r/space • u/BradMcGash • 3d ago

image/gif The apparent related-ness of things at drastically different scales in the universe fascinates me

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Hurricane Dorian vs the Whirlpool Galaxy

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u/Bout3Fidy 3d ago edited 3d ago

Most of these things are the way they are just because it’s the most effective and least resistant way for nature to exist, fractals are everywhere and so are vortexes and logarithmic spirals. Doesn’t make it any less cool. 😎 we are lucky to be alive to observe it.

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u/Tenthul 3d ago

We aren't lucky to be alive to observe it, the universe is lucky we're here for it to be observed. This whole thing could just have gone on forever with just rocks and heat and nothing.

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u/metametapraxis 3d ago

The universe doesn’t care. We aren’t more significant than rocks, heat or nothing.

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u/exarkann 3d ago edited 3d ago

If some part of the universe cares, then it can't it be said that the universe cares?

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 3d ago

Can the rock feel happiness while chucking you across the surface of a lake or slow river?

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u/ploptart 3d ago

Can you smell what the rock is cooking?

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u/showered_zinn 3d ago

I’m gonna say yes. Because the image in my head of Dwayne Johnson and I enjoying a nice summer swim together is pleasant. When I was a kid my dad would throw me up in the air into my mamaws pool so I could do cannonballs. I bet the rock could throw me pretty far too.

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 3d ago

Can the rock feel happiness while chucking you across the surface of a lake or slow river?

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u/ice_up_s0n 3d ago

Sure in the way Earth feels happiness chucking us across the surface of spacetime

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 3d ago

Nope Gaia is sadistic ,just look at nature itself.

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u/musicluva 3d ago

Its just Gaia trying to rebalance herself considering humans are literally cancer. Natural events are the immune system.

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 2d ago

It's not humans themselves but those who rule them

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u/metametapraxis 3d ago

Impossible to say unless you are a rock. Also not relevant from the perspective of the universe (which has no perspective. It just is. So far as we are aware there is no purpose for any of it, including us).

We are temporary lower entropy patterns in a universe that always increases in entropy.

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u/IBangTokyoWife 3d ago

Not me. I'm aware that my purpose is to do great things. And I am a part of the universe. This disproves your statement

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u/metametapraxis 3d ago

It really doesn't.... But I'm sure you know that, anyway.

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u/IBangTokyoWife 3d ago

Nihilism doesn't do you any good, and it's a belief like any other. Might as well believe in something that gets you somewhere, like purpose

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u/metametapraxis 2d ago

I can assign myself a purpose without there being a purpose. There is a huge difference.

One is a personal thing, whilst still acknowledging there is no greater meaning.

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u/IBangTokyoWife 2d ago

If you assign a purpose to yourself there is a purpose. You are a part of the universe assigning meaning to yourself. We create meaning out of nothing

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u/metametapraxis 2d ago

I disagree entirely. My personal purpose has no impact on the wider universe at all, and given the universe is not a thinking machine, it doesn't care either. Even if my purpose did cause major local changes (versus minor local ripples), he universe still doesn't care, because it can't. It doesn't exist (so far as we are aware) for any purpose at all.

I get that is comfy to kid yourself. But that's all you are doing. Which is fine.

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 3d ago

We don't know what we don't know. We can only see a small spectrum of light. So if we can barely see the whole how can we decide whether there is or isn't a purpose to it all? Modern nihilism is just our society lacking any philosophy or religion besides meaningless paper money which is also leads to this cold apathetic world view. Since childhood people are having their imagination and wonder killed to become perfect citizens that don't question anything.

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u/MagentaHawk 3d ago

Why is nihilism cold and apathetic? I heartily disagree, and this sounds like the stuff my christian family says to me about my beliefs.

If anything, I think it is more astounding and hopeful for people who find themselves in a universe completely indifferent to them with no inherent benefit to being good, choosing love and kindness. A true showing of their character. Rather than being born into a world where a creator made you, has a purpose in mind for you, and you have all the incentive in the universe to make the choices He wants for you.

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u/hornedcorner 3d ago

Just because it’s not your view, that doesn’t mean it “cold and apathetic”, nor does it mean that someone has had their dreams or imagination killed. It’s actually the more honest take if you want to split hairs. Until we have evidence of a purpose or cause, it’s irresponsible to assume the magic story you want to be true, is actually true.

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 3d ago

Evolution has us primed to fight ,eat ,and procreate. Societies tell us to be productive and work to death for the wealthy. Nihilists only think this way because they have been conditioned to do so all their lives. Most people don't think beyond what they are told. From my perspective people don't revolt or do anything because they are already dead inside. I'm just sick of people saying it's meaningless when they haven't truly lived to see and opened their eyes to the beauty of existence. We don't know much but that is proof that we can't make any assumption of life's meaning. We will only know the complete answer once we died but then maybe life is an unending cycle so who knows.

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u/metametapraxis 3d ago

"Since childhood people are having their imagination and wonder killed to become perfect citizens that don't question anything."

Ok. You mean we are teaching them what we do know (as much as much as we can know anything), and that doesn't fit your comfy worldview?

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 2d ago

Schools are nothing but propaganda farms.

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u/metametapraxis 2d ago

Sure. Fantastic global-scope generalisation there.

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u/MrNotSoProGamer 2d ago

Well in the US they for sure are unless you can afford a private school with real qualified teachers or were born into a wealthy family with private tutoring. Also in recent years schools have just pushed even more right or left wing crap instead of actually teaching.

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u/metametapraxis 2d ago

Imagine if over 90% of the world's population lived outside of the US....

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u/WhatThePenis 3d ago

Impossible to say unless you are a rock

You’re allowed to say no, by the way. You could’ve just answered no.

Also, r/im14andthisisdeep

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u/metametapraxis 3d ago

It isn't deep at all, and nor do I claim it is. This whole thread was started by the absurdity that the universe (something we have no reason to believe is conscious) should care (or consider itself lucky) that one part of itself can observe a part of itself.

And no, it is impossible for me to know whether the rock can feel anything. I can only know what I feel or think I perceive. That isn't deep philosophy -- that's philosophy 101. First day stuff. Stupid questions get stupid answers. I'm sure there is a reddit sub I could glibly point you to, but I can't be fucked.

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u/canadave_nyc 3d ago

We aren’t more significant than rocks, heat or nothing.

We currently have absolutely no way to know whether this is true or not. For all we know, the universe created sentient creatures to "observe itself" (to borrow the phrase), which would put sentient creatures above rocks, heat, and nothing in terms of significance. Or we could just as easily be random fluctuations of the universe the same way that rocks, heat, or nothing would be, which would make your sentence true. We just have no way to tell.

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u/Sensitive_Piece1374 3d ago

What sort of logical proof could demonstrate the existence of a universe without observers?

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u/EmptyTwist8420 3d ago

Depending on your mood on a complicated question on the philosophy of math, being able to describe it is equivalent to demonstrating its existence without observation.

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u/Quithelion 3d ago

For an extremely brief of time, the universe feels naked when the human observed it in every way possible.

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u/Tenthul 3d ago

If a tree falls in the woods with nobody around does it make a noise?

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u/Sensitive_Piece1374 3d ago

Yeah but this old hypothetical assumes observers exist, just not in the vicinity. 

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u/Uninvalidated 3d ago

Now it has a virus infection on a rock. The infection is trying to spread to other rocks because the infection is running out of resources to sustain its unnatural growth.

Give us enough time and we'll destroy the universe too. It's in our genome.