space and Hominids believe what they want to believe. It seems
as-if we are stationary; just as it seems to a rational person that the land
we're standing on is flat; but the ground isn't flat and we aren't still; we
are swirling around while all the time being pulled towards the center of the
planet. Our size and electromagnetic force keeps us from slipping between atoms
and falling into the abyss.
"Electromagnetic forces grip atoms to one another building up molecules and
the ... and the electromagnetic force that stops us falling to the centre of
the planet..." (Forces of Nature)
"Four fundamental forces rule the universe: gravity, the electromagnetic
force and then two that act in and around the atomic nucleus, known as strong
and weak. The latter pair act over distances smaller than atoms and so are less
familiar to our macroscopic senses than are the effects of gravity and magnets.
However, they are critical to our existence, keeping the Sun burning and
providing the essential warmth for life." (Frank Close - ibid)
In orbit we are falling but we fall around a mass or we may fall into it, just
as it falls into us. Mariners navigate a path on a curved body of water. Their
route is along a curve circle. The universality of gravity is all objects
respond in the same way; they follow the path of least _distance_ in curved
space and time.
And as you stand on Earth you are pulled by its core as the earth falls toward
the sun. Because the earth has inflationary momentum and all mass in the
universe is stretching it never quite gets to the sun. In billions of years, it
will.
"At this very moment, our galaxy is hurtling toward the Virgo cluster of
galaxies at a couple of hundred kilometers a second, faster literally than a
speeding bullet. Virgo is pulling us into its gravitational field. At the same
time, our galaxy continues to rotate sedately: The invisible hand of gravity
ties together the 100 billion stars that mke up the galaxy. Our dear old sun
stays within this hurtling swarm of stars only because of its attraction to all
those other stars, just as our earth stays within the solar system because of
its attraction to the sun. On an evewn smaller scale, we say tied to the earth
by gravity, with nary a fear of falling off. On a grander scale, as the
universe tries to expand to even larger size, every bit of matter it contains
is trying to rein the universe in by pulling gravitationally on every other bit
of matter..." (A. Zee, Einstein's Universe: Gravity at Work and Play, Oxford U
Press, 1989)
Everything you see in the night sky is moving. Planets move around
stars and stars move. Galaxies move. Everything is moving. We understand most
of this movement because of gravity and Einstein.
"...Galileo Galilei was the first person to collect data on falling
objects (actually balls rolling down a sloped platform). From these data he
produced an equation that showed falling objects travel in parabolas."
(University Lowbrow Astronomers University Lowbrow Astronomers Gravity, Part 2:
Newton, Hooke, Halley and the Three Body Problem. by Dave Snyder in
Reflections: April, 2006)
But before the telescope philosophers and astronomers were limited to
what they could see with the naked eye. It took giant telescopes to see well
stars, planets, comets, nebulae and it took new ways of looking at these
things, i.e. xrays, gamma rays, microwaves, etc to really see the universe
which may in actuality be multiple universes and our human time frame for
looking at globular clusters, galaxies and universes and multiverses, may be
the greatest limitation of all.
It may be that our greatest limitation is being human and the way we
see and perceive the world and our universe is merely an illusion.
Hank Roth
e-mail: [email protected]
Related Content
All quoting per the Fair Use Doctrine
for educational and discussion purposes pursuant to
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, Copyright Law.
AddThis
Permalink: http://inyourface.info/ArT/Sci/Elegance.shtml
Today is Wednesday February 10, 2010
G 0 l e m D e s i g n s
Hank Roth (on the Internet since 1982)
While I don't use a standard blog (weblog software) mostly because I've
been doing this too long - having been there with Ike when the precursor to the
Internet, Arpanet got started and every step of the way since, I can't get into
all the many fads over the years (now it is social networking), but I have been
an observer and participant in events which shape the world since my time with
NSA and with Army Security and as a voice security cryptologist in the White
House for the President, and the War Room at the Pentagon for the Chairman of
the Chiefs of Staff plus two wars. You could say this site is one of the better
kept secrets [grin] on the InterNUT. You are invited back as often as you would
like to see what I and others, I trust, may be saying.
-- Hank Roth
[viewed 18 times]
--f07HFIvsq04l4B8H8ISVr1b9Clc9DWb3zHtBuOZ
Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body style="background-color: #fff;">
<span style="display:none"> </span>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStartT|**|-~-->
<div id="ygrp-mlmsg" style="position:relative;">
<div id="ygrp-msg" style="z-index: 1;">
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEndT|**|-~-->
<div id="ygrp-text" >
<p><br>
Permalink: <a href="http://inyourface.info/ArT/Sci/Elegance.shtml">http://inyourface.<wbr>info/ArT/<wbr>Sci/Elegance.<wbr>shtml</a><br>
<br>
H O M E - C R Y P T - B I O<br>
Quantum Gravity, Parallel Universes,<br>
Three Dimensional Sinkholes,<br>
Curved Space-time and Black Holes<br>
Science (physics) is not intuitive<br>
and common-sense assumptions no longer work.<br>
The Theoretical Elegance and Beauty of Supersymmetry<br>
<br>
There are according to the theory of supersymmety MANY kinds of matter which <br>
cannot be seen but they exist and these particles are called superpartners. <br>
None have ever been seen in spite of all of the efforts which have been <br>
attempted by particle physicists to detect them. If the When the Large Hadron <br>
Collider at Cern finally works there is the hope that they will be discovered. <br>
Even though hidden now, never-the-less, many physicists are passionate about <br>
the existence of supersymmetry and superpartners.<br>
<br>
LHC, the Large Hadron Collider is enormous; it is 27 kilometers (17 miles) in <br>
circumference and contains 10,000 ultra-powerful large magnets to repeal <br>
particles to speeds approaching the speed of light - which is the cosmic speed <br>
limit - in a tunnel beneath Switzerland and France where it is situated.<br>
<br>
When beams of protons smash into each other there eventually (it has not yet <br>
been turned up to full power) will be so much energy compressed into a tiny <br>
space that formerly unknown matter will be created, if only momentarily - like <br>
it was at the time of origin of the cosmos. It most assuredly will also result <br>
in micro-black holes very much like the primordial black holes created during <br>
the Big Bang.<br>
<br>
Will superpartner particles appear as new supersymmetry particles and <br>
annihilate other matter in the universe? Will these black holes suck us all <br>
into them? Will the Earth cease to exist? What effect will the LHC have on the <br>
fabric of the universe; the one we live in?<br>
<br>
In his famous general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein turned physics on <br>
its head. He showed that Science (physics) is not intuitive and common-sense <br>
assumptions no longer work. He demonstrated that the concept of space and the <br>
concept of time are one and the same. Relative to an observer space stretches <br>
and time moves slower as it approaches the speed of light. He established that <br>
nothing can exceed the speed of light, which is 670 million miles per hour <br>
(186,000 miles sec). And a decade on in his Theory of General Relativity he <br>
further described gravity as the warping of space-time and the existence of <br>
black holes.<br>
<br>
We know now that there are fewer atoms in the universe and we don't know much <br>
about dark matter and dark energy and cannot detect them directly, but they <br>
have noticeable effects on energy and matter.<br>
<br>
Whether or not we can identify everything in the universe, what we know for <br>
certain is, it is not nothingness. The universe has something in it. It also <br>
contains a lot of dust and we're also depositing a lot of space junk in space.<br>
A Multiverse of Universes<br>
<br>
We live in a multidimensional universe - perhaps a multiverse of universes.<br>
<br>
"Like quarks or dark matter and dark energy, whose existence we only <br>
indirectly ascertain, extra dimensions will not appear to us directly. <br>
Nonetheless, signatures of extra dimensions, even when indirect, could <br>
ultimately reveal their existence." (Warped Passages, Unraveling the Mysteries <br>
of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions - Lisa Randall - Harper 2006)<br>
<br>
Time also has no absolute meaning except as a measure of change. In space there <br>
is no time. Time is only relative to the observer. We age, therefore we are <br>
aware of our chronology because it is relative to how we change.<br>
<br>
If there is no air resistance we are not aware of falling. We think we are <br>
flying but when we are orbiting the earth we are not aware of our falling <br>
around the earth, which is exactly what we are doing. However, falling is not <br>
an observable phenomena.<br>
<br>
"Neither space nor time has any existence outside the system of evolving <br>
relationships that comprises the universe..." (Three Roads to Quantum Gravity, <br>
Lee Smolin)<br>
<br>
We cannot see the entire universe. We can only see it from our local area where <br>
we are and that region which extends around us is approximately 14 billion <br>
light years - and pursuant to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, we know also <br>
that nothing can move faster than the speed of light.<br>
<br>
"At this very moment, our galaxy is hurtling toward the Virgo cluster of <br>
galaxies at a couple of hundred kilometers a second, faster literally than a <br>
speeding bullet. Virgo is pulling us into its gravitational field. At the same <br>
time, our galaxy continues to rotate sedately: The invisible hand of gravity <br>
ties together the 100 billion stars that make up the galaxy..." (Einstein's <br>
Universe, Gravity At Work and Play, by A. Zee - Oxford U Press - 2001)<br>
<br>
Space and time is integrated into space-time, based on Einstein's theory of <br>
general relativity; Space and time are geometrically integrated into a <br>
space-time fabric warped, distorted and curved by matter and energy.<br>
SPACE-TIME<br>
<br>
You can get to the moon in TWO seconds. That is how long it takes light to <br>
travel the distance. What we are seeing on the moon actually happened two <br>
seconds ago.<br>
<br>
What is amazing is how much we know and how short a time we have known it and <br>
for that matter how much we do not know. We are also insignificant in the <br>
overall scheme of things. A tiny speck of life with a unique perception that we <br>
exist and our larger brains motivate us to sustain ourselves long enough so <br>
life doesn't become extinquished before we can pass on our own historic <br>
blueprint of life.<br>
<br>
Space-time is a relative movement which seems normal but relies on a <br>
self-centered, anthropomorphic perception and while life is perception, it is <br>
not reality.<br>
We Are Space Dust<br>
<br>
How do so many become so brainwashed that they can be so anti-science, so <br>
anti-humanist and so many can believe in miracles and the supernatural?<br>
<br>
We are a mere speck - space dust. Our sun is among hundreds of billions of <br>
stars in an island universe which is perhaps one of billions of universes, and <br>
galaxies; ours is called the Milky Way - about 3/5th of the way from the black <br>
hole in the center of the galaxy and we inhabit and in our little space, in our <br>
little corner of one universe we will stay lost. It is unlikely we will suvive <br>
long enough to ever meet other life like us, except for some of the millions of <br>
other species which also inhabit this planet.<br>
<br>
Natural selection is indifferent to morality unless those who are more moral <br>
outproduce those who are not. Morality, however remains a human construction so <br>
it takes on whatever meaning we assign to it. It may be that memes for "belief <br>
in God" does have an effect on reproduction and those who believe outproduce <br>
those who do not.<br>
<br>
The ability to think is also the capacity to lie because the benefit accruing <br>
from lies could result in a benefit to reproduction, including survivability <br>
which is inherent component up to reproductive maturity and perhaps exceeding <br>
reproductive maturity if there is a benefit to survival of related genes.<br>
<br>
Civilization is drunk on itself. We like our comforts and we like our toys. We <br>
are more interested in meat than in how we kill to obtain it. We want our <br>
fossil carbon in spite of safer energy sources because it is cheap(er) and <br>
there are profits to be made by oil cartels and money dictates policy, not what <br>
is ethical or right.<br>
<br>
"We are in our present mess through our intelligence and inventiveness. It <br>
could have started as long as 100,000 years ago, when we first set fire to <br>
forests as a lazy way of hunting. We had ceased to be just another animal and <br>
begun the demolition of the Earth... (James Lovelock, The Revenge of Gaia - <br>
2006)<br>
<br>
6,000,000,000 Hungry and Greedy Humans<br>
Aspiring to a First World lifestyle at any cost<br>
<br>
Seven percent of adults in the UK believe in creationism. 45% Americans believe <br>
in creationism. 84% of Americans believe miracles happen. 79% believe the <br>
miracles in the Bible actually happened and 72% believe survivors of accidents <br>
are spared because God intervenes. These figures are from a study done by the <br>
University of California.<br>
<br>
"Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; to lie in cold obstruction and <br>
to rot." (William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure)<br>
<br>
We generally fear death. Not to deny we may reach a point in our lives where <br>
life becomes difficult and we do not cherish it so much. Losing those we love <br>
may leave us feeling empty and more accepting of the thought of death. But <br>
(Margulis and Sagan - What is Life?):<br>
<br>
"If we did not fear death, we might be too quick to kill ourselves when <br>
troubled or inconvenienced and thus perish as a species. Belief in life's <br>
importance may not be a reflection of reality, then, but an evolutionary <br>
reinforced fantasy that prejudices believers to do what is necessary, bear <br>
whatever burdens to survive."<br>
<br>
The Animal Ethics Encyclopedia (<a href="http://www.animalethics.org">http://www.animalet<wbr>hics.org</a>) says about <br>
"sentient beings", "broadly, sentience is the capacity to perceive and feel <br>
things..." Plants are not considered sentient and persons who are comatose are <br>
not considered sentient at that moment. To have sentience one must have the <br>
_capacity_ and feelings to suffer. It generally implies having a brain or <br>
nervous system. Sentience is comparable to consciousness.<br>
<br>
However, ALL living things may not be sentient, but MUST have perception. Put <br>
simply, Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan wrote in What is Life?<br>
<br>
"All living beings, not just animals, but plants and microorganisms, <br>
perceive. To survive, an organic being must perceive--it must seek, or at least <br>
recognize, food and avoid environmental danger."<br>
<br>
"We all inherit a shared perspective bequeathed by our ancestors...<wbr>" <br>
(Margulis and Sagan)<br>
<br>
And, the notion that life has meaning is evolutionary. Our mind is a benefit to <br>
our species enabling successful survival and reproduction. But it is also <br>
predicated on religious myths and philosophical memes that co-opt reason <br>
reinforce the will to live.<br>
<br>
"From a human point of view, it is our somatic selves--embedded in which <br>
are things like mind, personality, love, will--that we cherish most and that <br>
define us, to ourselves and to others. We think of reproduction as only one of <br>
many activities we can choose to engage in. Perhaps this is not surprising, <br>
since it is a point of view arising in the somatic part of ourselves--in our <br>
minds. We have used our minds to invent complex belief systems to explain <br>
death. None of these paint a picture of ourselves as excess baggage; none cast <br>
us simply as tools for transmitting DNA. Yet when we trace the origin of our <br>
death beyond mind and belief, to its true beginnings--<wbr>-the death of individual <br>
cells---we come to a rather harsh and unflattering conclusion: the irrelevance, <br>
in the grander scheme of the universe, of our somatic selves. No wonder belief <br>
so often trumps over reason." (William R. Clark, Sex & The Origins of Death)<br>
<br>
A Falling Person Does Not Know He is Falling<br>
<br>
As an atheist who recognizes the possibility of something beyond my <br>
understanding - though unconvinced it can be anything anywhere like the myths <br>
about GOD and intentionality that one finds inherent in religion I can <br>
never-the-less appreciate the following quote very much:<br>
<br>
"God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is <br>
nowhere. --- from Empedocles, fifth century B.C.<br>
<br>
If I had a choice and the time was now (not over 50 years ago), the new wisdom <br>
would certainly be a strong motivation for me to build my life around <br>
astrobiology. Everything I have had to learn about the cosmos has been an <br>
evolution in the knowledge we all have acquired in just the last few decades.<br>
<br>
I was curious enough 50 years ago to become a Ham operator. Radio was new and <br>
television experimental. I built everything, including my first computer with <br>
resisters and capacitors. There were no transisters or circuit boards then. I <br>
worked for presidents and for the top field officers in the War Room in the <br>
Pentagon because I was informed by the latest "state-of-the-<wbr>art" electronics, <br>
and worked with the engineers who built their crypto and wide-band <br>
communications systems. I was there at the White House when they installed <br>
their FIRST television system. It was delightfully stimulating, but nothing <br>
like what we are doing now. I was there at the White House when Sputnik orbited <br>
around the planet and because of the president ushered in a new age of <br>
technology. My uncle received the first computer, the ENIAC, from the U of <br>
Pennsylvania and I was enthused and amazed when it was demonstrated - enough to <br>
want to have my own computer when nobody knew what to do with them except the <br>
calculations they were doing at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and later in the <br>
Pentagon with their diode multipliers and tubes doing what today is done with <br>
computer chips.<br>
<br>
Science was philosophy before it was science and physics actually began with <br>
gravity. Einstein was my hero at Princeton and he changed the way we thought <br>
about everything - building on Newtonian theory which haunted physics up to his <br>
time. Today it is Quantum physics and strings and membranes which are on the <br>
mind of many scientists and more questions have been raised than answered.<br>
Illusion is Equivalent to, But Not Equal to Reality<br>
Most of the Universe is Composed of Dark Matter<br>
(And, we are not exactly sure what it is.)<br>
<br>
And how much of what we perceive<br>
is actually an illusion and how much of it is real?<br>
How we See the Multiverse<br>
in Space and Time<br>
Gravity Bends Light<br>
Gravity is Curved Space-Time<br>
<br>
Starlight which passes a heavenly body bends just as space and time is warped <br>
by gravity and the words of politicians are most of the time deceptively <br>
skewed.<br>
<br>
Pluto is no longer a planet. We are a flawed species easily fooled. <br>
Iintelligence is the illusion. And, truth and reality is a delusion.<br>
<br>
Gravity curves space and Hominids believe what they want to believe. It seems <br>
as-if we are stationary; just as it seems to a rational person that the land <br>
we're standing on is flat; but the ground isn't flat and we aren't still; we <br>
are swirling around while all the time being pulled towards the center of the <br>
planet. Our size and electromagnetic force keeps us from slipping between atoms <br>
and falling into the abyss.<br>
<br>
"Electromagnetic forces grip atoms to one another building up molecules and <br>
the ... and the electromagnetic force that stops us falling to the centre of <br>
the planet..." (Forces of Nature)<br>
<br>
"Four fundamental forces rule the universe: gravity, the electromagnetic <br>
force and then two that act in and around the atomic nucleus, known as strong <br>
and weak. The latter pair act over distances smaller than atoms and so are less <br>
familiar to our macroscopic senses than are the effects of gravity and magnets. <br>
However, they are critical to our existence, keeping the Sun burning and <br>
providing the essential warmth for life." (Frank Close - ibid)<br>
<br>
In orbit we are falling but we fall around a mass or we may fall into it, just <br>
as it falls into us. Mariners navigate a path on a curved body of water. Their <br>
route is along a curve circle. The universality of gravity is all objects <br>
respond in the same way; they follow the path of least _distance_ in curved <br>
space and time.<br>
<br>
And as you stand on Earth you are pulled by its core as the earth falls toward <br>
the sun. Because the earth has inflationary momentum and all mass in the <br>
universe is stretching it never quite gets to the sun. In billions of years, it <br>
will.<br>
<br>
"At this very moment, our galaxy is hurtling toward the Virgo cluster of <br>
galaxies at a couple of hundred kilometers a second, faster literally than a <br>
speeding bullet. Virgo is pulling us into its gravitational field. At the same <br>
time, our galaxy continues to rotate sedately: The invisible hand of gravity <br>
ties together the 100 billion stars that mke up the galaxy. Our dear old sun <br>
stays within this hurtling swarm of stars only because of its attraction to all <br>
those other stars, just as our earth stays within the solar system because of <br>
its attraction to the sun. On an evewn smaller scale, we say tied to the earth <br>
by gravity, with nary a fear of falling off. On a grander scale, as the <br>
universe tries to expand to even larger size, every bit of matter it contains <br>
is trying to rein the universe in by pulling gravitationally on every other bit <br>
of matter..." (A. Zee, Einstein's Universe: Gravity at Work and Play, Oxford U <br>
Press, 1989)<br>
<br>
Everything you see in the night sky is moving. Planets move around <br>
stars and stars move. Galaxies move. Everything is moving. We understand most <br>
of this movement because of gravity and Einstein.<br>
<br>
"...Galileo Galilei was the first person to collect data on falling <br>
objects (actually balls rolling down a sloped platform). From these data he <br>
produced an equation that showed falling objects travel in parabolas." <br>
(University Lowbrow Astronomers University Lowbrow Astronomers Gravity, Part 2: <br>
Newton, Hooke, Halley and the Three Body Problem. by Dave Snyder in <br>
Reflections: April, 2006)<br>
<br>
But before the telescope philosophers and astronomers were limited to <br>
what they could see with the naked eye. It took giant telescopes to see well <br>
stars, planets, comets, nebulae and it took new ways of looking at these <br>
things, i.e. xrays, gamma rays, microwaves, etc to really see the universe <br>
which may in actuality be multiple universes and our human time frame for <br>
looking at globular clusters, galaxies and universes and multiverses, may be <br>
the greatest limitation of all.<br>
<br>
It may be that our greatest limitation is being human and the way we <br>
see and perceive the world and our universe is merely an illusion.<br>
Hank Roth<br>
e-mail: <a href="mailto:epsilon%40inyourface.info">epsilon@inyourface.<wbr>info</a><br>
<br>
Related Content<br>
<br>
All quoting per the Fair Use Doctrine<br>
for educational and discussion purposes pursuant to<br>
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, Copyright Law.<br>
<br>
AddThis<br>
<br>
Permalink: <a href="http://inyourface.info/ArT/Sci/Elegance.shtml">http://inyourface.<wbr>info/ArT/<wbr>Sci/Elegance.<wbr>shtml</a><br>
<br>
Today is Wednesday February 10, 2010<br>
G 0 l e m D e s i g n s<br>
Hank Roth (on the Internet since 1982)<br>
<br>
While I don't use a standard blog (weblog software) mostly because I've <br>
been doing this too long - having been there with Ike when the precursor to the <br>
Internet, Arpanet got started and every step of the way since, I can't get into <br>
all the many fads over the years (now it is social networking), but I have been <br>
an observer and participant in events which shape the world since my time with <br>
NSA and with Army Security and as a voice security cryptologist in the White <br>
House for the President, and the War Room at the Pentagon for the Chairman of <br>
the Chiefs of Staff plus two wars. You could say this site is one of the better <br>
kept secrets [grin] on the InterNUT. You are invited back as often as you would <br>
like to see what I and others, I trust, may be saying.<br>
-- Hank Roth<br>
[viewed 18 times]<br>
<br>
</p>
</div>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~-->
<div style="color: #fff; height: 0;">__._,_.___</div>
<div id="ygrp-actbar" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 10px; white-space: nowrap; color: #666; padding-top: 15px;">
<div>
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Human Reality is an Illusion ">
Reply to <span style="font-weight: 700;">sender</span></a>
| <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Human Reality is an Illusion ">
Reply to <span style="font-weight: 700;">group</span></a>
</div>
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNEWS-L/message/17512;_ylc=X3oDMTM3ODk5ODczBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5NDc5MjAwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA4MzQ0OARtc2dJZAMxNzUxMgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyNjU4Mzc4MTEEdHBjSWQDMTc1MTI-">Messages in this topic</a>
(<span style="font-weight: 700;">1</span>)
</div>
<!------- Start Nav Bar ------>
<!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<div id="ygrp-vital" style="background-color: #e0ecee; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 10px;">
<span id="vithd" style="font-weight: bold; color: #333; text-transform: uppercase; ">Recent Activity:</span>
<ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; display: inline;">
<li style="border-right: 1px solid #000; font-weight: 700; display: inline; padding: 0 5px; margin-left: 0;">
<span class="cat"><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNEWS-L/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJnY29jbXZzBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5NDc5MjAwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA4MzQ0OARzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2bWJycwRzdGltZQMxMjY1ODM3ODEx?o=6" style="text-decoration: none;">New Members</a></span>
<span class="ct" style="color: #ff7900;">2</span>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="clear: both; padding-top: 2px; color: #1e66ae;">
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNEWS-L;_ylc=X3oDMTJma3JzcDd1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5NDc5MjAwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA4MzQ0OARzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzEyNjU4Mzc4MTE-" style="border-right: 1px solid #000; padding-right: 5px; margin-right: 2px; text-decoration: none;">Visit Your Group</a>
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNEWS-L/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmYTdvMmFnBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5NDc5MjAwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA4MzQ0OARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyNjU4Mzc4MTE-" style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Start a New Topic</a>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ygrp-grfd" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; padding: 15px 0;">
<!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
POINTERS - News/Views <BR>
<BR>
<!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
</div>
<div id="ft" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; padding: 0 2px 0 0; clear: both;">
<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJlcmo4a25tBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzE5NDc5MjAwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA4MzQ0OARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTI2NTgzNzgxMQ--" style="float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/yg/logo/us.gif" height="15" width="137" alt="Yahoo! Groups" style="border: 0;"/></a>
<div style="color: #747575; float: right;">Switch to: <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Change Delivery Format: Traditional" style="text-decoration: none;">Text-Only</a>, <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Email Delivery: Digest" class="margin-rt" style="text-decoration: none;">Daily Digest</a> • <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Unsubscribe" style="text-decoration: none;">Unsubscribe</a> • <a href="http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/" style="text-decoration: none;">Terms of Use</a></div>
</div>
<!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
</div> <!-- ygrp-msg -->
<!-- Sponsor -->
<!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| -->
<div id="ygrp-sponsor" style="width:160px; float:right; clear:none; margin:0 0 25px 0; background: #fff;">
<!-- Start Recommendations -->
<div id="ygrp-reco">
</div>
<!-- End Recommendations -->
</div> <!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| -->
<div style="clear:both; color: #FFF; font-size:1px;">.</div>
</div>
<img src="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=19479200/grpspId=1705083448/msgId=17512/stime=1265837811/nc1=3848640/nc2=5733765/nc3=5922761" width="1" height="1"> <br>
<div style="color: #fff; height: 0;">__,_._,___</div>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEnd|**|-~-->
</body>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStart|**|-~-->
<head>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
#ygrp-mkp {
border: 1px solid #d8d8d8;
font-family: Arial;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 0 10px;
}
#ygrp-mkp hr {
border: 1px solid #d8d8d8;
}
#ygrp-mkp #hd {
color: #628c2a;
font-size: 85%;
font-weight: 700;
line-height: 122%;
margin: 10px 0;
}
#ygrp-mkp #ads {
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad {
padding: 0 0;
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad a {
color: #0000ff;
text-decoration: none;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc {
font-family: Arial;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc #hd {
margin: 10px 0px;
font-weight: 700;
font-size: 78%;
line-height: 122%;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc .ad {
margin-bottom: 10px;
padding: 0 0;
}
a {
color: #1e66ae;
}
#actions {
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 11px;
padding: 10px 0;
}
#activity {
background-color: #e0ecee;
float: left;
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 10px;
padding: 10px;
}
#activity span {
font-weight: 700;
}
#activity span:first-child {
text-transform: uppercase;
}
#activity span a {
color: #5085b6;
text-decoration: none;
}
#activity span span {
color: #ff7900;
}
#activity span .underline {
text-decoration: underline;
}
.attach {
clear: both;
display: table;
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 12px;
padding: 10px 0;
width: 400px;
}
.attach div a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.attach img {
border: none;
padding-right: 5px;
}
.attach label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
.attach label a {
text-decoration: none;
}
blockquote {
margin: 0 0 0 4px;
}
.bold {
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 13px;
font-weight: 700;
}
.bold a {
text-decoration: none;
}
dd.last p a {
font-family: Verdana;
font-weight: 700;
}
dd.last p span {
margin-right: 10px;
font-family: Verdana;
font-weight: 700;
}
dd.last p span.yshortcuts {
margin-right: 0;
}
div.attach-table div div a {
text-decoration: none;
}
div.attach-table {
width: 400px;
}
div.file-title a, div.file-title a:active, div.file-title a:hover, div.file-title a:visited {
text-decoration: none;
}
div.photo-title a, div.photo-title a:active, div.photo-title a:hover, div.photo-title a:visited {
text-decoration: none;
}
div#ygrp-mlmsg #ygrp-msg p a span.yshortcuts {
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 10px;
font-weight: normal;
}
.green {
color: #628c2a;
}
.MsoNormal {
margin: 0 0 0 0;
}
o {
font-size: 0;
}
#photos div {
float: left;
width: 72px;
}
#photos div div {
border: 1px solid #666666;
height: 62px;
overflow: hidden;
width: 62px;
}
#photos div label {
color: #666666;
font-size: 10px;
overflow: hidden;
text-align: center;
white-space: nowrap;
width: 64px;
}
#reco-category {
font-size: 77%;
}
#reco-desc {
font-size: 77%;
}
.replbq {
margin: 4px;
}
#ygrp-actbar div a:first-child {
/* border-right: 0px solid #000;*/
margin-right: 2px;
padding-right: 5px;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg {
font-size: 13px;
font-family: Arial, helvetica,clean, sans-serif;
*font-size: small;
*font: x-small;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg table {
font-size: inherit;
font: 100%;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg select, input, textarea {
font: 99% Arial, Helvetica, clean, sans-serif;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg pre, code {
font:115% monospace;
*font-size:100%;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg * {
line-height: 1.22em;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg #logo {
padding-bottom: 10px;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg a {
color: #1E66AE;
}
#ygrp-msg p a {
font-family: Verdana;
}
#ygrp-msg p#attach-count span {
color: #1E66AE;
font-weight: 700;
}
#ygrp-reco #reco-head {
color: #ff7900;
font-weight: 700;
}
#ygrp-reco {
margin-bottom: 20px;
padding: 0px;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov li a {
font-size: 130%;
text-decoration: none;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov li {
font-size: 77%;
list-style-type: square;
padding: 6px 0;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov ul {
margin: 0;
padding: 0 0 0 8px;
}
#ygrp-text {
font-family: Georgia;
}
#ygrp-text p {
margin: 0 0 1em 0;
}
#ygrp-text tt {
font-size: 120%;
}
#ygrp-vital ul li:last-child {
border-right: none !important;
}
-->
</style>
</head>
<!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlEnd|**|-~-->
</html>
<!-- end group email -->
--f07HFIvsq04l4B8H8ISVr1b9Clc9DWb3zHtBuOZ--