mike1414
16th July 2010, 08:04
is the universe conscious?!....does it have a sense of humour?!
the playful universe?
Brief Encounters (1): Changing Horses in Midstream
One October evening in 1954, M. Labassiere and his wife were driving home to Royan along Route N150 when they saw a pair of flying saucers - one orange, the other red - land in a field by the roadside.
A dwarf emerged from each craft, walked quickly across the intervening space without acknowledging its double, then boarded the other saucer. Both craft then took off at a "dizzy" pace and were lost to sight within seconds.
As a nuts-and-bolts alien landing, the incident seems nonsensical. But as a visual gag, it is priceless.
Perhaps that was the whole point?
Consciousness: The Invisible Machine
What is consciousness? What produces it? Do animals have it? Do plants? Does the entire universe? Does consciousness necessarily imply self-awareness? And if so, how can we determine whether or not another consciousness is truly self aware?
Conventional wisdom tells us that consciousness is produced by the brain, that animals are driven by instinct rather by rational thought, and that only living beings possess consciousness.
Yet when we look deeper into the matter, things become less clear-cut. An individual brain cell, though alive, can hardly be considered conscious. Yet between them, millions of brain cells somehow produce the phenomena we call consciousness.
Looking at things on an even smaller scale, each brain cell itself is merely a mass of hollow atoms; within which electrons and protons orbit. An individual atom can hardly be self-aware. Nor can it be said to be alive. And yet, en masse, the billions of atoms that form the organic matter of the brain somehow generate a coherent sense of self.
Just as interior of the atom consists mainly of empty space, so too does the greater universe that surrounds us. Could the scattered stars, planets, and comets which comprise the finite physical matter of our infinite universe be considered the equivalent of the atoms within our own brain cells: individually no more than lumps of unconscious matter, yet collectively generating a vast consciousness between them?
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/images/h_consciousness.jpg
Would such a consciousness be self-aware? Would it be aware of us? And if so, how would we know?
Brief Encounters (2): The Flying Railway Carriage
One hot summer night in 1977, retired Yorkshireman Cyril Picknett saw a particularly unusual UFO as he stood at his garden gate enjoying a quiet smoke. An "old fashioned railway coach - Victorian, or Edwardian," sailed over his head "in a giant arch so low I could see the people inside".
"There was a man in a tall hat reading a newspaper and a woman in a bonnet smiling at me," he recalled. "It was the strangest - and most wonderful - thing I'd ever seen in my life."
Self Awareness and The Games Rats Play
https://www.butchershookgallery.com/gallery/prodimages/love-rat.jpg
How self-aware are animals? Are they capable of abstract thought? Could they be aware of themselves as 'personalities'?
Young rats begin to play-fight at around 18 days old. Because we are so accustomed to seeing it, we forget that social play is actually a highly sophisticated activity.
When a rat gives it's playmate a friendly bite, both the biter and the bitten need to understand that the bite is not a 'real' bite. It is merely a symbolic bite. The real purpose of the bite (playful affection) is the opposite of a bite's usual meaning (hostile aggression).
Mock fighting is by far the most common form of play among both young animals and young humans. It can often be misunderstood and deteriorate into very real aggression. A pair of play-fighting rodents may get over-excited and inflict real injury on one another. A children's game of Cowboys and Indians may turn into a very real and bloody fight, with tears and recriminations all round.
With inter-species play, the opportunities for misunderstanding are even greater. A puppy may be baffled when its owner first throws a stick for it to fetch. A young rat may shrink in terror from being petted by its new owner. In both cases, the misunderstanding is on the part of the less sophisticated playmate.
Similarly, if a consciousness far more advanced than ourselves were trying to play with us, might we not misinterpret its friendly overtures as being aggressive or simply incomprehensible?
Brief Encounters (3): The Tiny Invaders
One hot August night in 1965, a Seattle woman woke to see a football-sized sphere floating in through her bedroom window. She was suddenly paralysed, and could only watch in amazement as a ramp unfolded from the sphere and six tiny men in tight-fitting uniforms marched down it.
The little Ufonauts carried out some repairs to their craft, then climbed back aboard and flew out through the window. As soon as they were gone, her paralysis wore off.
The God who plays Dice
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Cw9kkrVf0oQ/RhYS2mS_4EI/AAAAAAAAAWc/hzeMRtwjk14/s320/God+playing+dice+grey+bg+size226.JPG
"God does not play dice with the Universe," declared Einstein - apparently determined to reduce the sum total of existence to no more than a tidy set of mathematical equations. Presumably the distinguished physicist would have balked at the idea of God playing any kind of game with the Universe.
The concept of a playful God is also an anathema to the world's major religions (except perhaps Buddhism). We expect the Gods to communicate with us through miracles and stern moral revelations, not through jokes or tricks. We expect them to patiently explain the meaning of life to us, and to show us the right way to conduct ourselves. But is this realistic?
"You're more advanced than a cockroach," a paranormal investigator in the film The Mothman Prophecies tells the hero. "But have you ever tried to explain yourself to one?"
For that matter, have you ever tried to explain yourself to your dog? He has considerably more in common with you than does a cockroach, yet he is equally incapable of engaging you in philosophical discussion or of grasping the complexities of your everyday life. Nevertheless, you still enjoy a rewarding relationship with him. You take him for walks and chase him around the park. You throw balls for him to fetch. You wrestle with him.
In other words, you communicate with him through play.
Might this be how a higher form of consciousness - a god, if you like - would interact with us?
Brief Encounters (4): The Smugglers
Just before dawn on Feb 8, 1954, Malibu resident John Fante was woken by the sound of motors. Stepping outside, he discovered the nearby beach to be a hive of feverish activity.
A glowing blue sphere was perched on the cliff top, and a ship was moored just offshore. Between the two was suspended a transparent tunnel, though which a multitude of "grotesque creatures" were scurrying back and forth carrying silver canisters from the ship into the sphere.
Once they had finished loading their cargo, the creatures disappeared inside the sphere, which rose into the air with a mighty roar. The ship promptly upped anchor and headed back out to sea.
Fante noticed that one of the canisters had been left behind at the landing site. He eagerly broke it open, and discovered two pounds of coffee inside.
Space Invaders
Suppose that a highly advanced consciousness wished to establish a relationship with us. Suppose it decided to make overtures through some form of play. What kind of games might it play with us?
As we saw earlier, the most common types of games are those involving mock-aggression. Perhaps it might occur to such an entity to stage a mock invasion of the Earth for our entertainment.
Yet mock aggression can all too easily be mistaken for genuine hostility. To make it clear that it was only playing, the entity would surely ensure that its mock invasion was so ridiculous that we couldn't possibly mistake it for the real thing. So, we would be invaded by flying trains, by comically tiny aliens, by grotesque coffee smugglers, and by Ufonauts with a penchant for vaudevillian sight gags.
Unfortunately, no-one seems to have got the joke. Like a puppy frightened by his new squeaky toy, we react to the otherworldly comedian in our midst with terror rather than applause.
Perhaps rather than panic over the antics of B-Movie style space invaders, we should instead simply sit back and enjoy the show.
http://www.crusha.com/gifs/audienceApplauseBnW.gif
keep smiling :)
peace always
mike
the playful universe?
Brief Encounters (1): Changing Horses in Midstream
One October evening in 1954, M. Labassiere and his wife were driving home to Royan along Route N150 when they saw a pair of flying saucers - one orange, the other red - land in a field by the roadside.
A dwarf emerged from each craft, walked quickly across the intervening space without acknowledging its double, then boarded the other saucer. Both craft then took off at a "dizzy" pace and were lost to sight within seconds.
As a nuts-and-bolts alien landing, the incident seems nonsensical. But as a visual gag, it is priceless.
Perhaps that was the whole point?
Consciousness: The Invisible Machine
What is consciousness? What produces it? Do animals have it? Do plants? Does the entire universe? Does consciousness necessarily imply self-awareness? And if so, how can we determine whether or not another consciousness is truly self aware?
Conventional wisdom tells us that consciousness is produced by the brain, that animals are driven by instinct rather by rational thought, and that only living beings possess consciousness.
Yet when we look deeper into the matter, things become less clear-cut. An individual brain cell, though alive, can hardly be considered conscious. Yet between them, millions of brain cells somehow produce the phenomena we call consciousness.
Looking at things on an even smaller scale, each brain cell itself is merely a mass of hollow atoms; within which electrons and protons orbit. An individual atom can hardly be self-aware. Nor can it be said to be alive. And yet, en masse, the billions of atoms that form the organic matter of the brain somehow generate a coherent sense of self.
Just as interior of the atom consists mainly of empty space, so too does the greater universe that surrounds us. Could the scattered stars, planets, and comets which comprise the finite physical matter of our infinite universe be considered the equivalent of the atoms within our own brain cells: individually no more than lumps of unconscious matter, yet collectively generating a vast consciousness between them?
http://www.mi2g.com/cgi/mi2g/press/images/h_consciousness.jpg
Would such a consciousness be self-aware? Would it be aware of us? And if so, how would we know?
Brief Encounters (2): The Flying Railway Carriage
One hot summer night in 1977, retired Yorkshireman Cyril Picknett saw a particularly unusual UFO as he stood at his garden gate enjoying a quiet smoke. An "old fashioned railway coach - Victorian, or Edwardian," sailed over his head "in a giant arch so low I could see the people inside".
"There was a man in a tall hat reading a newspaper and a woman in a bonnet smiling at me," he recalled. "It was the strangest - and most wonderful - thing I'd ever seen in my life."
Self Awareness and The Games Rats Play
https://www.butchershookgallery.com/gallery/prodimages/love-rat.jpg
How self-aware are animals? Are they capable of abstract thought? Could they be aware of themselves as 'personalities'?
Young rats begin to play-fight at around 18 days old. Because we are so accustomed to seeing it, we forget that social play is actually a highly sophisticated activity.
When a rat gives it's playmate a friendly bite, both the biter and the bitten need to understand that the bite is not a 'real' bite. It is merely a symbolic bite. The real purpose of the bite (playful affection) is the opposite of a bite's usual meaning (hostile aggression).
Mock fighting is by far the most common form of play among both young animals and young humans. It can often be misunderstood and deteriorate into very real aggression. A pair of play-fighting rodents may get over-excited and inflict real injury on one another. A children's game of Cowboys and Indians may turn into a very real and bloody fight, with tears and recriminations all round.
With inter-species play, the opportunities for misunderstanding are even greater. A puppy may be baffled when its owner first throws a stick for it to fetch. A young rat may shrink in terror from being petted by its new owner. In both cases, the misunderstanding is on the part of the less sophisticated playmate.
Similarly, if a consciousness far more advanced than ourselves were trying to play with us, might we not misinterpret its friendly overtures as being aggressive or simply incomprehensible?
Brief Encounters (3): The Tiny Invaders
One hot August night in 1965, a Seattle woman woke to see a football-sized sphere floating in through her bedroom window. She was suddenly paralysed, and could only watch in amazement as a ramp unfolded from the sphere and six tiny men in tight-fitting uniforms marched down it.
The little Ufonauts carried out some repairs to their craft, then climbed back aboard and flew out through the window. As soon as they were gone, her paralysis wore off.
The God who plays Dice
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Cw9kkrVf0oQ/RhYS2mS_4EI/AAAAAAAAAWc/hzeMRtwjk14/s320/God+playing+dice+grey+bg+size226.JPG
"God does not play dice with the Universe," declared Einstein - apparently determined to reduce the sum total of existence to no more than a tidy set of mathematical equations. Presumably the distinguished physicist would have balked at the idea of God playing any kind of game with the Universe.
The concept of a playful God is also an anathema to the world's major religions (except perhaps Buddhism). We expect the Gods to communicate with us through miracles and stern moral revelations, not through jokes or tricks. We expect them to patiently explain the meaning of life to us, and to show us the right way to conduct ourselves. But is this realistic?
"You're more advanced than a cockroach," a paranormal investigator in the film The Mothman Prophecies tells the hero. "But have you ever tried to explain yourself to one?"
For that matter, have you ever tried to explain yourself to your dog? He has considerably more in common with you than does a cockroach, yet he is equally incapable of engaging you in philosophical discussion or of grasping the complexities of your everyday life. Nevertheless, you still enjoy a rewarding relationship with him. You take him for walks and chase him around the park. You throw balls for him to fetch. You wrestle with him.
In other words, you communicate with him through play.
Might this be how a higher form of consciousness - a god, if you like - would interact with us?
Brief Encounters (4): The Smugglers
Just before dawn on Feb 8, 1954, Malibu resident John Fante was woken by the sound of motors. Stepping outside, he discovered the nearby beach to be a hive of feverish activity.
A glowing blue sphere was perched on the cliff top, and a ship was moored just offshore. Between the two was suspended a transparent tunnel, though which a multitude of "grotesque creatures" were scurrying back and forth carrying silver canisters from the ship into the sphere.
Once they had finished loading their cargo, the creatures disappeared inside the sphere, which rose into the air with a mighty roar. The ship promptly upped anchor and headed back out to sea.
Fante noticed that one of the canisters had been left behind at the landing site. He eagerly broke it open, and discovered two pounds of coffee inside.
Space Invaders
Suppose that a highly advanced consciousness wished to establish a relationship with us. Suppose it decided to make overtures through some form of play. What kind of games might it play with us?
As we saw earlier, the most common types of games are those involving mock-aggression. Perhaps it might occur to such an entity to stage a mock invasion of the Earth for our entertainment.
Yet mock aggression can all too easily be mistaken for genuine hostility. To make it clear that it was only playing, the entity would surely ensure that its mock invasion was so ridiculous that we couldn't possibly mistake it for the real thing. So, we would be invaded by flying trains, by comically tiny aliens, by grotesque coffee smugglers, and by Ufonauts with a penchant for vaudevillian sight gags.
Unfortunately, no-one seems to have got the joke. Like a puppy frightened by his new squeaky toy, we react to the otherworldly comedian in our midst with terror rather than applause.
Perhaps rather than panic over the antics of B-Movie style space invaders, we should instead simply sit back and enjoy the show.
http://www.crusha.com/gifs/audienceApplauseBnW.gif
keep smiling :)
peace always
mike