Some questions refer to material in this post, below. Legacy comments from last year included.
1. When was the iconic Pale Blue Dot photo taken, and at whose instigation?
2. The pbd gives no hint of what?
3. What does Sagan say the pbd underscores?
4. What poet (noted in an epigraph below) said "the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time"?
5. What will be the anniversary significance of July 20, 2019 for today's topic?
6. What was on the Pioneer plaque?
7. What recorded aural object of wide cultural interest is now traveling beyond our solar system, aboard Voyager?
8. According to Neil deGrasse Tyson, what forms of kinship are clarified and embraced by the "cosmic perspective"?
9. Why should we keep Voyager in mind, according to Maria Popova?
10. What pace is quickening, in our time (said Carl Sagan)?
Feel free to suggest your own alternative quiz questions, and to answer classmates' questions...and claim your bases for each.
Discussion Questions:
- "The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me." said Blaise Pascal. Why frightens, rather than intrigues, mystifies, or (say) haunts?
- Do you think Elon Musk's SpaceX, or other entrepreneurial space-farers, will succeed eventually in helping humanity spread out in the solar system (and someday,maybe, beyond)? Should our government be more actively pursuing space exploration? Should it be working cooperatively with other governments? Should there be an American Space Force? Should anyone be seeking to militarize space?
- The first photos of Earth by Apollo astronauts apparently were an afterthought, not part of the mission. Do you think it hadn't occurred to NASA that such an image might be powerful and even transformative, for the consciousness and self-image of humanity? Or is that just not how astrophysical engineers think about things? (See interviews with Frank Borman, for instance...)
- How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?
- "The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?
- Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?
- Do you agree with William James that the "really vital question for us all is, what is this world going to be? What is life eventually going to make of itself?" In light of such questions, is it possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards things like catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, social injustice, etc.?
- What does the Four Quartets epigraph mean to you?
- Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?
- Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
- Is the prospect of space tourism frivolous? Or would humanity become a more peaceable and mutually-caring species if more of us could lay eyes directly on the Pale Blue Dot for ourselves?
- What do you think of Trump's proposed Space Force? Is it a good idea for the U.S. to take the lead in militarizing near-earth space?
- A follow-up from last time: one of us shared the personal philosophy that "God never gives us more than we can handle." But we'd just considered the case of the "Cleveland working-man" mentioned by James in Pragmatism, who took his own life in despair and desperation because he could not support his family. What do you make of the fact that all too many humans buckle under the strain of more than they can handle? Would an all-knowing, perfectly loving god allow it? Is it our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can?
- Please add your discussion questions.
More cosmic philosophy...
Two books encountered at an impressionable age inspired me to pursue my philosophical vocation: The Story of Philosophy by Will & Ariel Durant...
and The Cosmic Connection by Carl Sagan.
We'll discuss it Tuesday.
On a related theme: here's my This I Believe essay, published on July 20, 2009-the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong's "One small step for (a) man..."
Here's how humanity might greet ETs... Pioneer Plaque... Golden Record... What's on it... music on the GR... What NASA's Golden Record taught me about humanity... Pale Blue Dot,... PBD animated version... The Little Spacecraft that Could (60 Minutes-full ep.)... Why exploring space still matters (Tyson)...
On a related theme: here's my This I Believe essay, published on July 20, 2009-the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong's "One small step for (a) man..."
A Pale Blue Dot
This excerpt from Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot was inspired by an image taken, at Sagan's suggestion, by Voyager 1 on February 14, 1990. As the spacecraft left our planetary neighborhood for the fringes of the solar system, engineers turned it around for one last look at its home planet. Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) away, and approximately 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane, when it captured this portrait of our world. Caught in the center of scattered light rays (a result of taking the picture so close to the Sun), Earth appears as a tiny point of light, a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size.
NASA / JPL
THE PALE BLUE DOT OF EARTH
This image of Earth is one of 60 frames taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft on February 14, 1990 from a distance of more than 6 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) and about 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane. In the image the Earth is a mere point of light, a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size. Our planet was caught in the center of one of the scattered light rays resulting from taking the image so close to the Sun. This image is part of Voyager 1's final photographic assignment which captured family portraits of the Sun and planets.Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.-- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
'Space Chronicles': Why Exploring Space Still Matters
After decades of global dominance, America's space shuttle program ended last summer while countries like Russia, China and India continue to advance their programs. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of the new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, says America's space program is at a critical moment. He thinks it's time for America to invest heavily in space exploration and research.
Space Chronicles-Facing the Ultimate Frontier
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
"Space exploration is a force of nature unto itself that no other force in society can rival," Tyson tells NPR's David Greene. "Not only does that get people interested in sciences and all the related fields, [but] it transforms the culture into one that values science and technology, and that's the culture that innovates," Tyson says. "And in the 21st century, innovations in science and technology are the foundations of tomorrow's economy."
He sees this "force of nature" firsthand when he goes to student classrooms. "I could stand in front of eighth-graders and say, 'Who wants to be an aerospace engineer so you can design an airplane 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the one your parents flew?' " Tyson says. "That doesn't usually work. But if I say, 'Who wants to be an aerospace engineer to design the airplane that will navigate the rarefied atmosphere of Mars?' because that's where we're going next, I'm getting the best students in the class. I'm looking for life on Mars? I'm getting the best biologist. I want to study the rocks on Mars? I'm getting the best geologists." (continues-LISTEN)
Startalk - NDT's podcast... Carolyn Porco on Startalk
After decades of global dominance, America's space shuttle program ended last summer while countries like Russia, China and India continue to advance their programs. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of the new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, says America's space program is at a critical moment. He thinks it's time for America to invest heavily in space exploration and research.
Space Chronicles-Facing the Ultimate Frontier
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
"Space exploration is a force of nature unto itself that no other force in society can rival," Tyson tells NPR's David Greene. "Not only does that get people interested in sciences and all the related fields, [but] it transforms the culture into one that values science and technology, and that's the culture that innovates," Tyson says. "And in the 21st century, innovations in science and technology are the foundations of tomorrow's economy."
He sees this "force of nature" firsthand when he goes to student classrooms. "I could stand in front of eighth-graders and say, 'Who wants to be an aerospace engineer so you can design an airplane 20 percent more fuel-efficient than the one your parents flew?' " Tyson says. "That doesn't usually work. But if I say, 'Who wants to be an aerospace engineer to design the airplane that will navigate the rarefied atmosphere of Mars?' because that's where we're going next, I'm getting the best students in the class. I'm looking for life on Mars? I'm getting the best biologist. I want to study the rocks on Mars? I'm getting the best geologists." (continues-LISTEN)
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read by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye
Part of the StarTalk Radio series
What price do we put on knowledge? How does it profit a man if he learns about the universe, but goes to bed hungry? When the economy takes a downturn, should we still go up into space? NASA missions aren't cheap-sending astronauts into low Earth orbit or to the Moon, sending robotic spacecraft to explore the planets, and launching telescopes into space can cost millions or even billions of dollars. Lou Friedman, director of the Planetary Society, argues that even when the dollar is dear, the quest to explore our universe is priceless. Co-host: Bill Nye The Science Guy. Guests: Lou Friedman, executive director of the Planetary Society.
Startalk - NDT's podcast... Carolyn Porco on Startalk
Here's how humanity might greet ETs... Pioneer Plaque... Golden Record... What's on it... music on the GR... What NASA's Golden Record taught me about humanity... Pale Blue Dot,... PBD animated version... The Little Spacecraft that Could (60 Minutes-full ep.)... Why exploring space still matters (Tyson)...
Happy Labor Day!
Also recommended:
- Carl Sagan explains evolution in 8 minutes
- Carl Sagan in a children's book: "Star Stuff"
- Carl Sagan on literacy and democracy
- Carl Sagan on mystery & living with the unknown
- Carl Sagan on the meaning of life
Wonder & cosmic perspective
"Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder." Plato
"It was their wonder, astonishment, that first led men to philosophize and still leads them." Aristotle
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known... We are a way for the cosmos to know itself... it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." Carl Sagan
The cosmic perspective not only embraces our genetic kinship with all life on Earth but also values our chemical kinship with any yet-to-be discovered life in the universe, as well as our atomic kinship with the universe itself. Neil deGrasse Tyson
==
In the cosmic blink of our present existence, as we stand on this increasingly fragmented pixel, it is worth keeping the Voyager in mind as we find our capacity for perspective constricted by the stranglehold of our cultural moment. It is worth questioning what proportion of the news this year, what imperceptible fraction, was devoted to the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded for the landmark detection of gravitational waves— the single most significant astrophysical discovery since Galileo. After centuries of knowing the universe only by sight, only by looking, we can now listen to it and hear echoes of events that took place billions of lightyears away, billions of years ago — events that made the stardust that made us.
I don’t think it is possible to contribute to the present moment in any meaningful way while being wholly engulfed by it. It is only by stepping out of it, by taking a telescopic perspective, that we can then dip back in and do the work which our time asks of us. Maria Popova
Golden record... Golden record goes vinyl...Golden record 2.0... Contact opening... A way of thinking (video interview/transcript)
"Two billion years ago, our ancestors were microbes; a half-billion years ago, fish, a hundred million years ago, something like mice; ten million years ago, arboreal apes; and a million years ago, proto-humans puzzling out the taming of fire. Our evolutionary lineage is marked by mastery of change. In our time, the pace is quickening."Pale Blue Dot
An old post-
Monday, August 29, 2016
What a gorgeous, beckoning crescent moon out here in this morning's pre-dawn.
In CoPhi we're talking walking today, with side-orders of space-faring and belief-sharing.
We'll discuss the first two chapters of Frederic Gros's Philosophy of Walking, and Christopher Orlet's Gymnasiums of the Mind.
We'll also consider these old posts and this one on walking and believing (and the ongoing This I Believe franchise), Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, and Sagan heir Neil de Grasse Tyson's Why exploring space still matters. The common thread? Some of us fervently believe, with Nietzsche, Rousseau, and so many others, that the best ideas first come while walking. Some of us also believe we should expand our range to include more distant turf, over the Terran horizon. I'm a believer.
Given the vast scale of the cosmos, and the fact that we've really only just learned to walk, "we" means future humans. But the horizon just came a lot closer, with the discovery of our sister planet at Proxima Centauri. By present propulsion technology, of course, Proxima Centauri is NOT in such close proximity. It's 80,000 years away. If that Russian billionaire figures out how to boost those iPhone-size probes to a fifth of the speed of light they'll get there in 20 years. This is less about us getting there, than about us getting excited about our great-great...grandchildren getting there, and for that even to be possible we have to get excited about sustaining this planet, here and now. An Exoplanet Too Far
Neil Tyson believes a redoubling of our efforts in space would be the most practical investment we could ever make in our species.
'We need to double NASA's budget because not only is it the grandest epic adventure a human being can undertake, not only would the people who led this adventure be the ones we end up building statues to and naming high schools after and becoming the next generation's Mercury 7 as role models, not only will there be spinoff products from these discoveries, but what's more important than all of those, what's more practical than all of those, is that he will transform the economy into one that will lead the world once again rather than trail the world as we are inevitably going to be doing over the next decade.'"
And it'll give us peripatetics a lot more room to roam.
The cosmic perspective need not lead to resignation and existential despair, of the sort hinted in Bertrand Russell's "A Free Man's Worship" - "For countless ages the hot nebula whirled aimlessly through space..." -and made light of in his "Why I Am Not a Christian" - "Nobody really worries much about what is going to happen millions of years hence..."
We humans have set foot on another world in a place called the Sea of Tranquility, an astonishing achievement for creatures such as we, whose earliest footsteps three and one-half million years old are preserved in the volcanic ash of east Africa. We have walked far.
It all began with one small step. Between now and the end of eternity, we have countless more steps to enjoy. Let's go.
And bring a book. I recommend Five Billion Years of Solitude: the Search for Life Among the Starsby Lee Billings.
==
==
LISTEN: CosmicPhi, recorded 8.31.18 @dawn... And following up class discussion on William James's distraught "Cleveland workingman" who took his own life, Stay - with a powerful quote from Jennifer Michael Hecht's History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It...
LISTEN: Neil deGrasse Tyson ("...we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically. That’s kinda cool!" g'reads)... Carl Sagan (“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” g'reads)... Sagan reads from chapter 1 of Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space... Today's discussion questions...
Marie Hussels H01
ReplyDeleteTo touch on some of William James cosmic philosophy questions, I believe that at our current rate there is a very bleak future for humans on Earth. Unfortunately, science seems to show that at our current rate humans will not be able to call Earth home for very long. With space travel and exploration receiving such little funding and attention I also believe that this may be the end of the era of humanity. At heart, humans always seem to think only of their individual selves and ultimately this will probably be the defeat of a great species.
Life will eventually see itself as something that needs to be cherished and preserved but as our world deteriorates around us most of our species seems blinded to the fact that in order to save ourselves we must see ourselves as a “species with a common face.” Unfortunately, this realization will probably come too late. Humans have always found a way to survive but without proper planning, the cold vacuum of space seems to be our final destination.
Of course there is the opportunity for change but as scientific predictions become more and more bleak, opportunities become smaller and smaller to save a doomed planet.
Maybe our legacy will be carried on by the smaller, more adaptable organisms around us but humans seem oblivious to a sad fate. At the end of the day, humans are not the ones in complete control of our surroundings, but our contributions will prove to have caused an early demise.
Sounds like Interstellar...Nolan called it!
Delete(H02) Very interesting perspective Marie. I would have to agree with you to some extent. The way I see it, we have two options ahead of us that will determine our future and the survival of our species: first, we can ignore our ability to expand into the cosmos and eventually reap the consequences of our current state such as overpopulation, dwindling resources, and perhaps extinction either by nature or our own hands. Second, we embrace new philosophies, such as the proposed "species with a common fate" ideology, and come to help one another inherit our place among the stars. That is my take on the possibilities that lie before us. For it will be our generation or that of our children that will determine the next stage of humanity.
DeleteRaymond Curry Section 11
DeleteI think I somewhat disagree with your pessimistic conclusions Maria. The worlds politics at the present time is dim but we are very technological species. The only major hurdle we have to overcome is global warming. If we can come up with a solution to that, I think our future is limitless.
A thoughtful and sober comment, Marie. Your comment about humans thinking "only of their individual selves" really stuck out to me. This appears to be a statement about who we are in our very nature: selfish, inconsiderate, short-sighted. Is there no way to overcome such a dangerous limitation? Might philosophy help us? There are many examples of the harmful individualism you describe, and also many examples of humans acting selflessly. Do you think we can be better than perhaps what our nature predisposes us to be?
ReplyDeleteI am sure there are some individuals who rise above their nature as humans but for the vast majority of our species I believe it is much harder to rise above our nature and see outside ourselves. I tend to see humans as fish in a fish bowl, sometimes a few of us jump out and go on to see a bigger picture but most of us just meander in our little bowl for the rest of our existence.
DeleteWhat our survival seems to require is a shift of consciousness towards a recognition that "we are one species," that to an extraterrestrial the differences of identity, history, and geography that so divide us would appear trivial and ridiculous. He called that view genuine "cosmopolitanism," an understanding of ourselves, all of us, as citizens of the cosmos. That's one thing a discovery of ETs might conceivably accomplish. Check out the film based on Sagan's book "Contact"...
ReplyDeleteI do believe in the inevitable discovery of ETs but I know that in our current state of existence humans are not ready for that discovery. I think the state of humans right now is very poor in terms of unity. If ETs were to come and make contact with us we would most definitely be crushed under the hands of a stronger civilization with malicious intentions.
DeleteH01
ReplyDelete("The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?)
Truthfully, when I think about home, I've never really thought of the Earth. While it is nauseating, the phrase "home is where the heart is" doesn't necessarily make me think of Earth. It makes me think of here at MTSU with all of my friends and where I've built a life for myself, or I think of my hometown back in Georgia where all of my family is. So, after saying all of this, I guess I have to say that when it comes to calling something "home," I don't consider that to be the Earth or the cosmos.
But now that you think about it, and the fact that MTSU and all your family and friends and EVERY life we know of that's ever been lived is/was on Earth... isn't Earth home? And since planets don't exist in suspended animation in a vacuum any more than people do, isn't the cosmos home too?
DeleteI understand this perspective. I think many people are in similar situations- Earth is not a concept we grasp tangibly, so it is hard to think of it as "home".
Delete"Earth is not a concept we grasp tangibly"... Really? With every step and every breath, I think I understand "earth" as tangibly as I understand anything.
DeleteAs humans are creatures of comfort, I believe most of the population to classify "home" as a place of comfort. Not just a space that we inhabit. As this is my first week living away from the town I grew up in, I do not think of this place as my home. Maybe growing my head space to grasp the whole planet as being my home or the cosmos as being my home will help me to settle into Murfreesboro quicker and create a sense of attachment to it like I do Johnson City; however, at this present moment I am not comfortable living in this new place even though it presides on the same planet that I have lived on my whole life. My human characteristic of yearning for comfort is a roadblock to pronouncing the Earth as home.
DeleteWhen I think of home, I think of the trillions of atoms that make up my body and the neurons in my brain. My cosmos is my house, so to speak, and the cosmos in which we share space is our neighborhood. So, fellow neighbors, are we to band together to save our hood or are we gonna let those other guys come and mess stuff up? (Those other guys are us as well). H2
DeleteH01
ReplyDelete(Do you agree with William James that the "really vital question for us all is, what is this world going to be? What is life eventually going to make of itself?" In light of such questions, is it possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards things like catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, social injustice, etc.?)
You know, when it comes to what I think about what this world is going to become, I mainly only focus on the social aspects of humanity. A topic like climate change has never been something that I'm passionate about, so I won't expand upon that. Honestly, when it comes down to it, I just hope that one day we reach a place where everyone can stand and communicate as equals without fear of being judged for what we say or think. The smallest qualities separate large groups of people nowadays, and I've always been a person that wondered why that is. Whether it's race, gender or sexual orientation, education level, political party, etc., our world has reached a point where one of these qualities-- some that cannot be helped-- can make or break what a person thinks of you. That never seemed fair to me, and I want to be a part of a community where no one is discriminated against when we live in a country where you're supposedly free to make your own decisions.
As for the other topics brought into question, personally I've never thought to comment on any of them, and I don't know why that is. I'm the type of person that I feel I can only truly be passionate about something if I've experienced it firsthand. Maybe that makes me naïve or uncaring, but nothing has happened to make me want to speak out on these issues.
Again, the "social aspects" don't exist in a vacuum. If we don't have a habitable planet, we don't have a society. Ultimately we won't have a species. If you've experienced life firsthand, you've experienced a climate capable of sustaining that life. It doesn't take much reflection on that to arrive at a sense of personal investment in sustainability, does it?
Delete(It doesn't take much reflection on that to arrive at a sense of personal investment is sustainability, does it?)
DeleteI believe the fact that it takes any relfection at all is the key here. Honestly, do most people "reflect" nowadays? For that matter, do most people even have a "firsthand experience" in life? A lot of people live in the second/thirdhand point of veiw by way of social media and netflix. For any meaningful reflection to have any affect, we must get back to firsthand living. For some that may mean less daily scrolling. For others, it may mean getting outdoors. Whatver it means to you, please act so we can change for the better.
H2
DeleteH01
ReplyDelete(Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?)
I did see the solar eclipse last August. My dad has always been a fan of astronomy, so that fact alone made me excited to see something like this. I was back in Georgia with my family at the time, a week before the fall semester started last year. We drove all over North Georgia trying to find a park that had some sort of space for us to sit and watch the progression of the eclipse. We actually ended up in the parking lot of a Dollar General that we had passed that had advertised people were free to set up shop and watch the eclipse.
Now, just because my dad's a fan of astronomy doesn't mean that I am; however, seeing something so beautiful that only happens once, maybe twice in a person's lifetime made me really appreciate the life that I live and the beauty that our universe holds. Let me tell you, though, I could've done without the 97 degree weather that day.
(H01)A follow-up from last time: one of us shared the personal philosophy that "God never gives us more than we can handle." But we'd just considered the case of the "Cleveland working-man" mentioned by James in Pragmatism, who took his own life in despair and desperation because he could not support his family. What do you make of the fact that all too many humans buckle under the strain of more than they can handle? Would an all-knowing, perfectly loving god allow it? Is it our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can?
ReplyDeleteI disagree, I don’t believe God gives us our limit on how much we can handle. It’s up to us; he gave us chooses, and we determined our path. I believe you make your decisions, and you hope to God he protects you from making the wrong ones. If I believed God controlled my limits; I would be a better person, and If I ever made a fatal mistake wouldn’t I just blame God? He is the one that access the limits? That’s why I disagree God isn’t this guardian angel who swoops in every time. You must weep what you sow. When James took his own life, we can’t accuse anyone, we can’t say “if society handled him better,” "if I merely talked to him," and we can’t blame him either. I think that is just the perfectly example of life; no one deserves to die of course, but it happens. We must move from it and learn from it.
The factors that may knock someone off the edge. It's our responsibility to improve the conditions of life essentially, we are all one community. As a community, we focus on the present generation on the traditional idea of the new generation taking care of the old. It's our obligations to improve the life as many as possible because that sets the course for the emerging generations. Its sets the course of our moral obligation and what we as a community find right or wrong.
I definitely agree with this. We always have free will. And while we can hope for guidance, we are still held responsible for are actions. When tragedy happens, it isn't necessarily something God allows, but a result of choices that someone has made with their God-given free will. It is our responsibility to try our best to help others and make resources available to those in need, but unfortunately we can only do so much.
Delete"When James took his own life" - James did not take his own life. He wrote deploringly of someone who did. Many do.
Delete"When tragedy happens, it isn't necessarily something God allows" - it is, unless the god in question lacks omnipotence and omniscience. But if there is such a divine being, we must ask whether the unfettered free will that would excuse Him from responsibility for His creatures' actions is commpatible with His own putative omniscience. If I KNOW you'll use your will to harm innocent others, don't I also know that your will isn't as free as you think it is, when construed as allowing you to choose differently than you did? ALternatively, if you could have chosen differently, then I couldn't have known that you'd choose as you did... and by definition I'm not omniscient.
I think that's the only way to get a god off the hook: by defining Him as less than all-knowing and all-powerful. But then, He comes dangerously close to lacking divine attributes.
We'll talk about this again.
The point of a personal philosophy is that it is my own belief. No one else has to believe it but me. I could go into a religious rant about how people that commit suicide don't trust and count on God, but I'm not someone that judges someone based on their religious beliefs. The concept of God is different for everyone, so it's silly to assume that an outlook on God is static.
DeleteI also believe that God watches over you and only intervenes when he deems it necessary. I don't like to comment on suicide not because it's a topic that's personal to me, but because I don't like to delve into topics that I don't have any personal experience with. For me, I do not and will never consider suicide an option, but for others that simply isn't the case.
I completely agree with your view. I think we need to own up to what we do, God might just provide us the path we are supposed to travel in but the way we choose to follow that path is completely up to us, we make choices that lead to how hard or easy the path. Even though there are many unintened consequences to our choices, in the end we decide how much we can handle and we choose to bring up on trouble to ourselves. I personally think that God has nothing to do with the choices we make, hence to blame God when we are in deep trouble would be wrong.
DeleteI agree with parts of this comment as well. I believe that God doesn't determine our path but rather gave us the gift of a brain and the ability to have free will to make our own decisions, even if it meant alot of people would turn their back on Him. Section 12
Delete(How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?)
ReplyDeleteKnowing that I exist as a part of such a small, insignificant world in comparison with the rest of the universe is something that can at first be overwhelming. It makes me feel as though all of the the every day things that we do are irrelevant and don't really matter. However, the fact that we are the only known intelligent being to exist in the universe does create a sense of privilege. Because of this, I want to work towards making the world a better place, regardless of how small my impact is. Our smallness makes you appreciate the joys in life, and highlights the importance of being kind.
HO1
I actually like feeling small compared to everything else. I don't know what it is, but it almost removes any extensive pressure on me to try and do something substantial in the world. Obviously that's not something I aspire to follow, because I wish to make at least one person's life better.
DeleteI can really relate to enjoying the feeling of being small in comparison to everything else in the cosmos. However, I like it because it gives us the opportunity to explore and learn. Its almost endless opportunities to discover something new.
DeleteI think that anything that we try to grasp in our minds that is so vast would tend to blow it. It would make us feel our own morality and insignificance in comparison. Section 12
DeleteH01
ReplyDelete(Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?)
I initially read this piece a few years back. Then, I found the ideas frightening and tried to push it out of my mind. I didn't to thing of my life and everything in it so small and insignificant. However, reading this a second time, I realize the importance of this piece. Pbd really helps me to realize that the every day things that we get so caught up in and stressed about don't really matter. But, being kind, going out of your way to serve others, and living the best life you possibly can, does matter.
I agree with this! A life worrying about materialistic and trivial pursuits is one that is wasted. We ARE connected with the Universe. Each and every one of us. So with the progression of us as individuals AND as a group is the driving force to the Universe.
DeleteH01
ReplyDelete(Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?)
I viewed the solar eclipse last August with my immediate family. We sat in my church's parking lot with multiple other families nearby. When the solar eclipse reached totality, there was a strange quiet that occurred. Everyone was awed by the eclipse. There was a sense of common understanding that we were looking at something much more significant than ourselves. It was a very humbling experience that I won't ever forget.
I had a similar experience. It really was such a unique feeling. Thank you for sharing!
Delete(H01)
ReplyDelete(A follow-up from last time: one of us shared the personal philosophy that "God never gives us more than we can handle." But we'd just considered the case of the "Cleveland working-man" mentioned by James in Pragmatism, who took his own life in despair and desperation because he could not support his family. What do you make of the fact that all too many humans buckle under the strain of more than they can handle? Would an all-knowing, perfectly loving god allow it? Is it our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can?)
As a Christian, I believe God will never give us more than we can handle WITH His help. If we were to never be faced with more than we could handle by ourselves, we would never grow. So, while God may give us more than we can handle as individuals, He is always there to help us through the hard times. He doesn’t expect us to do it alone.
As far as the second part of the question, of whether or not a perfectly loving God would allow suicide or the events leading up to suicide, I believe it comes down to the fact that God gave us free will. He wanted us to be able to be intelligent and to be able and think for ourselves. Unfortunately, we can use this free will to do things that hurt ourselves and others.
I believe that it is our responsibility to live our lives in such a way as to help and benefit others as much as we can. We are not responsible for every other person, but we are responsible for our own actions and how we use them to influence others.
I like how you put this! I definitely share this believe with you and I'm glad to see it put onto the page
Delete1030-009
DeleteI do not believe in god. And I do not wish to disrespect your beliefs, but I do often wonder if a belief in god hampers a person's faith in themselves. If somehow you were to learn and believe that god was never there after so many years of faith, would you think that you cannot go on without that belief? Or do you think you would come to see that you pulled through all the hardships in life due to your own strength of will and the people around you?
(H01)
ReplyDelete(Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?)
I saw the eclipse on campus at MTSU with my family. It was amazing. It reminds you of just how huge our universe is and and how small you are. The day that the eclipse happened was actually my 18th birthday and everyone, myself included, kept forgetting because something much greater was going on.
Your eclipse story sounds amazing!! I'm so glad you got to experience it in such a positive way.
Delete(H02) In response to William James’s musings over the future of our world and society as a whole, I think humanity has a large role to play in the future regarding our place in the universe. I have always been a very passionate believer in science fiction. Stories of adventure and discovery beyond our wildest dreams amidst the countless planets and galaxies that lay within our grasp. I grew up with a myriad of franchises that took place in the farthest reaches of space and time, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Halo, Mass Effect, etc. From that, I have now gained an interest in the real world achievements and dreams of of famous scientists and engineers who have also been inspired by such cosmic adventures. The way I see it, despite all of our differences and divisions, we share the common trait of humanity. As it has been said before, you would be surprised how little those differences would matter or continue to separate us in the wake of an extraterrestrial invasion. In more scientific terms, I do agree with the fact that one day we must go out and colonize other celestial bodies. If not for mere survival (for our singular planet cannot sustain our ever-growing populace nor limited resources), for the sense of adventure and discovery that is instilled within us all. I believe it to be our ultimate achievement and destiny to go out and wander the endless expanse of the cosmos. If we would finally make the time and effort to unite and expand into the galaxy and beyond, such a goal would not only unite us as a species, but perhaps as a single voice to join others should such an intergalactic commune exist. The future has yet to be unfolded, but I for one remain hopeful in the possibility of witnessing and experiencing such wonders in my own lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this thought, Ethan. I too think that the necessity of space exploration is made urgent by the reality of population growth and limited resources. But this doesn't seem to be a popular view, and by that I mean that most people don't imagine an Earth no longer capable of sustaining human life. I wonder what it would take for more to wake up to the possibility (inevitability?) of human life simply growing too big for the planet?
Delete(H01)
ReplyDeleteViewing the solar eclipse was truly an awe inspiring event. The way the crickets new they were supposed to chirp, and the way the dew fell, gave me a much greater appreciation for nature and the complexity of the way out world was designed.
The solar eclipse was truly magical. It felt like the whole world was in tune at that very moment. I felt a true sense of harmony with the astronomical and planetary forces that usually are background noise in our fast-paced world.
DeleteI viewed watching the solar eclipse to be inspiring, as well. Also interesting to think of everyone around the world on the same track watching it. It was truly interesting.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete1030-009
DeleteIt was truly magnificent. My favorite part was that all of the insects, birds, dogs in the neighborhood etc went silent. It was eerie and otherworldly.
Madison Berry H-02
ReplyDeleteHow does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?)
I have spent a lot of time pondering on our own insignificance and the fact that the chances of everything that has happened happening is so minuscule. The fact that out of the impossible we humans create entire lives and networks is astounding! At the same time, it creates the atmosphere of our mistakes, as well as our achievements, holding very little significance. This also brings up the idea that we cannot comprehend the scale of the world around us. Acknowledging that our minor mistakes are so insignificant in our world can allow us to move on as opposed to dwelling on them. Also, seeing our minor accomplishments as insignificant can inspire us to push forward to achieve things that can and will be noticed. As humans, we all desperately attempted to not be forgotten after our deaths. However, some individuals are satisfied by passing their memory on through the future generations they create; others strive to become the “next big thing” whether it be through influence, power, or research. I believe that each person living should be grateful to the odds. From being the one sperm of millions to reach the egg to being born healthy to being able to attend college, each individual has defied the odds over and over again. While the thought of being just one in billions is terrifying to contemplate, it also brings about a sense of awe at the fact that so much culture, love, religion, and small details can be contained in the ”Pale Blue Dot”.
Madison Berry H-02
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the suggestion of space tourism, while this could provide innumerable opportunities, it could also lead to catastrophic results. Human nature is not inherently ignorant or selfish but rather curious. Humans would start in awe, but after some time, people could become intrusive on planets they do not call their own. This could lead to harm of other planets or humans due to exposure of unfamiliar substances. If the possibility of tourism past our own atmosphere became popularized, it would immediately be seen as an enormous luxury and eventually become normalized. I believe it would become exploited by those most concerned with money or those concerned with research. The curiosity inherently possessed by humans could lead to spreading our societal issues to other locations in the universe.
Nice thought about whether or not we will have morally evolved in a way that keeps pace with space exploration and colonization.
DeleteThe Fellow Ant
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in rural Sweetwater Alabama, a lot of my time was spent outdoors. With living a life outdoors comes the knowledge of creepy critters and their ways of life. One learns to steer clear of the crawlies who bite or sting: hornets, wasps, bees. Ants.
As one with an allergic reaction to ant bites, I’ve learned early on how to not simply hate ants, but to loathe them. Equipped with a magnifying glass and a heart of malice towards those six-legged parasites, I’d manipulate the sunrays into raging death-beams that vaporized carpenters and harvesters alike. I felt no sympathy towards these ants because I’m sure they felt no sympathy for me when my skin would swell and welt wherever one of those malicious marauders tasted my flesh. For years I was more or less content with the hate-hate relationship that I had cultivated with this species. I figured if I was going to continue getting bit, then I’d trample every hill, I’d dose every line, I’d press every exoskeleton. But one day, after a fierce battle with the ants, both sides suffering heavily, I had an epiphany. While rubbing in copious amounts of Goldbond on my flesh wounds, I realized that there was another way, a better way, to live than in constant confrontation with these picnic pillagers. Simply live and let live.
When I go back and look at all the run-ins I had with this colony, I shamefully remember that I was always the one to first sound the trumpets of war. I had to really sit and think about it. Ants don’t know me. They don’t go out of there way to scale my slopes in search for a piece of uncovered skin to sink their pincers into. Every instance in which I was bitten, I first kicked a mound or displaced a vital rock. I was the impetus. Ever since this realization, I’ve become less malicious towards ants. Don’t get me wrong, whenever I see one indoors, I go crazy with haemolymph-lust and begin spraying left and right. I just no longer go out of my way to harm their civilizations.
Now for the real question. What are magnifying glasses supposed to be used for?
H2
In times of stress, my mind seeks out ways to make a problem seem less significant. One way is to remember that I am, we are, everything I've seen, touched, smelled, and tasted is on a pale blue dot. However, this constant way of thinking can and does put me in a slump. What even matters with my actions being so small compared to the vastness of the universe? During these periods of thinking I must evaluate my reason for being. Or anyone's reason of being for that matter. My thoughts on this are vague and still require some evaluation, but I do think that we are connected to the Universe in a way that as we progress, we are driving the Universe to continue on with us. And that gives me a full sense of purpose.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about college is that almost everything seems like a big deal. You feel like you can't relax until you have everything done, and even then there's some residual stress from thinking that not everything is really done. It's important to remember that as humans, we make mistakes, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Even though we're "small" compared to everything else, we're part of a larger community just simply from being human.
DeleteH2
ReplyDeleteDid you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
I originally was not going to view the eclipse, but a friend of mine convinced me to watch it. There is a huge hill right by my High School and we walked up the hill and viewed it from up there. My two siblings were also there in company. Watching the eclipse made me wonder how the world really works. How only certain things like the eclipse happens every while and we are here to witness it. Along the lines with the sky topic, I enjoyed reading the quiz article about the Pioneer Plaque. I was never aware of it before and it is interesting to read that they did not wanted to sent it in the English language. Instead, formed a symbolic message that hopefully someone or something else can interpret.
I was actually here at MTSU working at the rec center and got to experience it with my coworkers. It is defiantly crazy when you think about how special moments like the eclipse are. Also, I love how pictorial message is a tool that many can understand and not only language is used for communication.
DeleteH02
ReplyDelete(How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,...)
I find it incredible that all of humankind has existed so briefly compared to the lifetime of the universe, that we are so finite, and that the chances of everything coming together the way that they did were so slim, but that does not really make me feel any different. Knowing that there are billions of other galaxies each with billions of stars with planets of their own does not change who I am or what I want to do, but, whenever I sit and think about it, it makes me feel a little more special. The size of the universe, along with the billions of years it has existed, is incomprehensible. The desire to spread the reach of mankind has revolutionized the world, leading to the development of cell phones and modern computers, and I wholeheartedly believe that we should carry on and colonize Mars as soon as realistically possible, and perhaps discover new technologies that will revolutionize our culture once again. Although the time has not yet come to leave our solar system, and human society is still microscopic on the cosmological scale, we are growing and will continue to grow until we can’t any longer. We do not occupy much space as of now, just one single planet among trillions of larger ones, but I am entirely content here because, as far as we know, we are the only living sentient species in the universe. While this is, in my opinion, very unlikely, the knowledge that we are special enough to even exist is mind-blowing.
("The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?)
At this point in human history, the Earth is my home. As much as I would love to visit Mars, that is extremely unlikely, so I will probably never leave Earth. If, one day human civilization reaches the red planet, and then the moons of our gas giants, and then the nearest star system, and then the whole of our galaxy, I will think of the Milky Way as my home more than Earth. Home, to me, is where all the things I care most about are found, and whenever my family and friends are far apart, inhabiting different star systems, I will think of the cosmos as my home, rather than a single, lonesome planet.
(Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?)
I do not often think of our place in a cosmological sense, except for reading or dreaming about science fiction stories. Although I find appeal in things like galaxies of antimatter, where time flows backwards relative to our galaxy (which, as far as I know, is not exactly how an antimatter galaxy would function and is entirely science fiction), I doubt that information concerning something so distant is useful to myself, an aspiring fantasy writer. Despite my personal lack of interstellar ambition, however, I believe that understanding the way the universe functions will play a vital role in humanity’s expansion across the cosmos. If anything, I think that the photo of the Pale Blue Dot is a baby picture of humanity, and is only capturing the beginning of what we are to become.
I like your view on the Milky Way as a home! I personally like to believe that Earth is our home because it gives me a sense of belonging, as if we were placed on Earth for a reason. However, we could have easily been placed in the Milky Way for that same reason!
Delete(H01) I did view the solar eclipse last August. When I first heard news of the eclipse, I didn't think much of it. However, our school closed for the eclipse, so I knew it had to be important. I viewed the eclipse in the company of friends and family. We were all anxious during the time leading up to the eclipse, and it was breathtaking when it finally occurred. In a strange way, I felt like I was on a different planet. It was something that I never expected to experience in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to if you were in an area near/in totality? I was outside of the totality range at the time and my high-school was still in session, but I can understand that a school in an area of totality would release students to view the eclipse.
Delete(Solar Eclipse)
ReplyDeleteI saw the solar eclipse last August on campus, just in front of the library with the Scholars Academy, and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I thought it was largely overhyped, and probably would not have gone to see it if not for being required to with the other students of the program. I was wrong; I it was a once in a lifetime experience and, though I wouldn’t say it has a significant effect on me, it was an incredible sight and I am very glad to be one of lucky few on this planet to witness such an event.
(Space Force)
I think that Donald Trump’s Space Force is largely unnecessary, but hopefully will bring America’s attention to outer space. Perhaps the need of new sciences to support American forces in space will lead to better equipment for space travel and exploration. Hopefully we focus more on the “Space” and less on the “Force.” Leading the world in militarizing the space surrounding Earth will likely ensure America’s position as the world’s dominant military power, which hopefully will deter others from stirring up trouble. At least, that’s what I hope. The Space Force seems to me like a misuse of resources better spent at NASA, but I can only hope that it at least saves more lives than it consumes.
>Hopefully we focus more on the “Space” and less on the “Force.”
DeleteI agree with this sentiment. While I am strongly opposed to most of the things that 45 does, the fact that acknowledges the existence of space is nice. I hate the idea of sending military might to space, but I love the idea of going to and investing more money into the research of space.
I hope that the world will advance ethically, academically, and physically. I know that this cannot be linear, though, because that is simply not human nature. I can barely imagine what life will be like in 5 years, not to mention a lifetime from now. Challenging my mind to imagine what the future holds is something I don't frequently do as I like to live in the moment.
ReplyDeleteDo I believe humans will travel back to the moon, to Mars, and beyond? ABSOLUTELY. Once we landed on the moon, the possibilities busted open to us. Understanding and exploring the unknown around us is something humans have always tried to do and I see no reason as to why this can't be extended to space as well. However, I do not believe that humans will ever leave Earth as it is our one true home. I do not think humans will ever learn to exist as one species with a common fate as it is so easy to stereotype people and view them a certain way.
Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the Company of others? How did it make you feel?
ReplyDeleteI did view the eclipse last August. I watched it with my boyfriend and his family. It was rather amazing how bright the world still seemed when so much light was blocked. When the sun was giving it's full light it was almost blinding. It's funny how you can be so used to something then one thing happens and changes your perspective. We were all so happy we could experience the moment together. It was truly something I'll never forget.
This was something I will also never forget. I remember that when the eclipse was in full effect it was darker and cold and the nighttime sounds (the animals, bugs, and all nighttime life)happened/came out. It was like all of the nighttime life was confused and if you looked around and listened it was just as if you were sitting outside in the middle of the night.
DeleteWhat do you think of Trump's proposed Space Force? Is it a good idea for the U.S. to take the lead in militarizing near-earth space?
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure where I stand on the Space Force as I'm not very informed on it, I have rather basic knowledge. I think it's a bold move for sure, but I'm not so sure if a bold move is what we need right now. However, if one nation is going to have a militaristic advantage, I'm certainly glad it's the one I live in.
I agree with your idea that the space force is a bold move but not one that may be necessarily needed right now. However, we as citizens are not informed on everything the leaders of our government may know. Maybe Trump's introduction of the space force implies that extraterrestrials are in closer contact than we know?
DeleteI agree with your outlook on this. I honestly think until we know for sure that there's some sort of reason that the Space Force is needed, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have it right now. However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having an advantage over everyone else.
DeleteH1 Nic Najjar
ReplyDeleteBeing a fan of Elon Musk, reading all this about space exploration is very intriguing. I believe the Tyson is correct in his yearn for resources to be put into space exploration. With the rate we are using the natural resources of earth, there will inevitable come a time when this pale blue dot will not be able to sustain the parasite that is the human population. Walle will be the only one left. The question I most want answered (and that I believe most people want answered) is where do we go? Mars seems to be the best choice at the moment, but will that do given the longterm needs of human civilization? I don't know...
"The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?
ReplyDeleteI do consider Earth my home. In my eyes it is a gift from God and a divine creation. I also consider it to be an amazing natural phenomenon. I'm not a perfect Christian and I'm not a perfect scientist and my views on the Earth reflect that.
This is a great thought. I for one think earth is a temporary home, scary to think about but for now its my home.
Delete(H01) August 21, 2017 was a day to be remembered in that we get to experience a natural phenomenon known as a solar eclipse. At first, I did not know the significance of this phenomenon until my cousin told me about it and how this is a lifetime chance. I believe it only happens once in 375 years. Knowing that I would not be able to live pass the age of 100, it really prompted me to witness this in the best location possible. Around that time, my cousin, Jenny, was visiting me all the way from her university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so we took this opportunity to drive northward where we will be able to see the eclipse for a longer period of time. We drove from Murfreesboro to Nashville to pick up another friend and then headed westward oblivious of where we were going. As we entered the state of Kentucky and exited the intersection, we pass rows and rows of agriculture and rural homes. Our car turned into an abandoned dirt road and we drove until we were literally in the middle of nowhere. After we got ourselves settled on our blanket, the sun was the sun was slowly getting darker. We knew about the dangers of looking straight at the eclipse, so we obtain some solar eclipse glasses. The cool part of this adventure was that crickets began to chirp when the sun was completely covered by the moon. The temperature around us dropped a good 10 degrees. The hot humid air was cool and breezy. All around us nature was ready for their nighttime but they don't that in a couple minutes daylight would penetrate again. The eclipse was amazing and I was glad I get to see it with my cousin.
ReplyDelete"Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?"
ReplyDeleteI saw the solar eclipse with my mom and two younger brothers last year. I was really the only one in my family who was interested in it but I dragged my family out for burritos at Moe's and we all sat outside to eat burritos and watch the eclipse. At first I got a little bored just staring at the waning sun through the glasses but when totality occurred I was in awe. Everything around was dimly lit and the street lights came on. In that moment, even my family showed some mild interest in the phenomenon. I didn't feel anything in particular, really just amazement at what was happening. I felt small but I also felt happy to be apart of something so much larger than anything I had ever experienced before. I did feel a little closer to the other people eating burritos and watching the eclipse. It felt as if for a moment we were all the same. Even with our different personalities and lives we were all the same. Like fish in a fish bowl. As the sun reappeared though, the fish bowl opened up and we all entered into the larger aquarium that is our world.
(H01) I totally understand, Marie, how the highlight of the eclilpse was when the sun was totally covered by the moon. The second most important thing about viewing the eclipse was sharing it with the people you are closest with. I was glad that you persuaded your family to watch it as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Delete"Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to extraterrestrials I would really like to believe that any life from outside Earth would be just as curious and welcoming as the humans looking for them. However, just as we lock our doors at night to keep our homes safe I think Earth should do the same. Humans are relatively new to space exploration and our "space defense system" is very underdeveloped. Thus Earth would be very vulnerable to attacks from a malicious extraterrestrial species. At the very least, Earth should find a way to see who is coming to visit us before they come to our planet.
To expand on this, do you think the Space Force is going to be used to counteract any "extraterrestrial" that might occur? Or is it just there to possibly defend ourselves against other countries on Earth?
DeleteH01
ReplyDelete"Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?"
What my place is in the universe has always be something of a wonder to me. The main reason being is due to the fact that I always believed that I was the universe in a way. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit to such a thing, but as we grow, we come to see things in a different perspective. To get to the point, I did find the video to be quite humbling. We carry out our lives with a repulsive disregard to those around us. Their needs and feelings become an inconvenience so they are pushed aside because we do not care. This life that we have found ourselves "enduring" is the greatest gift that we could ever receive. I attempt to help those around me but at my convenience. After much more thought I see just how selfish that is. As said in the video, "Our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known," should be one of our top priorities.
To speak a little more to the whole "asteriod hitting earth" bit, would anyone really take a president seroisly who proposes a multi-billion dollar budget to Big Rock defense? I'm sure there would be a lot of people concerned with more immediate and pressing problems. There would be arguments such as "Are we really going to worry about space pebbles or feeding the sick and hungry?" and the like. What would be a substantial argument on the side of space defense?
ReplyDeleteH2
DeleteShawn, I agree with you that our world have more pressing concerns with poverty and issues with the environment like global warming to be spending millions of dollars on exploring space. I understand exploring space could potentially bring a lot to the table in the future, but I don't think now is the time to invest millions of dollars in space when people are still starving right here on Earth.
DeleteH1
DeleteI understand where you're coming from. Honestly, when the Space Force initiative was announced, I thought it was some sort of publicity stunt, but I guess we can't judge anything until it actually happens and we see how it plays out.
Delete
ReplyDelete"Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?"
I find it extremely humbling and I spend a lot of time thinking about stuff like this. Just an hour ago when I was on one of my night walks, I began to imagine microscopic aliens who may have already visited this planet or who may be here as we speak. What would they think about this amazingly huge sphere? Would they even know it's a sphere? How big would our insects be to them? Would we not be gods to these mini et's? H2
If we were to be visited by extraterrestrial beings, would it be a warm welcome? Would our first reaction be to shoot thier ships out of the sky or would we offer blood sacrifices? Would we flea out of fear of being feasted upon or would we round up some grub and throw a feast?
ReplyDeleteH2
DeleteH02
ReplyDeleteIn response to the William James quote ("The really vital question for us all), I do agree that in a way the most important thing we can ask of ourselves is what will happen to us as a whole in the future. To actually answer the question though. I do believe that humans will eventually reach the stars, granted it seems as of right now that it won't be happening anywhere near my time of living. However, while I am still a hopeful optimist at heart, I find it laughable to believe that when we do it will be anything close to an equal venture. For it was not to unite mankind that motivated America to be the first to touch the moon, but it was instead to stand above it. We are predisposed to just as much conflict as we are unity, just like the rest of the animal kingdom. "'You are not with us', said one lion pack to the other." I'm not one of those people who pretends like every conflict we ever have is stupid and 100% preventable, because in the moment a great majority of these events seem a good deal important. It's only when we step back and look at the major timeline of things that we realize how insignificant our trifles are with one another. I don't know, maybe one day we will come together for something good, but I'll tell you what, that'll be a surprising day if I ever live to see it....
In the meantime though, while we are still in the age of hyper individualism and raging violent tendencies, why not hop on this train while it's here and take this opportunity to wipe out every single person who believes videogames are a sport equal to the rest huh? I'm talking mass murder people. They all gotta go. Burn everything man. They are a blight to our existence (and if there's anyone in the class who thinks like this, you don't gotta worry, the law is keeping you alive...for now).
"The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?
ReplyDelete(H01)
No matter how small Earth is compared to the cosmic world beyond, Earth will always be be my home. It is a place where I have lived for the past 18 years, but i can't say for sure about the cosmic area as I am not aware about what it beholds. For Earth, I know about its nature, its living things, its atmosphere, and its composition. As for the cosmic area, I don't know if there would even be extraterrestrial lives out there to call it a home.
H01
ReplyDelete(Is the prospect of space tourism frivolous? Or would humanity become a more peaceable and mutually-caring species if more of us could lay eyes directly on the Pale Blue Dot for ourselves?)
I think this is a hard question to answer unless you actually experience what's being asked. Are you offering a trip to space, because I'd be down if you are.
(H01) Possible quiz questions.
ReplyDeleteIf there are possible extraterrestrial lives out there in the vast cosmic arena, would we want to coexist with them? Back then, when we our ancestors came to America, we devestated the Native Americans. Could our very existence and involvement with their lives be of harm or benefit?
What do you think of Trump's proposed Space Force? Is it a good idea for the U.S. to take the lead in militarizing near-earth space?
ReplyDelete(ho1)
Trump's proposed Space Force is a big jump to the future where we could maybe find another world to inhabit. It would also be beneficial to the U.S. if we were the first ones to find such a world because there might be an abundance of natural resources that we could use here on Earth. But now is not the time to spend millions of dollars on space exploration when with poverty and starvation are present in several places around the world.
H01
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Questions Answered
Since the journey was so new and unknown to everyone, I feel as if they were more focused on the mission itself rather than a picture that would transcend such a powerful message. Although everyone is different, astrophysical engineers tend to be more quantitatively focused rather than an explorative or creative mind (regarding such picture).
More often then not, people (especially myself) can get very caught up in the immediate surroundings, or the problems at large regarding the world. Once you take a step back and really understand how miniscule your problem is in comparison to problems within the lesser developed world, it makes you understand how truly small your problem is and privileged you are. Even so, when you take an even larger step back and realize how insignificant the world’s problems from a cosmic level, it becomes astounding and can be tough to comprehend. It is all about perspective.
The cosmos is so large and vast, thus making me feel like Earth is more so my home. Maybe one day when more knowledge regarding the cosmos is discovered, another planet, location, etc. could be called home.
I find the PBD very humbling as it provides yet another perspective to the ginormous and mostly undiscovered cosmic universe that we live in.
I do agree with William James’ question. The question proposed is extremely vital as we cannot ignore the problems that we are causing. I believe that it is possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards these crucial events occurring on Earth, however, I do not condone or promote this stance as it will not even attempt to solve the problems at hand.
The four Quartets epigraph is very interesting to me. A small glimpse at this epigraph makes you step back out of your bubble and begin to question some individual ideas you have since he alludes to the fact that maybe all of us put together contain more wisdom and more accurate thoughts rather than just an individual.
There should be a certain level of fear when going to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials, however, it should not be stagnating fear. It should be just enough to ground us so that we “boldly go where no one has gone before” while not being too terribly bold.
I did see the solar eclipse last august. I saw it in the company of others and it put me in a state of awe. That natural occurrence is crazy to me.
I do not believe that the prospect of space tourism is frivolous. It would provide another perspective for the human population to gain and could possibly inflict positive side effects thereof. One condition that would have to be controlled is how much it becomes a ruthless business only competing for money. It should be more so a special event that occurs.
Although it seems like a good idea to take control of the currently uncontrolled, I feel as if there are much larger problems at hand here on the ground of Earth that need to be accomplished before we can sink money into such a militarized force.
I feel as if it is our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can. I am not sure that if an all-knowing, loving god did exist, that he would even allow such a thing to happen.
Proposed Questions:
If such space tourism were to actually be introduced and implemented, would it be a private party corporate business that owns and operates it, or would the operation be carried out by the government, and how do you think that would affect the quality and therefore the effect that it would transcend to the riders.
Do you believe that, one day, life on a different planet could be carried out? If so, with what principles would it begin since a fresh start is occurring.
Is religion just a form of following that was created in an attempt to grasp the unknown since it is so great?
H01
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Questions Answered
Since the journey was so new and unknown to everyone, I feel as if they were more focused on the mission itself rather than a picture that would transcend such a powerful message. Although everyone is different, astrophysical engineers tend to be more quantitatively focused rather than an explorative or creative mind (regarding such picture).
More often then not, people (especially myself) can get very caught up in the immediate surroundings, or the problems at large regarding the world. Once you take a step back and really understand how miniscule your problem is in comparison to problems within the lesser developed world, it makes you understand how truly small your problem is and privileged you are. Even so, when you take an even larger step back and realize how insignificant the world’s problems from a cosmic level, it becomes astounding and can be tough to comprehend. It is all about perspective.
The cosmos is so large and vast, thus making me feel like Earth is more so my home. Maybe one day when more knowledge regarding the cosmos is discovered, another planet, location, etc. could be called home.
I find the PBD very humbling as it provides yet another perspective to the ginormous and mostly undiscovered cosmic universe that we live in.
I do agree with William James’ question. The question proposed is extremely vital as we cannot ignore the problems that we are causing. I believe that it is possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards these crucial events occurring on Earth, however, I do not condone or promote this stance as it will not even attempt to solve the problems at hand.
The four Quartets epigraph is very interesting to me. A small glimpse at this epigraph makes you step back out of your bubble and begin to question some individual ideas you have since he alludes to the fact that maybe all of us put together contain more wisdom and more accurate thoughts rather than just an individual.
There should be a certain level of fear when going to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials, however, it should not be stagnating fear. It should be just enough to ground us so that we “boldly go where no one has gone before” while not being too terribly bold.
I did see the solar eclipse last august. I saw it in the company of others and it put me in a state of awe. That natural occurrence is crazy to me.
I do not believe that the prospect of space tourism is frivolous. It would provide another perspective for the human population to gain and could possibly inflict positive side effects thereof. One condition that would have to be controlled is how much it becomes a ruthless business only competing for money. It should be more so a special event that occurs.
Although it seems like a good idea to take control of the currently uncontrolled, I feel as if there are much larger problems at hand here on the ground of Earth that need to be accomplished before we can sink money into such a militarized force.
I feel as if it is our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can. I am not sure that if an all-knowing, loving god did exist, that he would even allow such a thing to happen.
Proposed Questions:
If such space tourism were to actually be introduced and implemented, would it be a private party corporate business that owns and operates it, or would the operation be carried out by the government, and how do you think that would affect the quality and therefore the effect that it would transcend to the riders.
Do you believe that, one day, life on a different planet could be carried out? If so, with what principles would it begin since a fresh start is occurring.
Is religion just a form of following that was created in an attempt to grasp the unknown since it is so great?
(H02) I did in fact have the privilege to experience the recent solar eclipse. I watched it with my family outside our house not far from campus. It was awe inspiring and captivating. I couldn't help but imagine what the ancients thought should they have experienced the same event I witnessed. Thoughts of whether the gods were displaying their power to us mere mortals, or if the world was ending. Such events have changed lives and I for one am certainly among them. I hope that one day I can witness such a cosmic wonder again.
ReplyDeleteThe eclipse was beautiful. There is another one in 229 days, but you have to go to Argentina or Chile to see it.
DeleteMehraeil Zaki- H2
ReplyDeleteDid you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
Was it really last August that the solar eclipse happened? It was such a memorable event that it is weird to think that its already been a year. This was my first time experiencing the solar eclipse and even understanding the science behind. I remember being so fascinated and in happy disbelief as I was viewing the solar eclipse. I still remember this day very clearly as I saw it here actually at MTSU when I was working at the rec center with my coworkers. I remember just all of us taking a quick break and watching it together in the back.
Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?
This is a very interesting question because we humans always tend to get scared of many things including each other just because of different religions and looks. The thought of us being even okay to watch something, possibly crazy, like extraterrestrials is mind boggling. If I am speaking for myself, I would be the first in line to sign up for a program that will always increase my knowledge of the unknown world around us. However when speaking of a whole society and economy, there’s so much more at stake like the safety of the people and the fall and decline of the economy.
discussion question about space force, so the Trumpian idea of a space force is good news for all the America first people ,in the beginning. I consider myself for the most part an America first person. however the idea of a military branch is space really antagonizes multiple parties around the world. many nations will view it as America getting a military upper hand larger than having the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Also as a civilian I will never forget that America was founded on distrust of governments small and large and I am totally not in favor of expanding our government to have a military branch completely untouchable by the civilians. I would never be foolish enough to say or think " oh the government would not do that to us" so giving the military space power is a step in the wrong direction. my choice is not due to an opposition of space exploration in which I am in favor, it is for distrust for an over expansive government. my distrust is bipartisan to answer any hard partisans in the class.
ReplyDeletereplying to if earth or the cosmos are my home or neither.
ReplyDeleteSo the notion of home is relative to the size of the area you are in, so if I am in Tennessee my home is in Murfreesboro. If I am out side of Tennessee but inside the US, Tennessee is home. Outside the states, the states are my home. so this sequence can go on and on until I am in a different galaxy the milky way galaxy is my home, and that home would be roughly 100,000 light years across. so your home is in my opinion really stringent on your relative location. so to a degree the cosmos is my home and the earth is certainly my home, as a creature of the earth the earth is my home.
DQ about the lack of thought put into photographing the earth from space in the Apollo missions. So I think the story could have happened a few ways. the most plausible to me is that the NASA engineers were simply hyper focused on safely orbiting the moon and seeing what has never been seen before, up close any way and that was the pale surface of our moon. the goal after all was to beat the soviets to the moon so having such tunnel vision on that national goal of communism vs democracy (representative republic technically) was in the sights of everyone pretty much. to put it simply if you are racing someone, someone you hate with every ounce of effort you can muster, and you beat them. you don't want to look at how far and fast you ran, you want to show them the trophy. That is how I would explain the unplanned earth photos being, well unplanned.
ReplyDeleteDuring the eclipse, I was at the house with my family. It was a very moving experience and I felt tranquil for the rest of the day. I also took some interesting pictures of distorted shadows. H2
ReplyDeleteH03.
ReplyDeleteIn large part, due to the vastness of the universe, humans are insignificant. Say if the universe were to stop expanding at an infinite rate: life as we know it would cease to exist. The pure fact that no human can or will ever be able to stop such a force as the universe should be humbling enough to change their rational. In reality, humans have no real control of their life. Sure one can decide to go for a walk or not go to class today, but why does that matter when your life can be taken from you at any moment from a force incomprehensible to the human mind. With this humbling knowledge one can view all things talked about or debated so hotly as insignificant because what's the point of humanity if we can't even get along long enough to advance our society to a point where maybe we can sustain human life forever. I know this is a tall order for humanity, but this is a fantasyland that we live so anything is possible. The iconic picture of our "Pale Blue Dot" should be enough for humans to understand that we barley understand anything (at least the most important questions in life). We are insignificant in the universe's eyes for now, but I faith in the human race to drop the talk of social, economic, and racial injustice through means of bigger picture understandings. While this is not to say these problems aren't important because they are. But when looking at the universe as a whole we are only some small fraction of life that has existed over billions of years. Humanity has the means to end many of things like racism, hunger, poverty...yet somehow humans are selfish enough to go through an entire life never to ponder the big questions and except what they already "know". I believe a single image of our tiny planet amongst all the other billions of stars and planets should provoke the human mind enough to wonder, what could us insignificant humans accomplish if we put our minds together to achieve a greater understanding of the universe?
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete1030-009
DeleteHumans have been coming together for thousands of years to ponder what they don't know. Sure, the general public has a difficult time seeing past their consumerism and recreational interests, but we would not be where we are today without the great thinkers of our history (and present) and those who aided them and continued their work. It takes millions of years for a species to evolve and we, like all other species, are programmed to fear and mistrust. This is how a species survives and eventually evolves. On the grand scale of evolution on this planet, humans have not been on the top of the food chain for very long, we're still figuring out how to be in charge in a sustainable way. We many very well cause our own extinction as we we have and are causing the extinction of countless other species, but we are continually learning from our mistakes and through learning and adapting we may evolve past our general pettiness and selfishness. But its from our great thinkers and doers that we will learn this.
Katie Thornton H02
ReplyDeleteThis is a late comment, but thinking about relating the entire Earth or Cosmos as our home rather than an address or neighborhood reminded me of one of my favorite poems. The poem is called 93 Percent Stardust, and it reads as this:
We have calcium in our bones,
Iron in our veins,
Carbon in our souls,
And nitrogen in our brains.
93 percent stardust,
With souls made of flames,
We are all just stars
That have people names.
I think this poem and idea that the Cosmos is our home relays just how big our world is when we open our eyes and broaden our minds.
H01 - Topher Kashif
ReplyDeleteYes, it was actually very refreshing.
Yes, often times I discover my best ideas while swimming, biking, or walking.
Yes. There are many hiking trails to beautiful falls in the smokies near Knoxville.
It is not strange to me that someone would prefer skateboards, electric scooters, or bicycles, however I do find it strange when people wait longer for a bus to come rather than just walking if the time it would take is shorter than walking would be.
I do not believe so
Not exactly. I haven’t magically felt better medically from simply walking.
That saying, to me, means that many problems could be solved by walking
I agree that it is a very good exercise, however I do not believe that it is the best.
We lose the sense of disconnection that you obtain by going into fields and woods rather than gardens and malls.
Probably not. Although the topic is interesting to me, I’d rather chase my passion.
I would rather go out. I would consider myself active rather than sedentary.
Since this is such a broad question, one of my many memorable outdoor experiences was when I would hike to a specific fall in the smokies. It’s called Abrams trail. It is a very steep 5-mile hike that ends at an absolutely gorgeous waterfall and the water is crystal clear, but also very cold. It is amazing.
Yes, but only in certain situations and when the time is right. I did it in a philosophical sort of way because I do not believe that sharing your beliefs, convictions, or core principles should be carried out in an evangelism or proselytizing way. Respect and acknowledgement of someone else’s’ belief’s, etc. are crucial to a positive conversation in my book.
I feel like I am a good listener. Although I am biased since I am answering a question about myself, I really try to hear the other person out on whatever topic it may be as it just simply isn’t my place to conclude on the correctness of such belief.
I absolutely believe that we live in a time of intolerance and incivility when point of views clash. I wish it would change for the better.
I wouldn’t just say Americans are prone to being gullible, however, I believe that humans in general can be prone to be gullible when confronted with false claims and/or “advertising.” It can happen to anyone.
H09 - Zac Malone
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of Trump's proposed Space Force? Is it a good idea for the U.S. to take the lead in militarizing near-earth space?
When I was in the Air Force, my final base was located in Colorado Springs, CO on a base that solely focused on missile defense and communication via satellites. Our defense systems, GPS, and communication transmission devices are in space. Wars started with boots on the ground combat, eventually made its way to the waters of the world, and then we started high flying fast speed air combat. Hence all the branches of service: (Army and Marines - ground combat, Navy and coast guard - control the waters, and Air Force - fight in the air). The next space up is...well..space.
Not only do I think it's a good idea. I think it's a necessity. Neil Tyson mentions that one years military budget equals the entire 50 year running budget that NASA had. If the military is heavily involved in space exploration, that means more money will be put in to discovering more about space and the universe.
I think the new force would be beneficial. Redundancies that would pop up with the creation of a new service like Buckley, or all of Space Command for that reason, could be eliminated. While we're at it, let's save money and make the Air Force a subordinate corps under the Department of the Space Force. Maybe Department of Space has a nicer ring to it.
DeleteSection 9
ReplyDeleteBoth versions of the Cosmos series (Sagan or Tyson) are excellent primers to anyone interested in astronomy, or if you'd like to see where humans fit in the cosmic perspective.
Section 9
ReplyDeleteThe drive for profit will eventually lead private companies into space, it’s a question of when. Many ventures into the unknown have been state-driven, such as the conquering of the New World, the American space program, or Arctic and Antarctic expeditions to find the Northwest Passage and the Southernmost continent. If profit is to be made, private companies fill the newly discovered niche market demands. We see this happening with SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and others. Moving payloads to orbit economically is one of the largest barriers to commercial spaceflight, and SpaceX seems to have solved and monopolized the process, winning numerous US government contracts (currently, the largest purchaser), displacing the former quasi-private United Launch Alliance. (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lockheed-martin-boeing-ula/lockheed-boeing-rocket-venture-needs-commercial-orders-to-survive-idUSKBN0O62M720150521)
The inevitability of commercial spaceflight is, again, a question of when. The current ticket price for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital flights is $250,000. (https://www.space.com/20886-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-ticket-prices.html) A huge sum, but not out of reach for the wealthiest. Once the barrier to entry for space flight is lowered, as occurred with air travel, the masses will reach for the stars. (https://www.thisisinsider.com/air-travel-in-every-decade-2017-8#1970s-6). Why not? We crave adventure, the exotic. Space is truly the final frontier.
A space force, being already in the works, would exist in some form once states declare ownership of territories in the solar system. Property rights will have to be protected, and territory will be policed. If that happens in the form of a separate service (or if the US even exists by that time), we will have to see. Currently, Space Command is a component of the US Air Force, so some capability already exists.
1030-009
ReplyDeleteHow does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?
I remember when Tyson's The Cosmos came out. The very first episode he tried explaining what's beyond our cosmic horizon and the vastness of the universe, or the multiverse. Do you remember the bubbles? He kept zooming outward and he said "... all the worlds, stars, galaxies, and clusters in our observable universe is but one tiny bubble in an infinite ocean of other universes, a multiverse." He zoomed out more and depicted all of these 'bubbles' that formed into a massive gush of water, like a dam that had broken… And I did feel small.
I felt that if somehow existence could be placed under the most powerful microscope it would not be able to detect me, or this planet, or even our galaxy. But that was only momentary. It was an instinctual feeling that I think all humans experience, the fear of being insubstantial. I grew up with Tyson. I remember as a child watching his talks on the Sci-Fy Network about dying stars and wormholes and he wasn’t afraid. He was excited and committed to the education and exploration of what lies beyond Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot.
My momentary feeling of smallness… I didn’t want to be here. It came and went in a matter of seconds but that feeling was my reality for those few seconds. The feeling of insignificance, whether its personal or towards humanity as a whole, can lead many down a dark, deep chasm. Not all minds are roused, curious, or thrilled by the unknown but instead they are in fear of it. So how does it make me feel to know how miniscule we are in the grand scheme of the cosmos? It makes me feel the need to be kind to one another. To not take for granted the reality that we do exist, that we are here. I do believe that through kindness and understanding we can guide one another to understand that we are significant, and no matter how large the universe we are still a part of it.
Section 9
ReplyDeleteShould humans go to Mars?
If our population continues to balloon, settling off-world may become an issue of necessity.
Another discussion question might be:
Would you be willing to take a one-way trip to Mars, with no possibility of survival or return? If so, why?
PHIL 1030--006
DeleteA one-way trip to Mars may be hard, but I believe if there was sufficient evidence that we could possibly survive, I would take the chance. If we are able to go to Mars and survive there, we can start a new space colony. We can endeavor to help our planet survive longer from all of our industrial evolution by moving people into Mars and slowly letting the air on Earth return to its original state.
1030-10
DeleteWhile I understand that this is the most likely choice to be made by the humans, does any one think that we will most probably destroy Mars just as we are destroying Earth today?
Discussion Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Do you think the Golden Record is still representative of us now? Why, or why not?
2. What would you want to be included on the Golden Record and why?
3. Do you think the Golden Record will be understood if it is found? Why, or why not?
4. Do you think the Pioneer Plaque will be understood? Why or why not?
5. Do you believe in extraterrestrial life at all? Why, or why not?
Section 9
ReplyDeleteDo you think Elon Musk's SpaceX, or other entrepreneurial space-farers, will succeed eventually in helping humanity spread out in the solar system (and someday,maybe, beyond)? Should our government be more actively pursuing space exploration? Should it be working cooperatively with other governments? Should there be an American Space Force? Should anyone be seeking to militarize space?
Yes, I do believe they will and to some extent already have in many different areas. If you follow SpaceX closely enough, you will see that they have had huge success in multiple areas that NASA has failed in some attempts. I would say they that SpaceX is out preforming NASA in many different facets of space technology in recent history. I do believe our government should be furthering our exploration of space. Space is the last frontier so to speak of our world. Discoveries are being made in space every day and it is important to continue that trend for our generation and many to come. It is important that we share and make these discoveries with other nations who also share our same desires for exploration of the unknown. We all live on this big rock together, so it is important that we work together and share our adventures in space together. Protection of the United States from space is important but I believe that it is also important not to label space as somewhere for war but to label it as somewhere for exploration and discovery. As I said before, space should not be seen as an application for war, but as a place for unity among nations to seek a common goal of discovery and exploration of the vast unknown universe we share.
Abby Pittman Section 6
ReplyDeleteMy response to the question regarding if I refer to Earth as my home is similar to many of the other responses I have read. I also feel as if my “home” is all of the things that are close to me. Everything I have that provides me with comfort and safety such as family, friends, work, and my literal home. The earth is large. Sure, you could consider the size of the universe and other planets, then you may argue that the earth is small. However, as a single human being, everyone I have ever truly met and built a relationship with has been within such a close proximity to my literal home. I know every part of my small hometown, but I don’t understand everything on the Earth. There’s many places I have never been and don’t even have the full capacity to understand. It can be difficult to understand things you can’t directly see. We live on Earth, but there are so many parts of it that we don’t even completely understand and may never see in our own lifetime. I guess what I am trying to express is it can be hard to believe Earth is our home when because it isn’t something we physically understand but rather something we are taught to understand.
In regards to the solar eclipse question, I did see the solar eclipse last August. I went with my boyfriend who I had been with for a month at that point. We observed it at the parking lot at Opry Mills mall. There were many people out shopping that day, and everyone clustered together in the parking lot to watch the magic. The solar eclipse had a large impact on my boyfriend and I. We left the mall astonished at what we had seen and amazed at the capabilities of our world and universe.
1030--006
ReplyDelete"... What do you make of the fact that all too many humans buckle under the strain of more than they can handle? Would an all-knowing, perfectly loving god allow it? Is it our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can?"
I think that this is where faith really comes into play and your definition of faith. I believe that God does give you more than you can handle. God does not stray from giving you too hard a task. It will be hard. I do not think anything in the Bible says that the Christian path is easy. It is everything but. In fact, all of the well-known apostles say the same thing. The path of righteousness (the path of God) is hard and will be faced with many hardships. The difference, though, is that God will give you what you need to overcome it. He does not simply stand by and watch you suffer. He gives you the tools you need to overcome the hardships. Just because God is loving does not mean He will give you a life on a silver platter. God is commonly referred to as Father. As a Father (a parent), I believe you cannot keep a child from growing. You cannot stop them from getting hurt. What you can do, I believe, is help your child grow from getting hurt. Instead of shielding them from every harm, you help them deal with it and grow from it. That, in essence, is what God does for our lives. For the final question, I believe that we need to help people as much as we can. An important quote I saw online was of a professor. He told his students that we are all here in this world to help others. But it was okay if the "others" in the statement was ourselves. I think that is important when we refer to helping the world, so others may be helped. We need to understand to help ourselves if we need it. If we do not help ourselves first, there is no way we can help others. It is okay not to be okay, but you cannot stay there.
"Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?"
I find it incredibly humbling. I believe that in this day and age, we tend to think that we are at the top of the scale. Indeed we are, if you think about it such as animals. We are part of the few species that can learn, think for ourselves, use logic to solve problems, and many more. However, when we actually see that we are just a tiny speck of a dot in the Universe, I find that we are not as "top of the scale" as we like to think. We are, in fact, quite on the bottom. We are in fact a pale blue dot. We still do not know if there is an outside, extraterrestrial, living "alien" in the entirety of the Universe, but I am quite certain that we will find some evidence of some living creature out there.
Phil 1030 - 009
ReplyDelete"Do you think Elon Musk's SpaceX, or other entrepreneurial space-farers, will succeed eventually in helping humanity spread out in the solar system (and someday,maybe, beyond)? Should our government be more actively pursuing space exploration? Should it be working cooperatively with other governments? Should there be an American Space Force? Should anyone be seeking to militarize space?"
I do believe one day a capitalistic venture will take us through the cosmos, however the depending on the pretenses of said venture this gives me a slight hesitation. I believe that once we reach the technological level to achieve deep space travel and descend on another planet, there should be international laws made to protect any indigenous life or species that we may be disturbing for the sake of profit or settlement.
I do hold a somewhat unique view that we as a species should not venture into deep space looking for life until we unite as a planet and can introduce ourselves as a united species. You can imagine the complications we would face if certain countries each representing their own agendas try to make contact first for possibly nefarious reasons, and the confusion that would cause to a possibly advanced or primitive species respectively.
In terms of 'militarizing space' I am not fond of a military industrial complex, but I do feel it would not be a bad idea to have complex weapons in order to defend ourselves if we were to venture through the cosmos.
1030-006
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the question about viewing the solar eclipse, I viewed the eclipse at the football stadium at my high school. Everyone left our last class and walked out and sat in the bleachers. We were all handed those little paper glasses. I would've preferred going to my local park, and watching it there instead of listening to teachers yell at kids to sit down. Overall though, it did not have much effect on me while viewing it, but afterwards it was really cool to think about how I was able to view something that does not usually occur.
Myia Wright Section 1030-006
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: “Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?
In the wise words of Frankin D. Roosevelt, the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” There is no reason we as humans should fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials. It hasn’t been scientifically proven that we as humans have made contact with extraterrestrials, but I strongly believe that we are not the only life in the universe. I also believe the United States Government, as well as many different countries governments all over the world, do in fact have proof of extraterrestrial life, but like many people in power they don’t want to share their secrets until they know how they can benefit or control this certain aspect of life.
We should not fear the unknown, there is much to learn in the unknown. We were all unknown aspect of life in our mothers' wombs, weren't we? As we grow, we discover more about ourselves and the world around us. So why should earth be the end point for learning and discovery? I believe extraterrestrials have attempted to learn about earth and us as humans over thousands of years but maybe they are scared of us. I would be too. Many humans react violently out of fear instead of reacting in curiosity and understanding. I think, if we ever do find extraterrestrial life, and have scientific proof, we as humans would gain a lot more respect for our earth and for the things living outside of it.
1/21/19 Myia Wright Section 1030-006
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
I did view the solar eclipse last August! I first went to MTSU and got my handy-dandy solar eclipse viewing glasses so I could stare at the sun without making myself more blind than I already am. I viewed it in the middle of my apartment complexes courtyard, originally with just my boyfriend, but we were greeted by a random neighbor who we began talking to for the duration of the eclipse. The eclipse made me feel excited, knowing that I was taking part in such a rare experience of nature. I remember thinking at one point, “what if the sun never comes back” which was a freaky thought but that thought soon dissipated once the eclipse started to move along. Just like every day the sun rises and sets on all of us.
1/21/19 Section 06
DeleteYes I did to get to see the solar eclipse. In fact, I was watching it at work while doing the freight. My store manager had some glasses for us since we would going outside to get the boxes from the truck. I managed to clock out and haul my behind over to the visitor center to get the very last pair of glasses and view the total eclipse with others in the parking lot. I was in awe the entire time thinking to myself that I was finally able to see an eclipse for the very first time and get a good viewing too. It answered the question of why so many people travel just to see this eclipse for a fraction of time.
1/21/19 Section 06
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: Do you agree with William James that the "really vital question for us all is, what is this world going to be? What is life eventually going to make of itself?" In light of such questions, is it possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards things like catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, social injustice, etc.?
Response: I agree wholeheartedly with William’s comment about the vital questions we should be asking ourselves and asking others. Our decisions affect everyone in some shape or degree, and we should be concerned with its lasting effects because those after us will have to deal with what we created or to put it bluntly screwed up. This world will only be here for as long as we want it to and if we want it to be here for an eternity, we must make better decisions. In response to the question of if it is possible to pretend that certain problems don’t exist is impossible because eventually it will slap you in the face and you will be stuck wondering what to do and how to fix it with little to no time left. It is out there for you to see whether you want to or not and it will not go away by ignoring its presence. My Mom always tell me that if you want a better life or situation than what you currently have, you must face it head on and let everyone know how you feel. Bottling up your emotions and problems and pretending to not care instead of talking to the person who is making you feel this way will only make your situation worse. The mind can only handle so much lying before it becomes a ticking time bomb.
1030-10
ReplyDeleteHow does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?
When I look at the image taken by the Voyager of the Earth it makes me feel pretty lonely yet equally priviledged. In this enormous universe we are the only planet that is known to contain this amount of diverse life, it feels so lonely, but at the same time, this is exactly what makes me feel that we are the most priviledged beings in the universe to have such diversity in the species that is known to exist.
"The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?
I consider both the Earth and the Cosmos as my home as the earth is where everyone that I love and cherish exists and the cosmos is where the Earth exists, so in a large sense they both allow to be who I am today.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1030-10
ReplyDeleteI also found two links that contain an essay about,
1. Various philosophical meanings of life
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/life-meaning/#Bib
2. The cosmic perspective, which talks about if whether or not we are an ego-centered universe.
http://www.atheismandthecity.com/2013/01/the-cosmic-perspective-ego-centered.html
1/21/19 Section 06
ReplyDeleteProposed Discussion Question: If we meet an extraterrestial what would they look like ( use your imagination,guesses other people made, etc.), how advanced will they be in terms of technology, civilization, medical, and anything you can think of?
1030-10
ReplyDeleteI have a discussion question and two quiz questions.
DQ 1) Do you believe the various "extra terrestrial sightings" by people across the world, to be true?
Quiz Questions:
1) According to Maria Popova which perspective allows us to " dip back in and do the work which our time asks of us?"
2) Who said, "Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder?"
1030-10
Deletequiz question 1) telescopic perspective.
quiz question 2) Plato.
as we all know Pluto is no longer a planet, but I found an article on why it should become a planet again in response to the article about what was on the pioneer plaque and how there were nine planets at the time. https://www.scitecheuropa.eu/pluto-should-be-reclassified-as-a-planet/89017/
ReplyDeleteAnd if you want to know more about Carl Sagan I found this website that talks about everything he did in his lifetime http://www.planetary.org/about/our-founders/carl-sagan.html
PHIL 1030-009
ReplyDeleteDQ.4
Earth has been our cozy, little corner of the cosmos for quite some time. And throughout this time, it has nurtured us to the point of our first jump from the nest on July 20, 1969 when we set foot on the moon for the first time. Since that inaugural jump, humanity has been ever-expanding. However, no matter how distant we grow, our home of creation will forever be engraved into the heart of humanity. With this in mind, I personally view the cosmos as the home of living life and humanity is destined to reach further and further into it, gradually familiarizing ourselves. I try to relate this question to a house, the cosmos being the complete house, and Earth being the bedroom.
Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
ReplyDeleteI did view the solar eclipse last August. I viewed it with 3 of my friends. It made me feel happy, i guess. I am glad I got the opportunity to see it.
I also viewed it with my friends. It’s was a really cool experience. I think the coolest part for my was just thinking about what was taking place and how lucky we were to get to watch it.
ReplyDeletePHIL 1030-006
ReplyDeleteTo me it’s kinda scary to think how small we are. Compared to an ant we’re huge but compared to the world we’re so tiny. And the world compared to the everything out there... we have no idea how small we are.
PHIL 1030-009
ReplyDeleteI agree with Neil DeGrasse Tyson on the issue of underfunding NASA, but it is good to see that entrepreneurs and companies like Elon Musk and Space X are stepping up and in many cases, going further than NASA has. I think that further funding of NASAs budget would be extremely beneficial to us all. I believe that we should definitely look outside of our world and search out other inhabitable planets. I think it would be amazing if we could be a multi-plantary species. But I think that while we research outside of our planet, it is equally important to take action to begin saving our planet from our own self-destruction. Like Carl Sagan said, there is no hint that “help will come from elsewhere”. But I dont think that we need help from elsewhere to fix this problem. It is well within out abilities, but we choose again and again not to act. Scientists can only diagnose the problem. This is an issue of people in power agreeing to take them seriously enough to invest energies and time and diverting monies into the solution of saving our planet.
Should we fear to introduce ourselves to extraterrestrials? Or should we bolt go where no person has gone before? I believe we should we shouldn’t be afraid to extend our research into the depths of space but should be cautious towards extra terrestrial life. Space is seen as an endless and vast area of small planets spread out over unimaginable distances. We currently have no possible way to thoroughly explore and venture into this area of the unknown, but I believe if we were to ever acquire the technology for space travel and exploration, we should definitely take it upon ourselves to seek into the great endless pit that surrounds our small small world. However, if we were to stumble upon another source of life, it would be wise to tread lightly especially if we know little to nothing about them. Certain information would need to be observed before extraterrestrial life should be confronted. Information concerning their civilization and how smart they may be. This could be the difference in them being a threat or not towards our planet. But these problems will surely be many many years from now, as we are just only planning to go to Mars which is considerably closer than any extraterrestrial planet we may stumble upon.
ReplyDelete9
ReplyDelete"The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?
-I consider my home for now, it's the planet that I'm currently inhibiting. However, I think we have souls that come from elsewhere. Whether that be from other planets or from who knows where. I do not think our souls are always in human bodies either.
Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?
I find it to be humbling and character-building, yes. To me, it shows just how small we really are. Just a small speck of dust in a constantly expanding universe.
PHIL 1030-009
ReplyDeleteIn response to your DQ, I don't believe in the "extra terrestrial sightings" that people have claimed. As we discussed in our class, until recently (with the Harvard astronomers discovering "interstellar object" that they believe was aliens spying on us), no one with really any credibility has ever made such claims. Even with the Harvard scientists, it was heavily disputed by many well known astrophysicists. Also with all the advances in technology and CGI, at this point it would almost take a "see to believe" situation. This isn't me disputing there is other life forms. I just don't think anyone has seen any yet.
PHIL 1030-010
ReplyDelete"Do you find the pbd humbling or character-building..."
I believe that is often for the best when we really think and evaluate ourselves at a cosmic level. Regarding the pbd for me, personally, it was really weird and fascinating to really think honestly about how much our lives here on Earth really matter to the rest of the universe, which seems to be rolling by just fine, like a stream around a (space) rock.
Oftentimes, we seem to forget that there is so much more out there besides ourselves - we forget about the stars, planets, rocks, etc. that populate the vast expanse surrounding our home, and seem to really focus in on ourselves and our experiences here on Earth, ignoring the extraneous possibilities that envelop us and give way to really introspective questions.
That being said, I believe that viewing ourselves at the cosmic level is probably best done in small doses. It is good for us to break out of our normal vain of thinking to tap into these concepts of our own importance and our vital role that we may or may not play in the grand scheme of things, but to a certain extent - I also believe that we have lives here on Earth and shouldn't indulge too much in this deep expanse, as we are, in simplest terms, living breathing beings with our own emotions, aspirations, and goals, and to try to juggle all of that (maybe for me, with the possibility of struggling in some courses and figuring out what I want to do with my life) seems overbearing.
Let's pace ourselves - balance our big existential platter with a merely a side of cosmic introspection!
(How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?)
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, it makes me feel like my actions and the legacy I will leave behind will hold no true merit or achievement. In the grand scheme of endless space, what I do will be insignificant. There's no way around that, earth is just a speck of dust in the wind, and even more so for mortals. What we will be remembered by, what we hope will be remembered will be long gone in a million years. We could spend our whole lives proving ourselves, which may seem like a lot to us, but on a cosmic scale, the time we spent to make an impact is barely even a nanosecond compared to the longevity of space. Our ancestors, the previous species and life forms, they won't be remembered and they didn't make a everlasting impression, what we as humans will do will not make an impact to space, we are just a small phase, therefore what or whom I doing this for? But as I ponder on this question, it leads me to the question that I do it for my species! I work and strive to make an impact myself, but in a actuality my drive to succeed is the same drive that is humanity's. And we as individuals may not leave an impact, but hopefully we as a species will.
"The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?
DeleteOf course I consider Earth my home, it is where I was born and where my ancestors have dawned from. Although technically we are still apart of the cosmos, but in reality we grew up from the environment of Earth and all its cultural, societal, and structural parts. We didn't grown-up learning, experiencing, and being apart of the cosmos. We did all that on Earth. We will always be apart of Earth, from the moment we were born, we were assembled from the vast and scattered energy of Earth, and one day when we grow senile and pass, we will return to the Earth. The Earth is a part of everlasting space, but we are a part of mother Earth.
Do you find the pbd humbling and character-building? Or would you rather just not think about our place in the cosmic scale of things?
DeleteI find it character-building, but honestly I wouldn't like to think about it. We spend our lives so focused on mundane stressors and problems. We don't take a step back and have a cosmological perspective on how these problems are not important and that it is maybe important now, but on the scale of the universe, it would be a quickly fading blemish. Personally, I don't want to hear how my social or financial problems systematically don't mean a thing to the vast greatness of space. When I die or we die as a species, our wars, empires, cities, and cultures won't be remembered, we may have no significance than to just exist and be alive, through sheer luck. However, it is through that feeling of unworthiness that I strive to actually be something on the grand scale, as much as I can. When I think of how small and frail I am compared to space, I want to try to make that difference in size as little as possible. Through that goal, ideally I could make something of myself, through the fear and hate to just be simply forgotten and swept away by the cosmic wind.
Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?
DeleteWe should not fear what we don't understand. I believe we can only truly fear what we know. I fear death, I fear loneliness, but I do not fear the unknown. Fearing the unknown leads to irrational and hasty judgement, and through that judgement and irrationality, we can bring doom upon ourselves and our species. We must embrace what we don't know so that we may continue to learn and adapt to new environments, lifeforms, and social life. Through that knowledge we can prosper together with otherwise forms, and we may fight from time to time, but on a grand scale, one can only hope we reach a understanding. Eventually through that our technology, our resources, forms of food and water can vastly improve and adjust to the growing population of Humana, and with newfound allies and the possibility of it, we as collective minds achieve greatness.
Do you agree with William James that the "really vital question for us all is, what is this world going to be? What is life eventually going to make of itself?" In light of such questions, is it possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards things like catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, social injustice, etc.?
DeleteYes I agree with him, I'm certain that most sentient beings ponder the great question of what will our universe become, what will my world become, and what life will bring. It is something bound to happen, just like how our universe exists, it is guaranteed to happen one way or another. I also think that it is definitely possible to be indifferent to our environments or our social system. Some people don't care and won't ever and maybe that is fine. In actuality it won't matter later, therefore they may individually not care, but some people care as a species to prevent the impending hazards from our own follies, albeit the problem is technically temporary, to us it could last our whole lives and even hinder humans, therefore we care now so humans can prosper, and through that consideration we may last longer as a species. So it is definitely possible, but it is also definitely illogical, because if you care about your impact, whether good or bad, you care for your life and others, and care as a human hoping for us to last as long as we can.
found this link discussing the Big Bang: https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/big-bang-before-and-after
ReplyDeleteI also found this link discussing cosmic philosophy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAWmIogmCE4
ReplyDelete1030-10.
ReplyDelete1) "The first photos of Earth by Apollo astronauts apparently were an afterthought, not part of the mission. Do you think it hadn't occurred to NASA that such an image might be powerful and even transformative, for the consciousness and self-image of humanity? Or is that just not how astrophysical engineers think about things?"
I think that its just the way the engineers thought. They were just thinking about the scientific safety and success of it all. Then, thinking later about the future and they shouldn't just go for a run they should go for a grand slam and get these pictures of Earth. something that had never been done before, something to change the course of history forever.
2) "Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?"
I for one am glad I am not in charge. But, I believe in every decision we make we should have a little fear.This is something that can effect us in a serious way. This effect could be very good or something very bad and we aren't sure which it will be. So, yes I do believe that we should fear this a little bit. I am not sure if just trying to get in contact with random extraterrestrials is a good idea, but fear should be involved. What if they try and take over earth or blow us up? We should do some kind of research or just leave it alone. However, it would be cool to make a scientific discovery and communication with them. But, for me I am so afraid the bad would outweigh the good and I would leave it alone.
3)""The earth is a small stage in a vast cosmic arena." Do you consider Earth your home? Or the cosmos? Or both? Or neither?"
I consider Earth my home. But if I think about it in a serious and religious standpoint then its my temporary home. However the cosmos never come to mind when I think about this topic. I believe Earth being our home is in the vast universe, and yet I still think of just Earth as home. Like our small home is in this vast place.
4) "Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?"
I did see the eclipse. I was with my parents my aunt and uncle and my cousins, and my boyfriend. The eclipse made me feel from a religious standpoint in love with our God even more. But in general it made my brain go crazy. How could something so awesome happen on its own? I remember all the nightlife coming out when the eclipse was in full effect and I remember how all of these other things happened and changed because of the eclipse. It was one of the greatest and most beautiful things I've ever experienced. It was very cool.
Dean Cheevers Section 10
ReplyDeleteDo you find the pdb humbling or character-building? Or would you rather just not think our place in the cosmic scale of things?
The PBD is definitely humbling to me and enlightens me to how small and insignificant we all are. What it really highlights to me is that our problems must be solved by us. Its our responsibility and we only have our pale blue dot for the survival of our species
I think it’s crucial to think about our place in the cosmos. We need to think about the bigger scale of who we are.
I agree with what your saying about how we need to think about the bigger scale of who we are. I think we should put more focus onto problems that cause damage to our only habitable planet. We should worry about climate change and how we are indefinitely killing our planet. I think we should focus on finding another habitable planet. Or figure out a way to make mars habitable who knows. Maybe we don't have the technology for that but should be a focus.
DeleteDean Cheevers Section 10
ReplyDeleteElon Musk’s Space X will succeed in spreading humanity because more people are coming on board with his project and the money is there to back it. I think our government should pursure it more and with other nations. Just like the International Space Station, more nations working on a project speeds it up and gives it more financial support. On the bigger picture, it allows the World to come together for a common cause.
Dean Cheevers Section 10
ReplyDeleteHwo does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we’ve ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance?
This makes precious to the fact we are so small and rare. It shows me that every second of our experience on thisnplanet should not be taken for granted. Becuase of this, we should all attempt for get along and try create as much positivity for everyone as we can.
It really is crazy to think that we are just a spec on this long line of time. But we consider everything in our lives and media so significant. I think what makes it so significant is time. The fact that time is limited makes life precious and should try to avoid foolish wars or fights.
DeleteDean Cheevers Section 10
ReplyDeleteFirst Photos of Earthby Apollo.
I think the significance of Nasa not thinking about taking the photo symbolizes the mindset that we are so focused on going somewhere else, rather than looking on our origin. Nasa seemed to be just so focused on their possible destination rather than the base.
Ethan Hall 1030-010
ReplyDeleteWeekly Essay
Space exploration is an exciting topic to explore. For centuries space has intrigued mankind, but only in recent decades has mankind been able to explore space first hand. Since the spike in interest during the space race, not much progress has been made. Today the U.S government spends very little on space exploration relative to decades ago. In the absence of government funding, companies like Elon Musk’s Space X have risen to the forefront of space exploration. If Space X’s progress continues, government funding could be forced to return.
If Space X continues it's ventures in space exploration, I believe it is very possible for them to one day succeed in spreading humanity throughout the solar system. Once Space X develops the necessary technology to complete such a task, I believe government interest will return, competition will ensue globally, and we will experience another boom of progress in space exploration. In other words, private companies will make small steps, and governments will step in to receive credit for the giant leaps in mankind.
At this point in time, I don’t think governments should invest their resources into space exploration. I believe governments should focus their resources for the benefit of those who provide those resources -the taxpayer. If governments leave space exploration to the free markets, eventually the technology to efficiently collect from taxpayers across the solar system will emerge. At this point, I believe governments should and will reinvest their resources.
Found this link to Space X' Mars mission:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.spacex.com/mars
How much The U.S spends today on space exploration:
https://www.thebalance.com/nasa-budget-current-funding-and-history-3306321
"Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" by Neil deGrasse Tyson is an entertaining primer on the basics of physics in the Cosmos:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32191710-astrophysics-for-people-in-a-hurry
If you'd like a fun thought experiment on humankind's first contact with an alien spacecraft, check out "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clark:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama
I don't think we should fear to introduce ourselves to extraterrestrial life. There are pros and cons to it but in my opinion, the pros outway the cons. Pros being the possibility in the advancements we could make from making contact and vice versa. We have the ability to help out some other existence. Cons being an more advanced existence desperate for a place to inhabit, resulting in a "war of worlds".
ReplyDelete009
DeleteI did get to see the solar eclipse. I was working as a welder at the time and was able to watch it through the welding mask with my co-workers. In all honesty, I didn't think the eclipse was anything more than a reason to get me out of work for 15-20 minutes. Nonetheless, it provided for an exciting moment in an otherwise ordinary day.
ReplyDeleteIn response to: "Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?"
ReplyDeleteI did. I viewed it at MTSU with an old boyfriend and a few hundred strangers around us. It was a beautiful day for a solar eclipse. Once the solar eclipse reached its climax, it became dark and calm. For a minute, a strange silence washed over everything while everyone stared at the it. While I stared at it, I felt amazed and excited by how beautiful it was.
I have something for discussion.
ReplyDeleteDo you believe the money used for space exploration would be better used in climate research and project? If so, why?
I think it should be used for climate research. While space exploration is important for the sake of humanity, climate change is an issue we're facing now and at a very fast rate. Space exploration is helpful in ways for us to possibly find other means of life outside of earth, but if we have countries and continents here on earth that are being impacted by decisions we've made, why aren't we making an effort to help them. Many countries are suffering from drought, flooding, wildfire, etc. and the money that we're using for future space exploration should be used for current issues that are impacting our world now.
DeleteI also agree with Alejandra because at the moment we as a species are killing the planet which will be irreversible meanwhile space will still be there. Maybe surrounding planets or stars may change but they will not go extinct like many of the species and plants on Earth. In addition, we should prioritize researching climate change because Earth is our home and the only planet that can maintain life.
DeleteCody Maness Section 11
ReplyDeleteHere's a fun video about a philosophy that helps process the hugeness of the universe and our existence in it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRqu0YOH14
It's from one of my favorite Youtube channels about science. Hope you like it!
Cameron Ghalami Section12
ReplyDelete!. Does "Pale Blue Dot" make anyone else think of Dr. Suess' "Horton Hears a Hoo"? Or does anyone else already think of life in that sort of mindset? (The universe is forever repeating and we are probably just a spec of dusk on something much larger than ourselves)
2. Do you think interests have risen or declined regarding the exploration of space and the universe? Why or why not?
3. Do you agree that we should be doubling NASA's budget?
Heather Faulkner, Section 12
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: “How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?”
When I look at the pale blue dot, I think about how fortunate I am to be even an infinitesimally small part of this vast existence. In a way, I believe my human insignificance is beautiful, and inspiring. No, there isn’t a grand scheme surrounding my place here on earth, there isn’t another life awaiting me after I die, and there isn’t a predetermined set of life experiences or events written just for me. The universe will keep on going after I die, and after humans as a whole are gone, just as it did before. I only have one life, one chance to be in this playground of a universe, full of mystery and bigger than I can ever comprehend. My limited consciousness isn’t one that I am entitled to, it is one that I am lucky to have because of the nature of my small existence. My consciousness has a beginning and an unpredictable end, which encourages me to experience, explore, discover, and live now.
Heather Faulkner, Section 12
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: “Do you agree with William James that the "really vital question for us all is, what is this world going to be? What is life eventually going to make of itself?" In light of such questions, is it possible to maintain a posture of indifference towards things like catastrophic climate change, nuclear proliferation, social injustice, etc.?”
I agree wholeheartedly with what William James said. It is our responsibility, as a collective group of individuals, to determine what impact we want to have on this earth. With roughly 7 billion people on our planet, close to max capacity, ignoring catastrophic climate change, and a long history of social injustices, it is evident that indifference to these issues is possible. However, it is not possible to be perpetually indifferent and have a world that functions well, nonetheless one that survives. It is imperative that every individual on this planet strives to better the world, or we will be faced with the ultimate consequences of our actions, from how we treat our planet (worsening natural disasters), to our inability to live with one another in peace (potential of nuclear war).
Heather Faulkner, Section 12
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: “A follow-up from last time: one of us shared the personal philosophy that "God never gives us more than we can handle." But we'd just considered the case of the "Cleveland working-man" mentioned by James in Pragmatism, who took his own life in despair and desperation because he could not support his family. What do you make of the fact that all too many humans buckle under the strain of more than they can handle? Would an all-knowing, perfectly loving god allow it? Is it our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for as many of our peers as we can?”
It is our responsibility to improve the conditions of life for ourselves, and our peers. If an all powerful, loving God really existed, there would be no evil, no pain, because why would it have to exist? Why would we have to come to an imperfect world to suffer, make mistakes, and be subject to the temptations of a devil in order for only a fraction of us to one day live in a blissful heaven? Would he really give us more than we can handle (which he clearly does because those of us who can’t handle warding off the temptation of sin will be sent to an eternal hell)? If God created such a system, is he really loving? If such a system is out of God’s control, is he really all powerful? We, as people, need to take responsibility for the bad in our world, because it is our actions that influence it. As long as we don’t think of it as our responsibility, change will never happen. Depression, disaster, and violence will worsen, if we don’t encourage ourselves to look inward, rather than outward, for our answers.
On one of the discussion questions, there was an idea of us being a spec of dust in this cosmo. This idea of every person I've ever known in my entire life was just part of a small timeline on a spec of dust in this vast universe scares me. Not necessarily in a fearful way but more so in the manner of that I'll be part of this short timeline on this spec of dust. This thought that every celebrity, every politician, every poet, author, writer- whoever they were- have come and gone in what could be considered instantaneously.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder about what impact I've made or I can make in this world. Sure, I could have made an impact in someone's life or an impact in my community, but on this spec of dust, will any impact I've made matter after I'm gone? Knowing that we're floating in space and there may or may not be other life forms in the vast universe is a scary thought.
I wanted to put this in a separate post since it didn't relate to my response. But I was with some family friends while I was writing this comment. I asked them if they wanted to watch the video of the pale blue dot with me. Once we finished the video, one of my friends showed me this other video that sort of goes along the idea of being humble and how we're just small bits and pieces on this spec of dust. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67tHtpac5ws
ReplyDeleteThis video is about a pencil. A simple pencil that thousands of people are connected to. This video made me think of all the things I've ever used and how it may have impacted the person who made it, sold it, unpackaged it and everything. Thousands of people can be responsible for one little pencil. This video was really interesting to watch. Hopefully you guys enjoy it too.
(Section 11)
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so minuscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,... ?
Honestly, I think about the fact that we are so tiny compared to everything else in the universe often. Knowing people have been so far away from Earth that it was a 0.12 pixel in size makes me feel insignificant and makes everything I do feel pointless.
What is our purpose on this small planet?
Why do we work so hard for things that don't matter because we are so insignificant?
Why do we do ANYTHING because it seems so pointless?
Are we alone?
I asked my work friends and my boyfriend what they thought to get other thoughts and opinions.
My friends brought up the same questions that I had. One of my coworkers asked,, "Who was the first person in the universe? We had to come from somewhere." Another said, "I think we should feel significant because IF we are the only life out there, then WE ARE THE ONLY LIFE OUT THERE. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE." Some of my coworkers walked away when we had these conversations because they had no idea how to respond.
My boyfriend said, "The universe might be huge, but everything that we need is here on Earth (at least for right now)." He also asked If we will ever go to space. That is a question him and I wasn't sure how to talk about or what to say. I would love to talk about that in class and hear what other people think.
(Section 11)
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question: Did you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
The Eclipse was MAJOR in my town. I had started college at TTU and they had a HUGE event. I had went with a few high school friends. Watching it made me feel a way I've never felt and I can't even describe it. I was completely lost in the moment. It was one of those things that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Raymond Curry Section 11
ReplyDeleteI do think entrepreneurship has a place in the human future in space. The major thing holding space exploration back is the cost of getting into orbit. Government is good and necessary for many things but they are not good at doing things cheaply. I think entrepreneurial spirit will eventually drive down the costs of getting us into space.
I think we should be spending a lot more on space exploration. The more we know, the easier we can solve problems here on Earth.
Sarah Hamilton Section 11
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the solar eclipse of 2018, but I did see the one in August 2017. I was at work,and because I work at a daycare my boss got glasses for all the children and the teachers. It was breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it and I don't know if I ever will again. It made me speechless and thankful that I got to experience something that I may never get to experience again.
I got to witness the 2017 eclipse with my niece and totally agree that it was a breathtaking experience. It also made me think a lot about passed civilizations that didn't know exactly wha was happening and how scared they must have been.
Delete2017 was an incredible experience. The eclipse was a very humbling experience. All the bugs stopped and there was a surreal silence. It makes you feel just how small you are.
Deletesection 11
ReplyDeleteI believe that "the eternal silence of these infinite spaces frighten" because as humans we are always searching for reassurance. It just happens that space does not provide us with any reassurance because only a portion of space has been explored or taken into consideration. Also i feel like many people tend to be frighten because they are scared to take into consideration that there may or may not be other sources of life on different planets. Which of course this all leads back to being scared to explore the unknown because we do not know exactly what to expect. I also believe that people are scared to explore more of outer space because all we know about is life on earth. What i mean by this is that we have an understanding of how earth's natural cycles and environment function but with unknown planets that have been discovered or not researched as much we feel a bit of uncertainty.
Section 11
ReplyDeleteAs humans we are incredibly insignificant in every way. In every religion it seems that we are lesser beings. But there is something unique about this pale blue dot. No other planet that has been found has the potential for life. Even in our own insignificance we still have uniqueness.
Section 11
ReplyDeleteHonestly, distance makes literally every thing look unimpressive. To get an actual informed, detailed experience/opinion one must get up close and inspect from every angle.
Section 011
ReplyDeleteDid you see the solar eclipse last August? Did you view it alone, or in the company of others? How did it make you feel?
I did. I went with my family to watch it at MTSU. It was insanely interesting. It is a really neat phenomenon that is rare enough to get excited about. Solar eclipses aren’t that uncommon, but what is uncommon is having one go right over your house. It made me feel amazed that people can predict when and where such cosmic events will occur with such striking accuracy.
Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?
I think it would be a good idea to observe any alien species we encounter for a little bit before we go to interact with them. I would rather not just approach a group of aliens that may or may not consider murder a fun pasttime. Hopefully most extraterrestrials would have morals similar to those of humans, but that is probably not likely. Cautious optimism would be my approach.
Hey Andrew, I did see the eclipse and I agree it was amazing. I got to see it with friends and family and we had a great day trying to catch up with it to see it for the longest amount of time.
DeleteDiscussion question:
ReplyDeleteDo you think that astronomy should be a required course in high schools and/or colleges? Why or why not?
yes, because it presents the fact that there is so much beyond us that we do not tend to think about. The topic itself poses questions that some of us don't even know the answer to. I think that it is a very interesting topic and it allows students to think beyond what we have and think about more than just earth itself. It is crazy to think about how vast and unknown the universe is.
DeleteI'm not sure. I think it would certainly be a cool elective, but for people, such as myself, who know that they would like to pursue a career in say medicine, I feel like it would be a waste of time.
DeleteSection 11
ReplyDeleteI believe that humanity is destined to explore the depths of space, but we are not destined to live anywhere else besides Earth. Human beings are very curious creature, always looking to obtain knowledge about the great unknowns of the universe. With things like the Voyager probe, we can explore the outer limits of our solar system and look upon great things. However, we are not going to find a new planet to live on. Earth is extremely unique when compared to the other planets in our solar system. There is a very small chance that we will ever find or create another planet like Earth.
Alternative Quiz Question: Who believes that it is time for us to make big investments into space exploration?
3. "The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me." said Blaise Pascal. Why frightens, rather than intrigues, mystifies, or (say) haunts?
I think Pascal uses the word frightens to signify how we are truly alone in the universe and how overly empty the universe is. if it was any of the other word described, the feeling would be that we could eventually learn more or understand it.
Section 11
DeleteI feel the same way you do about exploring space! I think that it could teach us how to preserve life on Earth. Earth is unique to us. It is our home.
(How does it make you feel, when you consider that everything and everyone we've ever known appears so miniscule from so relatively near a distance (near, at least, on the cosmic scale)? Small, insignificant, lucky, privileged, grateful,.)
ReplyDeleteIt is honestly irrelevant to me personally. Relatively speaking on our perspective as humans it doesn't really matter since we're so close together all on the same planet. In the far future this might change, but since currently we all exist on the same planet I'd say for most people its pretty irrelevant in their day to day lives.
S#11
ReplyDeleteWhat will be the anniversary significance of July 20, 2019 for today's topic? because I don 't know this quotes!!
section 13
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the Pale Blue Dot, it was kinda eye opening for it showed that the earth is huge right now but when looking at it in space, it is just a small spec among so much more that we don't know about. It went on about how special or insignificant each life is on earth and kinda how precious each one is. I do not care if they are insignificant or not they all could have the potential to be the one to send us to the stars or keep us on earth for all of eternity.
I know this is really late but i did read educated by Tara Westover and it was quite interesting. I recommend anyone who has not read it yet to because it is that good. Also, she goes into how her life was drastically different from many others around her and how she easily changed it through so much hard work. I would take that as a lesson as anyone can overcome any challenge.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of space travel, I think that we should focus on fixing what we have here on earth before we think about traveling to space and establishing our presence there. We have everything that we need here on earth and we should work on improving the things that we already have. They have been saying that we will go to mars but no one has been to mars and I think that it can be achieved but it is a complicated process that may not be executed in our lifetime. I also think that if we collaborate with other governments or countries about going to space it would benefit us in the long run because we could figure out the best way to execute the travel to space and beyond if it were possible or worth it. Overall, I think that travel to space is possible but it may not be in sight until many many years beyond us but what we can focus on in the mean time is creating a better place to live with what we have now. There are always improvements to be made here on earth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. We need to make sure that everything here is taken care of before we consider starting somewhere else. I think that some people would think about it as a way of escaping the problems here, but many of the societal problems will just follow us where ever we go.
DeleteYou make a great point. It is very logical to put our squabbles aside and help each other to learn more about the world and what we can do to fix it.
DeleteI believe that the universe works in ways that us humans cannot understand or grasp. We should put more of our faith into learning about the secrets that the universe holds instead of spending so much money on military weapons and applications. The important keys to life are held within the laws of the universe and we should pay more attention to unlocking these secrets.
ReplyDelete- "Should we fear to introduce ourselves to unknown extraterrestrials? Or should we "boldly go where no one has gone before"?"
ReplyDeleteI don't believe there is a reason to fear the unknown, but I also don't think we should "boldly" face whatever could be in the universe. However, I highly doubt that time will ever come during the rest of our lifetime. Think of Pluto for one moment. We all have a general idea that it takes a long time to travel to any planet. NASA launched a small spacecraft called New Horizons in 2006. It didn't reach Pluto until 2015. That's 9 years! Imagine trying to go on a quest looking for extraterrestrial life within our galaxy and beyond. I do believe there is more life of some sorts out there and maybe one day in a couple hundred or thousand years we will make contact. Who knows, maybe meeting other forms of life could change the ways of human thinking forever...
This site was used for the general info and it also goes into more detail about the spacecraft and other facts: https://phys.org/news/2015-03-pluto.html
Watching this video really puts into perspective just how small we are. We go throughout life with our selfishness and pride, thinking all about ourselves. The idea of having wars on our only place of survival is actually kind of silly. Just think about it. Hey were just gonna use a nuclear bomb on this war that might cause radiation. I get this idea from this TV show the 100. I don't know if anyone has seen it but basically the earth was inhabitable due to the earth having radiation all over cause of nuclear warfare. Whether this is actually a possibility or not its just mind blowing that were fighting and killing over land and power that is only temporary. Say you were to have wealth and power then what. You die. You going to take it with you? No.
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Hayden Goodridge - Section 6
ReplyDelete"The first photos of Earth by Apollo astronauts apparently were an afterthought, not part of the mission. Do you think it hadn't occurred to NASA that such an image might be powerful and even transformative, for the consciousness and self-image of humanity? Or is that just not how astrophysical engineers think about things?"
This past summer I read the powerful Tom Wolfe nonfiction book, The Right Stuff, about the first astronauts to reach space. The most shocking thing, to me, about the narrative was the utter lack of sentimentality within the minds of the astronauts on the Mercury Project. Alan Shephard, the first American to reach space, treated the entire mission as a standard flying procedure without any regard to the fact that he was making human history.
Therefore, its not surprising to me that the idea of taking a photo of earth during Apollo 11 was an afterthought to the astronauts on the mission. There seems to be little overlap between the thinking of astronauts and poets, and the men on the mission surely had it in their minds that they were simply there to follow standard operating procedures.
Hayden Goodridge - Section 6
ReplyDeleteIs the prospect of space tourism frivolous? Or would humanity become a more peaceable and mutually-caring species if more of us could lay eyes directly on the Pale Blue Dot for ourselves?
Call me reactionary but I believe the concept of exploring space and other planets to live should be the least of our global concerns at this time. I love the Earth very dearly, and if humanity begins to get it into their heads that the earth that breeded our species—the earth that we are literally made from—is expendable, then we will see even less regard for our cherished planet than we are witnessing right now. Since no alternative planet to live currently exists, we need to cultivate a deep respect and appreciation for the earth in order to halt the disastrous effect the Anthropocene age is having on our land and resources. I don't think it takes venturing out to space in order to appreciate the Earth we inhabit. All it takes is a sobering walk by a meandering stream to appreciate the beauty of our environment.
Carl Sagan's expert from "A Pale Blue Dot" provides an eye opening explanation of the need to continue space exploration. It also really shows how small and almost insignificant we are. All these great discoveries, great individuals, and great moments in history and none of it kind of matters. That's crazy to think about. There is so much out there, and we don't know the half of it.
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DeleteI believe that humanity will continue to want to explore and will always try to go the extra mile to take control. But first we need to take care of our own environment before we go above and beyond in space. A large portion of the ocean is still unexplored, our ozone is being destroyed by our ways, environments are burning or being taken apart as I'm typing. We focus too much of our time bashing each other or starting fights, whether it be on the global scale or a city wide scale, while we should be focused on working together to better the planet. What is the point in leaving when we are going to do the same to the next place? Change is needed
ReplyDeleteConsidering how small we are within the infinite cosmos, it really makes me appreciate my life a little bit more. Especially the small things that bring me joy, like coffee in the morning, the smell of lavender within my house. Hanging with friends or having a well deserved smoke break at work. Knowing all of that is miniscule, compared to the grand picture just makes me appreciate it that much more.
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ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/yJSiUm6jvI0
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