Essay by Carl Sagan.
This is an amazing essay.
It really changed my train of thought and made me think..
What do you believe?
Why do you think we can/can not know the universe? (within reason)
This is my response to the question so far, in an oral that I am presenting to my class.
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It is very unlikely that the human race will ever fully understand the universe. Man just wasn?t meant to grasp all the enigmas that are presented in the world. Carl Sagan once said: ?Our perceptions may be distorted by training and prejudice or merely because of the limitations of our sense organs, which, of course perceive directly but a small fraction of the phenomena of the world.? (Sagan) Long ago, the peoples of the past were confident they understood all aspects of the world, and its creation. However, it is very easy for ones philosophies to be altered quickly when faced with new evidence and ideas. In the current state of evolution, the human mind, through physical or mental limitations, cannot understand all, or even most, of the world?s mysteries and happenings. Man is a curious animal and that curiosity, coupled with man?s desire to ?understand?, pushes him forward towards knowledge. Some things are meant to be understood, and some things clearly are not.
It will be a long time before we are able to leave this galaxy and explore the universe as the seas were explored in the past. Humans were created with a small planet in mind, and man?s body was not meant to live in any other atmosphere. As time has gone by, humans have learnt to adapt to the green world more commonly known as earth. The human lungs can only breathe the rich oxygen that trees and plants produce. We are tuned to a very specific climate. The cycle of life is dependent on too many variables. The idea of these variables being created again somewhere else in the universe to provide a new home for man is a very interesting possibility. If it were ever possible to leave our galaxy, it would be a challenge just to survive upon arrival. Although humans are very impressive mammals, they are just far too dependent on their native habitat to endure a drastic change.
Human beings are strongly motivated to find regularities and natural laws that determine the structure of the universe. The search for these rules and understanding of them is called science. The universe forces those who live in it to understand it. That?s not to say that man has not made amazing discoveries. Being able to map a piece of the Universe is certainly worth mentioning, but what about being able to travel in it? It is the inner curiosity innate to human beings that drive them to learn and understand more about their surroundings. It is too early to tell whether or not people will be able to explore the galaxies of the universe like the early settlers explored the great seas. However, technology has advanced to such a degree that journeys across space seem entirely plausible in the future.
If, at this point in time, man still cannot decipher why the atoms of a grain of salt hold themselves together like they do, then it is highly doubtful that the human race will understand wormholes in the near future. Where does one begin if they have no idea how to identify what they are trying to understand? How much is happening around the world that can?t be seen, heard or felt? People lack the natural ability and senses to detect everything going on around them. Tiny objects floating through the air are not visible, nor felt. They are so fine that our vision cannot detect them, and our bodies cannot feel them. If this is any example, it goes to show that the human body wasn?t meant to detect and understand everything around it, as it just was not made to sense and be aware of the finer details happening around it.
At our current rate, it is hard to believe that we will last long enough to see the rest of the universe. Take the fall of Rome for example. It was a horrible time for humanity--the destruction of art, the collapse of great cities and the fall of the most advanced architecture the world had ever seen. It is hard to imagine that any good came out of it, but some did. It seems that whenever society advances to a certain point, something happens to restart the process of development. Einstein once said ?I know not with which weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV, will be fought with sticks and stones.? The world will be responsible for its own destruction. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury depicts a world where technological developments have created an easier place to live. The cost, however, is a time of censorship and a place where there is far too much emphasis control. The powers and governments of the planet have forced society to the point of self destruction. (Bradbury Quote #1)
It can only be hoped that some day the world?s secrets can be understood to a greater degree than they are in the present. The theories that are proposed today on things like black holes are merely ?guesstimations?. Because there is no way to truly observe them, it has been almost impossible to learn more about them. The nature of the human race, however, will not allow something such as black holes to be seen and not understood. It is only a matter of time before the initiative is taken to further understand them. Technologies will be developed for the sole cause of greater knowledge. When even the origins of our very planet are a mystery, one must wonder if there are some things that should not be known!
--------------------------------------------
Phuz
This is an amazing essay.
It really changed my train of thought and made me think..
What do you believe?
Why do you think we can/can not know the universe? (within reason)
This is my response to the question so far, in an oral that I am presenting to my class.
---------------------------------------------------------------
It is very unlikely that the human race will ever fully understand the universe. Man just wasn?t meant to grasp all the enigmas that are presented in the world. Carl Sagan once said: ?Our perceptions may be distorted by training and prejudice or merely because of the limitations of our sense organs, which, of course perceive directly but a small fraction of the phenomena of the world.? (Sagan) Long ago, the peoples of the past were confident they understood all aspects of the world, and its creation. However, it is very easy for ones philosophies to be altered quickly when faced with new evidence and ideas. In the current state of evolution, the human mind, through physical or mental limitations, cannot understand all, or even most, of the world?s mysteries and happenings. Man is a curious animal and that curiosity, coupled with man?s desire to ?understand?, pushes him forward towards knowledge. Some things are meant to be understood, and some things clearly are not.
It will be a long time before we are able to leave this galaxy and explore the universe as the seas were explored in the past. Humans were created with a small planet in mind, and man?s body was not meant to live in any other atmosphere. As time has gone by, humans have learnt to adapt to the green world more commonly known as earth. The human lungs can only breathe the rich oxygen that trees and plants produce. We are tuned to a very specific climate. The cycle of life is dependent on too many variables. The idea of these variables being created again somewhere else in the universe to provide a new home for man is a very interesting possibility. If it were ever possible to leave our galaxy, it would be a challenge just to survive upon arrival. Although humans are very impressive mammals, they are just far too dependent on their native habitat to endure a drastic change.
Human beings are strongly motivated to find regularities and natural laws that determine the structure of the universe. The search for these rules and understanding of them is called science. The universe forces those who live in it to understand it. That?s not to say that man has not made amazing discoveries. Being able to map a piece of the Universe is certainly worth mentioning, but what about being able to travel in it? It is the inner curiosity innate to human beings that drive them to learn and understand more about their surroundings. It is too early to tell whether or not people will be able to explore the galaxies of the universe like the early settlers explored the great seas. However, technology has advanced to such a degree that journeys across space seem entirely plausible in the future.
If, at this point in time, man still cannot decipher why the atoms of a grain of salt hold themselves together like they do, then it is highly doubtful that the human race will understand wormholes in the near future. Where does one begin if they have no idea how to identify what they are trying to understand? How much is happening around the world that can?t be seen, heard or felt? People lack the natural ability and senses to detect everything going on around them. Tiny objects floating through the air are not visible, nor felt. They are so fine that our vision cannot detect them, and our bodies cannot feel them. If this is any example, it goes to show that the human body wasn?t meant to detect and understand everything around it, as it just was not made to sense and be aware of the finer details happening around it.
At our current rate, it is hard to believe that we will last long enough to see the rest of the universe. Take the fall of Rome for example. It was a horrible time for humanity--the destruction of art, the collapse of great cities and the fall of the most advanced architecture the world had ever seen. It is hard to imagine that any good came out of it, but some did. It seems that whenever society advances to a certain point, something happens to restart the process of development. Einstein once said ?I know not with which weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV, will be fought with sticks and stones.? The world will be responsible for its own destruction. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury depicts a world where technological developments have created an easier place to live. The cost, however, is a time of censorship and a place where there is far too much emphasis control. The powers and governments of the planet have forced society to the point of self destruction. (Bradbury Quote #1)
It can only be hoped that some day the world?s secrets can be understood to a greater degree than they are in the present. The theories that are proposed today on things like black holes are merely ?guesstimations?. Because there is no way to truly observe them, it has been almost impossible to learn more about them. The nature of the human race, however, will not allow something such as black holes to be seen and not understood. It is only a matter of time before the initiative is taken to further understand them. Technologies will be developed for the sole cause of greater knowledge. When even the origins of our very planet are a mystery, one must wonder if there are some things that should not be known!
--------------------------------------------
Phuz
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