Cosmologic philosophy: dark matter is or isn't? (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, January 31, 2016, 15:50 (3006 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw: You are so right. It could all be very simple: an endless expanse of energy and matter mindlessly doing its own thing. Or dimensions and forms of being we cannot dream of, including your God. But I'll tell you one thing: the world I see is not an illusion for me. In fact, it is the only reality I know and the only one I can sincerely believe in. The quantum world and the world of dark matter (a totally unedifying concept, because all it means is “something we don't know”) - as fascinating and as real or unreal as they may be - are of no substance or significance to me compared to the death of my wife, the love I have for my children and friends, the sheer beauty and the sheer horror of the world we live in, here and now. I am one of the lucky ones, because I have food and shelter, and I can enjoy the good things of life. These may objectively be an illusion, as may the hunger, disease, bloodshed and other tragedies that take place every minute of every day all around us, but there seems to be a fair amount of evidence that what we see IS what it is. And the epistemological insight that reality is a subjective fabrication should not be taken to mean that the fabrication (which encompasses the whole range of human experience) does not correspond to a “true reality”.-A beautifully written analysis. We came from a weirdly constructed universe that arises from unexplained quantum machinations, on a very unusual planet that protects us from all of the dangerous goings on beyond us. We can study this and ask questions of why and how. Paul Davies is right, a very, very significant circumstance. I would remind you, as a 'lucky one' you made your own luck by your own actions. Luck of this kind is not a lottery result, but a willingness to actively pursue your own ambitions. Having cared for immigrants from some of the disastrous areas of the Earth, I've seen this kind of 'luck' in action. In my view we all have the ability to be lucky. Unfortunately, only some act on this potential drive. The key is finding a way to encourage others to recognize their possibilities. There are ways, but unfortunately they fall on deaf ears. How sympathetic should we be?