You are confusing size with significance. Telescopes show us that we are infinitessimally small, yes. However that is not the same as concluding we are insignificant. At this stage I'm not saying we *are* significant - simply showing there is a distinction between tiny & miniscule, and being insignificant. A speck of dust is tiny but can still short out important microelectronics. A single sugar molecule is absolutely miniscule but can be still detected by an ant, which will then use it to find the sugar source. Just 2 simple examples which come to mind.
A thought is not only tiny, but absolutely immaterial - since the neural network we can maybe map for the thought, is only a map, or a scientific analogy, and not the thought itself. The thought itself is subjective, and fleeting - and yet when put into speech or action, can conceivably change the whole environment.
Most of all, you don't "get" that no matter how tiny we are in the face of the Universe, the fact we are conscious and creative beings makes as qualitatively different from all the other inanimate matter out there, which means not just stars and planets and gases, but also Space itself. So: compared to the Universe we are absolutely tiny. But whether this means we are also insignificant - that doesn't necessarily follow at all.
Flame » in reply to The burden of proof
Not really!
The whole thread (136 posts)
- Survivor of the tornado
- re: This has been a great post Art! (n/t)
- I'm with you Art
- The insignificance of humanity
- re: Insignificant by WHOM?
- Yeah, but who created that telescope, that satellite; and who's doing the looking?
- The burden of proof
- Not really!
- Not really!
- re: The burden of proof
- re: The burden of proof
- Great Response, Daniel!! (n/t)
- The burden of proof
- Hubble image (fairly large)
- You can call Humanity many things, but unimportant is not one of them.
- But we are unimportant, insignificant!
- re: But we are unimportant, insignificant!
- I disagree
- We cannot claim "intelligence" is the summum of the universe
- Without intelligence, the Universe may as well not even exist.
- re:Maybe we are unimportant per se...but we are worthwhile (n/t)
- We can claim "intelligence" is rare in this universe
- We cannot claim "intelligence" is the summum of the universe
- Humanity is the proverbial mustard seed.
- But we are unimportant, insignificant!
- Cosmic Unimportance
- re: I'm with you Art
- The insignificance of humanity
- re: The natural world....
- I think it comes down to an issue of tollerance Art.
- re: Survivor of the tornado
- re: Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.
- Reaping the Whirlwind
- " We simply have to walk around like zombies and love the cosmic practical joker. "
- Premises
- Jesus still loves you. =) (n/t)
- Somebody thanks God for surviving a terrible event and you go bizerk.
- re: I used to feel the way you do Art.
- Tell ya what...
