Anyone got any Mind Blowing Questions?

[vampiregenocide]

There isn't, supposedly there is an as yet unexplained force we've termed dark energy that accelerates the expansion of space, so the universe probably won't contract.

Ideas about cyclic time has been proposed by scientists and philosophers before, buddhist believe there is no beginning nor end.

There is a theory that our universe sits on a brane, and that it collided with a parallel universe on another brane, and the energy of the collision was the big bang, and that it could happen again. They talk about this in Through the Wormhole.

The unexplained bit is key though, theres no concrete idea as to what happens when and if the universe finishes expanding. I heard another theory that space actually overlaps itself and everything would come full circle. Space wouldn't be infinite in the true sense, but more in the Super Mario way in that you run across one side of the screen and come out the other side.

 

[RaceCar]

There isn't, supposedly there is an as yet unexplained force we've termed dark energy that accelerates the expansion of space, so the universe probably won't contract.

Ideas about cyclic time has been proposed by scientists and philosophers before, buddhist believe there is no beginning nor end.

There is a theory that our universe sits on a brane, and that it collided with a parallel universe on another brane, and the energy of the collision was the big bang, and that it could happen again. They talk about this in Through the Wormhole.

Who's to know anything concrete about space? All we know is what we believe. I've heard about dark matter and dark energy and how it constitutes 74% of the universe. Who's to say it ever collapsed? I feel that I take the Buddhist approach and will say that although it's difficult for humans to grasp the concept of infinity, (no beginning, no end) doesn't mean you can render it "impossible."

Also, Through the Wormhole kicks ass, and Morgan Freeman kicks ass

 

[Zehailiu]

@Adam
There's no such thing as nothing. You can only say nothing when you relate the concept of nothing to something, it's a relationship. But in order to relate nothing to something, something has to exist first, and it has to exist along with nothing, you'd have relatively something vs relatively nothing. Therefore there can not be a space in which there is truly nothing.

There always had to be something. If we assume there is a boundary around our universe outside which there is nothing, that nothing would have to be infinite, immutable, it would exist outside the bounds of time and space, it would then have no reason to confine itself outside of our universe, since it being outside implies a relationship with our universe and thus renders it not immutable and infinite anymore. It would have to be all of existence, or nonexistence to be more accurate.

In that case we wouldn't be around to ask about it. The fact that we are, says that something always existed in some way or other.

@vampire
That's an interest concept. I'm thinking, if we were in a space loop, and one circumference around that loop is smaller than our lightsphere, then the light from the big bang, as well as light from stars would start to loop through space. Wouldn't that mean that a bright enough object situated at the right position to us could be seen from 2 completely different directions at once?

 

[JBroll]

Exactly how random is random?

True randomness is surprisingly not easy to come across. Most applications of 'random' numbers use pseudorandom number generators that can be made pretty close to truly random, but generating actual random numbers (the simplest case of randomness) is still an area of active research.

How do we know? If everything we know is based on perception

It's not.

then how is it the truth?

If you can separate something from your perception of it, there is no problem.

Right. Also, what does it even mean to say that there is nothing outside of the boundaries of the universe, assuming it's finite? How could there be an end to space? What lays outside of it? Nothing?! What the hell is nothing?

There may not be an 'end' to space in the way that you're imagining. (Consider a basketball - clearly finite, but you're not running into its edge anytime soon.)

Jeff

 

[Rick]

Why is Jeff so damned smart?

mindblown

I've been asking that for 3 years.

 

[Adam Of Angels]

@Adam
There's no such thing as nothing. You can only say nothing when you relate the concept of nothing to something, it's a relationship. But in order to relate nothing to something, something has to exist first, and it has to exist along with nothing, you'd have relatively something vs relatively nothing. Therefore there can not be a space in which there is truly nothing.

There always had to be something. If we assume there is a boundary around our universe outside which there is nothing, that nothing would have to be infinite, immutable, it would exist outside the bounds of time and space, it would then have no reason to confine itself outside of our universe, since it being outside implies a relationship with our universe and thus renders it not immutable and infinite anymore. It would have to be all of existence, or nonexistence to be more accurate.

In that case we wouldn't be around to ask about it. The fact that we are, says that something always existed in some way or other.

Well, my question was a rhetorical one, really, even though I was hoping for somebody to respond. You outlined my point, in any case. To think that time started at some point is silly.

"The reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen all at once."

 

[RaceCar]

"The reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen all at once."

...or IS everything happening at once, at some place or another, infinitely?

Here's a mindfuck I've been struggling with...

"Does time even exist?"

Since time is an unmeasurable variable, and a lot of physicists acknowledge "The Time Problem," makes you wonder if time isn't just the 4th dimension.

Isn't the 4th dimension = Time?

Could time just be a made-up variable created by humans to put some kind of order in their lives??!?

 

[Adam Of Angels]

Well, the point is that we experience time so that everything doesn't seem to happen at once. I'm of the school of thought that says our reality is just one density of experience, but that many layers of reality work in unison with this one.

 

[JBroll]

...or IS everything happening at once, at some place or another, infinitely?

Here's a mindfuck I've been struggling with...

"Does time even exist?"

Since time is an unmeasurable variable, and a lot of physicists acknowledge "The Time Problem," makes you wonder if time isn't just the 4th dimension.

Isn't the 4th dimension = Time?

Could time just be a made-up variable created by humans to put some kind of order in their lives??!?

You simply must be joking.

Jeff

 

[RaceCar]

You simply must be joking.

Jeff

No. I'm literally being dead serious.

 

[JBroll]

So far your questions have been a combination of ill-informed, already answered, and easily found through Google, but that's the first that hit all three at once. If that still blows your mind, it may be best to leave a paperweight on your head lest it be lost to a strong wind, overzealous ceiling fan, or unfortunately-placed sneeze.

Jeff

 

[CrushingAnvil]

How was the first ruler made?

"How do we know that, that is as straight as it is going to get?"

 

[JBroll]

Simple - make it watch Moulin Rouge.

Jeff

 

[CrushingAnvil]

You simply must be joking.

Jeff

I'm glad I was actually joking in my post.

 

[CrushingAnvil]

Simple - make it watch Moulin Rouge.

Jeff

Pretty sure there are two paths of influence with that movie.

Become epicly gay, or, become an epic slut screwing machine.

 

[JBroll]

Why is Jeff so damned smart?

mindblown

I'm not really that smart, I just know enough mathematics, physics, and formal logic to make it look like I am. It's not hard to get where I am - just take all the stuff you normally do in a day and replace it with studying, teaching, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily.

Jeff

 

[CrushingAnvil]

I'm not really that smart, I just know enough mathematics, physics, and formal logic to make it look like I am. It's not hard to get where I am - just take all the stuff you normally do in a day and replace it with studying, teaching, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily.

Jeff

You actually look like this vegan-christian dude I once knew...

The contrast is blinding...

 

[Chickenhawk]

I'm not really that smart, I just know enough mathematics, physics, and formal logic to make it look like I am. It's not hard to get where I am - just take all the stuff you normally do in a day and replace it with studying, teaching, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily.

Jeff

So, I must replace my current schedule of studying, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily with a different version of studying, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily?

Fuck, quantum entanglement fucks my world.

 

[RaceCar]

So far your questions have been a combination of ill-informed, already answered, and easily found through Google, but that's the first that hit all three at once. If that still blows your mind, it may be best to leave a paperweight on your head lest it be lost to a strong wind, overzealous ceiling fan, or unfortunately-placed sneeze.

Jeff

What about if you consider multiverses? If there are several, if not infinite, universes. If space is infinite, then there could be ones very similar to ours except for one slight difference, because after all there's an infinite amount of them. Who's to say right now theres a universe, SOMEWHERE, where I just got up from my desk and started playing The Mirror by Dream Theater in front of all my co-workers? If my questions are ill-informed, please enlighten me.

 

[JBroll]

So, I must replace my current schedule of studying, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily with a different version of studying, being gorgeous, and drinking heavily?

Fuck, quantum entanglement fucks my world.

You haven't turned into me, so you're clearly not doing it right.

What about if you consider multiverses? If there are several, if not infinite, universes. If space is infinite, then there could be ones very similar to ours except for one slight difference, because after all there's an infinite amount of them. Who's to say right now theres a universe, SOMEWHERE, where I just got up from my desk and started playing The Mirror by Dream Theater in front of all my co-workers? If my questions are ill-informed, please enlighten me.

... where the balls did this come from? We already discussed the answer to your last question, I've already said a few things about MWI, and I completely fail to see what this post has to do with anything.

Jeff