The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth

The phrase "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" serves as the foundation for the understanding of the universe in Judeo-Christian beliefs. This statement is taken from the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and highlights the belief in a divine creator who initiated the process of the universe's formation. The subsequent verses elaborate on the condition of the earth before creation began, describing it as "formless and empty," with darkness prevailing over the surface of the deep waters. 

In this context, "formless and empty" indicates a lack of order and structure. Before God's creative work, the world was devoid of shape and substance. This absence of form symbolizes chaos, which contrasts sharply with the order that follows as God introduces light, land, and life. The imagery portrays a pristine state that allows readers to appreciate the magnitude of the creation process that is about to unfold. 

The next significant element in this verse is the mention of the "Spirit of God" hovering over the waters. This imagery suggests the presence of divinity actively engaged in the process of creation. The Spirit is often interpreted as a nurturing force, preparing the chaotic waters for transformation into a structured and lively world. This aspect of the narrative emphasizes the belief that creation is not merely a one-time event but an ongoing act, where divine influence is intimately involved in the workings of the universe. 

In contemporary discussions, this creation narrative can lead to a deeper exploration of the relationship between science and religion. Many individuals grapple with understanding the origins of the universe through both the lens of faith and scientific inquiry. Recent advancements in fields such as astronomy and physics provide insights into the universe's beginnings, with theories like the Big Bang offering scientific explanations. However, these modern interpretations do not necessarily negate the spiritual significance that many find in biblical texts. Instead, they can coexist, providing a broader understanding of existence that embraces both spiritual belief and scientific inquiry. 

In conclusion, the verses describing the initial state of the earth illustrate a powerful narrative of creation filled with meaning. The contrast between chaos and order sets the stage for the unfolding of existence under divine guidance. This foundational belief continues to inspire discussions about the universe's origins, merging spirituality with the quest for scientific understanding. Therefore, as we delve deeper into the mysteries of creation, we recognize the importance of both faith and science in exploring the questions that shape our understanding of life and the universe. 

No up or down in space

 

No up or down in space

No Up or Down in Space

The concept of "up" and "down" is deeply ingrained in our everyday lives. On Earth, gravity provides a clear direction: down is towards the center of the planet, while up is the opposite. This orientation shapes our understanding of the world and influences how we navigate our environment. However, when we venture into space, this familiar framework begins to dissolve. In the vastness of the cosmos, the notions of up and down lose their meaning, presenting a fascinating challenge to our perception of reality.

In space, the absence of gravity creates a unique environment where traditional orientations become irrelevant. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) experience microgravity, which allows them to float freely. In this state, they can rotate and move in any direction without the constraints of gravitational pull. This freedom can be disorienting for those accustomed to the fixed orientation of life on Earth. The experience of weightlessness transforms the way individuals interact with their surroundings, as they can push off surfaces and glide through the air, defying the expectations set by gravity.

The lack of a definitive up or down in space also has implications for navigation and communication. On Earth, we rely on landmarks and directional cues to guide us. In the vast expanse of space, however, these references are scarce. Astronauts must rely on instruments and technology to orient themselves. The stars, while beautiful, do not provide a consistent frame of reference. Instead, they serve as distant markers that can help with navigation but do not define a specific direction. This reliance on technology underscores the importance of adaptability and precision in space exploration.

Moreover, the absence of a clear up or down challenges our understanding of human behavior and psychology. In a microgravity environment, the body undergoes various changes. For instance, fluids in the body redistribute, leading to a puffy appearance in astronauts' faces. This physiological shift can affect mood and cognitive function, highlighting the intricate relationship between our physical environment and mental state. The experience of floating in a weightless environment can evoke feelings of exhilaration, but it can also lead to disorientation and discomfort. Understanding these effects is crucial for the well-being of astronauts during long-duration missions.

The philosophical implications of a space devoid of up and down are equally intriguing. It invites us to reconsider our place in the universe and the constructs we have built around our existence. The idea that orientation is a human construct challenges our perception of reality. If up and down are merely products of our planet's gravitational influence, what does that say about our understanding of space and time? This perspective encourages a broader exploration of how we define our experiences and the frameworks we use to interpret the world around us.

As humanity continues to explore the cosmos, the lessons learned from the absence of up and down in space will shape our future endeavors. The challenges of navigating a weightless environment, the physiological effects on the human body, and the philosophical questions raised by this experience all contribute to our understanding of what it means to be human in the universe. Embracing the complexities of space will not only enhance our exploration efforts but also deepen our appreciation for the intricate relationship between our planet and the vast, mysterious cosmos that surrounds us.

From Email to the Universe: and other alterations of consciousness

 

Email to the Universe: and other alterations of consciousness

Chapter 49: The Relativity of “Reality”

Next Chapter >

---

The Relativity of “Reality”

 

      1. From the viewpoint of semantics, “reality” is a multi-ordinal concept, having different meanings on different levels of abstraction. On the lowest level of abstraction “reality” refers to immediate sensory consistency. “Is there really a kangaroo in that chair?” can be answered by obtaining the consensus of the group; or, if everybody is stoned, by bringing in some objective observers with objective instruments, etc. On the highest level of abstraction, “reality” refers to logical consistency with a body of established scientific fact and theory. “Is entropy real?” can be answered by consulting a reliable textbook on thermodynamics. Between the level of kangaroo and the level of entropy, there are many other levels of abstraction and, hence, many kinds of “reality.”

      For instance, “Is the Gross National Product real?” is a question on a certain level of abstraction; and if equally intelligent people can, and do, argue about this, it is because they are talking on different levels of abstraction and are not aware of the fact that there are different levels of abstraction and different kinds of “reality.”

      I call this the semantic relativity of “reality.”

      2. Every tribe has its own “reality — map,” or worldview, or What is “real” to the Eskimo is not what is “real” to the Zuni Indian or the Congolese or the Japanese Buddhist or the German businessman or the Russian commissar, etc. If you travel around the world with the naive assumption that everybody is living in the same “reality,” you will make numerous embarrassing mistakes, insult countless people unintentionally, make a splendid ass of yourself and generally contribute to the worldwide belief that tourists are a Curse of God sent to punish people for their sins. To recognize that every culture, and sub-culture, has its own “reality” is the prerequisite of sophistication, tact, and true tolerance. Otherwise you come on like the Englishman who claimed all Chinese understand English if you just shout loud enough.

      I call this the anthropological, or cultural, relativism of “reality.”

      3. Every nervous system creates its own “reality.” Out of the billions, or billions of billions, of energies intersecting the room in which you read this, your brain, performing 100,000,000 processes per minute (almost all of them unconscious to those circuits called the ego and recognized as “me”) arranges a few hundred or thousand into the Gestalt which you experience as the “reality” of the room. To demonstrate this, in my Info-Psychology classes, I will have the students describe the hall outside the lecture room; no two will describe exactly the same hall.

      Or, I will have everybody write down what they hear in the room during a minute of clock-time; no two lists of these sounds will be identical. A variety of chemicals introduced into the nervous system, or direct brain stimulation with electrical impulses, or yoga, etc., will create an entirely different neurological “reality” while you are still sitting in the "same” room.

      I call this neurological relativism, or the relativity of perceived “reality.”

      4. Two scientists moving at different accelerations can measure the same phenomenon with equally accurate instruments and obtain totally different readings of its extensions in the space and time dimensions. (Einstein, Special On the quantum level, a variety of different philosophical reality-maps, or “models,” describe equally well both the experimental data and the mathematical equations that are known to “fit” the data. Any attempt to get around this by adding more sophisticated instruments leads to adding still more sophisticated instruments to monitor the first set, and so on, forever. (Von Neumann’s “catastrophe of the infinite regress.”)

      I call this physical Relativity, or the relativity of instrumental “reality.”

      In conclusion, “reality” is a concept borrowed from the theologians who, being bankrupt, are in no position to loan anything to anybody. We would do better to restrict ourselves to questions that can be answered. Such questions take the form, “At this date, with the knowledge presently possessed by humanity, which model best accords with the facts?”

      When it turns out, as it usually does these days, that several models work equally well, we might then ask: which models are most amusing? most optimistic? most worthy of our time and energy? most elegant and esthetic? And we can keep in mind, too, biologist J.B.S. Haldane’s warning, “The universe may be not only stranger than we think, but stranger than we can think.”

Enders game

 

Ender's Game

 

From The Father of Cartesian Empiricism: Robert Desgabets on the physics and metaphysics of blood transfusion

 

8.3
From Metaphysics to Physics to expérience:
Cartesian Empiricism
Descartes more than once remarks that the role of experiment is to provide
demonstrations of the first principles or truths of physics by connecting them to the
way God actually made the world. In Part IV of his Discourse on Method he says:
But I must also admit that the power of nature is so ample and so vast, and the principles
so simple and so general, that I notice hardly any particular effect of which I do not know
at once that it can be deduced from the principles in many different ways; and my greatest
difficulty is usually to discover in which of these ways it depends upon them. I know no other means to discover this than by seeking further observations whose outcomes vary
according to which of these ways provides the correct explanation.49
In Part III, Article 46 of Descartes’ Principles of Philosophy he says:
For, seeing that these parts could have been regulated by God in an infinity of diverse ways; experience alone should teach us which of all these ways He chose. That is why we are nowat liberty to assume anything we please, provided that everything we shall deduce from it
is
{entirely} in conformity with experience.50
The idea is that human reason alone cannot discover how God chose to create the world—for the possible ways that reason can conceive exceed the one actual world that the senses come into contact with. The appeal to experience and observation is what delimits the merely conceivable, possible ways to the actual one, and so plays a necessary role in scientific knowledge. We must appeal to experience in order to
find our way back from effects to their causes.
A similar idea runs throughout Desgabets’ Supplement:
He [Descartes] founds the laws of nature for physics only upon the simple supposition that God, in creating the world, put as much movement in the totality of matter as is found there
at present, which we know from experience: this is sufficient for Descartes to deduce the
formation and nature of all things that make up the visible world, in reasoning always from
the cause to effects with consequences similar to those of mathematics. [author’s
emphasis]51
x
x