The current state of science, economics, and business, has removed man from his pedestal. An average person feels helpless confronted by these giant impersonal forces.
Science has had a bit of a negative role here. You see, a man of science thinks how small he is in comparison to the universe. We both know how utterly insignificant in power even the earth is, compared to the cosmos. Let alone puny man. So the man of science can feel almost no self worth, because his reason says that he is no one. Right?
However, is it not true that the universe gets it’s meaning only from us? (Let us assume for a moment, that there are no other life forms in the universe. If there are, great. But worst case scenario, we are alone). There is a supermassive black hole in the centre of our galaxy. But what does IT care? It doesn’t care whether it lives or dies. For all it’s strength, it has no self worth, doesn’t know how big it is, and couldn’t care less if it dies. Neither does it care whether it’s important or not.
In all the universe, WE, are the only things that care about what happens. If Neptune and Uranus collide, neither planet will give a shit. But if a measly asteroid crashes into us, we will most certainly care. In my logic, this makes us special. Rather, it makes all life special. Concepts like big and small exist ONLY because of us. Beauty exists ONLY because of us. Concepts like eternity, strength, and power, exist only because of us. In other words, we are the source. I feel that we (Life), are the most important things in the universe, because it is we who give meaning to the word Importance. Without us, nothing would be important, simply because there would be no one to care about anything anymore, and issues like power to destroy would become totally irrelevant.
A couple of other things. If you say that the importance we give to other things is only in our minds, then that is true. But you will not find such an idea anywhere else in the whole wide universe. If nothing else, we are special because of our rarity. But that is not the point? I’m saying that the CONCEPT of importance, is created by us. Without us, NOTHING is important! Because the concept of importance, includes us as a vital component, as being on the scale of importance somewhere.
Another thing. How do we define importance? I can think of several ways. Power to destroy, power to create, Will, Rarity…..Size.
If we take the crudest definition, namely size, then indeed, we are extremely unimportant. But the greatest things hinge on the smallest. The universe rests on it’s fundamental particles, and their interactions. If these are not important, then the universe would not exist today.
If we define importance by the effect the object can have on others, there are two ways of dealing with this. One, a huge supermassive blackhole is infinitely larger than us, and we are insignificant, but it can’t harm us without us knowing about it a long way off. So it has tremendous power, but no power to use that power, even if it wanted to, which it doesn’t. It’s dead. No will.
Second, this is the might is right syndrome. If I’m bigger than you, then I’m more important. Certainly, we are unimportant by this definition. But this is a child’s definition. What is the basis?
I can define importance by how rare something is. By this definition, life is crucially important.
However, all these beg the question. The very CONCEPT of importance is derived from us (Life). Being the source of the concept, makes us crucial to the concept. By this definition alone, we have a right to feel special.
Finally, even if we concede the notion, that we are not important, we are important to US. I don’t care if all the galaxies in the universe haven’t heard of earth. I know what earth is, and I LOVE it. That should be enough. It is special for ME.
We give meaning to the universe. We are the only ones who CARE. I love the stars and appreciate their beauty. I would care is something happened to them. The universe couldn’t care less. Without us, the universe is just a huge waste of space.
Someone may say, that after all, life is “Just a collection of particles obeying laws of nature. Our thoughts, ideas etc are just states of particles interacting in a system. Giving birth, doing all the amazing things we do are just particles interacting with each other.” – to quote my brother.
He is right of course. I can’t deny it. But it’s like Spinoza said, there are different attributes of each object. Of course, Spinoza wrote in Latin, so when he said attribute, he really meant perspective.
Let’s see. Suppose someone feels pain. You no doubt, would say that pain is nothing more than a series of electrical impulses interpreted in a certain way, by a certain part of the brain, and nothing more. Furthermore, you would be correct. However, try telling this to someone who is suffering from Gout in the extreme, and you’ll be lucky to escape unhurt from that room!
You see, there is a principle with which you must either agree, or disagree. “It is this: The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.”
Pain is nothing but a series of electrical impulses. But it not JUST a series of electrical impulses. The specific character, and order of those electrical impulses, makes it something more than that. To put it another way, the energy that has been used to arrange those impulses in that special way (Since energy is always required to bring about any arrangement, given the second law of thermodynamics), has made it more than just the sum of it’s parts.
Look at music. No doubt you would say, that a flute concerto by Mozart is just a (Possible infinite) series of Fourier waves imposed upon one another. However, it is more that JUST that. Of course, our computers are pathetic when it comes to recognizing music, but even if there were a computer posessing the algorithms, and hardware to identify various pieces of music, it would not FEEL the music. For the computer, music is JUST a series of fourier waves. But and I know better. Scrape a violin randomly, and even THAT is a series of Fourier waves. But even the half wit, can tell that the Mozart’s flute concerto is more than that, even though a computer would classify them as the same thing. You cannot deny the existence of music, since you listen to it. But you cannot describe the concept to a computer in physical terms. (By the way, I can extend the same theory for color, or taste, or touch, or painting).
Our bodies are like the strings on a guitar, and our consciousness is like the music. The music of the guitar is caused because of the strings, and will die when the strings stop vibrating. The music arises OUT of the strings. Similarly our consciosness arises out of the workings of our brain. Dependent on it, but somehow abstracted. An epiphenomenon.
To my mind, my music theory comes closest to describing why human life is special. Break down the human body and brain into as many component parts as you wish, and you well know, that that is not the whole story.
Descartes statement, I think therefore I am, has even less validity, than the statement “I feel, therefore I am”. For you cannot deny that pain exists. Not as a series of electrical impulses, but as pain. So who feels the pain? Is it the body? How can the body feel pain? The body is just a bunch of dead chemicals. So who FEELS the pain? Answer: YOU do. And who the hell are you? We’ve already demonstrated that you are not the body. For the the physical body is just chemicals. And chemicals do not feel. So who are YOU?
Mind you, I dont’ believe in a soul. I’m not saying that anything lives on after we die. Just like music ends after the instrument is broken, I believer our consciousness ends. I’m just saying, that we are more that just our component parts. I can program a robotic dog to react to damaging stimulus. To cry out, and to simulate fear. But it does not FEEL pain, or fear. The feeling cannot be felt by physical things. For that we need consciousness.
In fact, here’s a thought. We are part of the universe as well aren’t we? It’s almost as if the universe has created a way to observe itself! A lovely idea. And that’s another thing that a computer would not understand.