Everyone Already Knows
[part 1 of 4]
© David Moorhead — January 2007
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In his entertaining talk presented at TED dot com, legendary physicist David
Deutsch weaves a compelling and complex stance for the study of quantum theory
as zenith for survival of the human species. My delight and much fascination
inspired this essay [part 1 of 4], highlighting a few of his revelations in
a 20-minute talk videoed in Oxford, UK, July 2005. Refer TEDTalks at ted dot
com.
Here are two things everyone already knows. The first has been known for most
of recorded history: Planet Earth and our solar system are uniquely suited to
sustain our creation, our evolution, our present existence, and our future survival.
Spaceship Earth is the dramatic name for that idea, and it can be explained
as: Outside the spaceship, our universe is implacably hostile, while everything
upon which we depend is inside the spaceship. Humans have only one chance with
our spaceship. If we mess it up, we have no where else to go.
Now, the second thing everyone already knows, yet contrary to beliefs recorded
in human history, is human beings are not the hub of existence. A physicist,
Steven Hawking, famously said humans are chemical scum on the surface of a typical
planet that’s in orbit around a typical star (our sun) on the outskirts
of a typical galaxy.
The first of those two ideas infers humans have become well suited to live
on an untypical planet while the second infers a typical planet with unsuitable
humans.
If we regard those ideas as foundations out of which life’s meaningful
choices are made, then we set ourselves up for conflict. And, that doesn’t
prevent either idea from being completely false. But, everyone already knows
that. Go to Universally
Typical Place [part 2].
Our constant curiosity
is key
to watching what’s being created.
~ David Moorhead |