How did the universe begin? What is its structure? Where is the universe headed? I feel like I should be interested in these questions. That I should care about the answers.
When I read about theories that deal with these questions, I find the content interesting for awhile, but then I realize that the information conveyed is not important to me. I can't use it to connect with other people, appreciate art, do my job, pick a hiking route, stay healthy, cook a meal, and so on. It has entertainment value, and that isn't without merit. But like most forms of entertainment, the content is mostly inconsequential. How does it matter if I, or you, have a better understanding of the possible origin of the universe? Will the potential fate of our universe have an impact on us during the handful of decades that we are alive? Most branches of physics obviously have a profound impact on our lives, and in fact we experience these impacts many times every day. Physical cosmology, however, seems to be superfluous.
Other than providing us with conversational material to pass the time with, I don't see a use for investigations into the origin and fate of our universe. However, I wouldn't mind having my mind changed. Do you think such investigations are important? Why?
My ex-girlfriend used to complain that I was more interested in space than things right here on Earth. I asked her where she thought the Earth was. In space.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to separate the idea of the universe from our world and even ourselves. In fact, we are the universe standing up and looking around.
It's looking more and more like we might not even have the free will we always thought we had.
All I know is that each time we broke through to a paradigm shattering new way of seeing our place in nature, our minds have been blown. The earth turning out to not be flat, the idea that everything didn't rotate around us, evolution, relativity. We are curious monkey explorers by nature. What greater adventure than to look at the greatest mystery of all: why is there something instead of nothing?