Cosmic Philosophy B. Mitchell H03

Brendan Mitchell

Philosophy - H03

Dr. Phil Oliver

Oct. 1, 2018

Cosmic Philosophy (Pale Blue Dot, Carl Sagan)

            There are 2 trillion galaxies, 100 billion stars in each of those galaxies, and 100 billion trillion more planets in their respective solar systems, and this only in the observable universe. Now, imagine the year is 2500 and your traveling around the galaxy in your spaceship when it malfunctions. You take the escape pod to live, but the auto pilot malfunctions, so now you must navigate the escape manually. You’re in some shit now. Quite simply, no human is capable of navigating the depth of space because we have no real understanding of it. To this point in time we have been able to figure more things about space that we don’t know than we do: the percentage is 96% don’t know and 4% in the know. As Carl Sagan’s predecessor Neil DeGrasse Tyson puts it in his new book, “the universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” To understand the overall scope of the universe we must take a page out of the sceptic Pyrrho’s book: we must accept that we know nothing.

            Let us start with what we do know. We know that the Earth is “the only home we’ve ever known”, we know “for the moment the Earth is where stand”, and we know that there is “no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves”. These quotes are from Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot. Because we know these things, Sagan believes humanity to be a bit naïve as I interpreted it. Humans feel as if our home is privileged (in a way it is because it gave way to life) because through the almighty powers of God: he created us here on Earth for a reason. And for many centuries humans thought Earth to be the center of the universe just because that’s what it looked like from Earth, hence why God put us on Earth. But today we understand through science that we are at the center of nothing, but rest at an equilibrium able to create and sustain life from matter, “star stuff” as Neil DeGrasse Tyson calls it. Because of our perception from Earth, I can understand how the ancient humans thought Earth would be at the center, or privileged because when one looks up at the night sky to notice the stars seemingly circling us, the ignorant human can only inquire about how and why the universe works, but in reality, we don’t know anything about anything in regard to the universe. 

            Plato was the first to present the idea that we are led astray by our senses. From our vantage point on Earth I believe it to be very easy to let our sense lead us astray because we have tiny bits of knowledge of how the universe operates. Plato’s parable about the cave describes people chained facing a wall with a fire at their backs. The only thing they know to be real are their shadows. When one man breaks free to discover essentially another world (just the outside of the cave), the others have no choice but to discredit him because seeing is believing. Because of their perception of the world they can’t decipher what’s real or just a shadow. Think about this in the case of Earth. Given the fact humans can’t decipher 96% of what the universe is made of, who are we to say we are reality or just a shadow. Until we can venture out of our atmosphere at our own leisure and study that 96%, I believe that we in fact no nothing at all like Pyrrho said. 

            I hate to be a sceptic, but also relish that I am. It’s certainly true that ignorance is bliss on Earth, but when it comes to the universe ignorance is the most terrifying thing about it. Arthur C. Clarke puts it best when he says, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” The pure fact that we as humans have zero proof of why we were created for what purpose we have should make you feel small. If other life exists it’s our duty as humans to find it; if for nothing else than to find the God. If God is reachable to humans the next step to finding him is to venture out into space. 

As humans we need to consider who we are in regard to the universe. Why be the “momentary masters of a fraction of dust” when we could be masters of the universe. The Earth is precious to us, I know. But what happens when the universe doesn’t allow humans to live here anymore? This is an opinion many modern scientists believe to be inevitable, and so do I. As humans, we must work harder to understand the universe. To believe that God is confined to Earth is idiotic and to believe we are privileged in any way is arrogant. To moderately grasp this one can look at the iconic pale blue dot picture taken by Voyager I. We are so small and insignificant, and we forget that most of the time. So, I beg, “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,” Carl Sagan. 

Links:

https://www.space.com/13172-7-surprising-universe-facts.html

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1816628-pale-blue-dot-a-vision-of-the-human-future-in-space

http://hubblesite.org

Books:

Pale Blue Dotby Carl Sagan

A Little History of Philosophyby Nigel Warburton 

Astrophysics for People in a Hurryby Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Questions:

1) What percentage of the universe is unobservable?

-96%

2) Who said we are all made up of “star stuff”?

-Neil DeGrasse Tyson

3) How many galaxies are in the known universe?

-2 trillion

4) What philosopher reinforces the idea that since we don’t know what consists of most of the universe, we therefore know nothing at all?

-Pyrrho

Discussion Questions:

1)   Is it okay to assume that since there is a known and unknown universe that God is not confined to Earth?

2)   Is it essential for humanity to survive over the years to reach further and further into space or stay at home and find the answers here?