what is the purpose of the universe - answered by Neil deGrasse Tyson

POSTED BY: 1kiki
UPDATED: Monday, December 18, 2017 16:36
VIEWED: 11602
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1KIKI

Sunday, August 4, 2013 9:10 PM

http://www.upworthy.com/atch-the-coolest-scientist-in-america-answer-t
he-oldest-question-in-the-universe?c=bl3

AURAPTOR

Sunday, August 4, 2013 9:21 PM

* clicking link leads to offer to give your e-mail address, then to join in some asinine political causes. Be warned *

As for the content of the actual video ?

I agree ( 99.9999 % )

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Sunday, August 4, 2013 11:23 PM

Despite having to dig all the way down through one click, I found it to be excellent and a delight. So of course I shared it.

I'm glad you appreciate it.

OONJERAH

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 11:23 AM

Thanks for sharing, Kiki.

Isaac Newton said, "God must step in and fix things."

Tyson says Newton was the smartest guy ever. I agree with that,
not 'cause I know, but because I like it. My Dad was a Newton,
very good at math, & he even looked rather like Sir Isaac.

I have long favored Intelligent Design, 'cause it makes the most
sense to me. I sometimes regard myself as a Seer about such things.

Last few days, I kinda see where a lot of my "insight" comes from.
As a kid, one of my favorite entries in the Sunday funnies was
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! started in 1918 by Robert Ripley. I
believed it all, too. I loved the strange, little known & fantastic
bits he presented.

I believed it because I wanted to, as a long lost friend used to
say, "You only believe what you want to believe."

Yes but -- all these odd things I believe actually make sense to me!

In high school, I found myself better at math than arithmetic, &
perhaps a bit of objectivity began to slowly set in. Perhaps.
But that's enough about me.

What about Neil deGrasse Tyson? ... Well, a bunch of vidoes starring
him are on YouTube, and they're pretty interesting. Challenging.

========================= :>
A man's gotta know his motivations & his illusions.

SECOND

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 4:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oonjerah:
I believed it because I wanted to, as a long lost friend used to
say, "You only believe what you want to believe."

Yes but -- all these odd things I believe actually make sense to me!

Ask twelve people and get a dozen reasons.
https://web.archive.org/web/20081008204357/http://www.templeton.org:80
/purpose/pdfs/bq_universe.pdf

Neil deGrasse Tyson's answer was: Not Sure. His reasoning:

Anyone who expresses a more definitive response to the question is claiming access to knowledge not based on empirical foundations. This remarkably persistent way of thinking, common to most religions and some branches of philosophy, has failed badly in past efforts to understand, and thereby predict the operations of the universe and our place within it.

To assert that the universe has a purpose implies the universe has intent. And intent implies a desired outcome. But who would do the desiring? And what would a desired outcome be? That carbon-based life is inevitable? Or that sentient primates are life's neurological pinnacle? Are answers to these questions even possible without expressing a profound bias of human sentiment? Of course humans were not around to ask these questions for 99.9999% of cosmic history. So if the purpose of the universe was to create humans then the cosmos was embarrassingly inefficient about it.

And if a further purpose of the universe was to create a fertile cradle for life, then our cosmic environment has got an odd way of showing it. Life on Earth, during more than 3.5 billion years of existence, has been persistently assaulted by natural sources of mayhem, death, and destruction. Ecological devastation exacted by volcanoes, climate change, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, pestilence, and especially killer asteroids have left extinct 99.9% of all species that have ever lived here.

How about human life itself? If you are religious, you might declare that the purpose of life is to serve God. But if you're one of the 100 billion bacteria living and working in a single centimeter of our lower intestine (rivaling, by the way, the total number of humans who have ever been born) you would give an entirely different answer. You might instead say that the purpose of human life is to provide you with a dark, but idyllic, anaerobic habitat of fecal matter.

So in the absence of human hubris, and after we filter out the delusional assessments it promotes within us, the universe looks more and more random. Whenever events that are purported to occur in our best interest are as numerous as other events that would just as soon kill us, then intent is hard, if not impossible, to assert. So while I cannot claim to know for sure whether or not the universe has a purpose, the case against it is strong, and visible to anyone who sees the universe as it is rather than as they wish it to be.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and the Director of New York City's Hayden Planetarium. www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/2007/10/01/does-the-universe-have
-a-purpose

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

AURAPTOR

Thursday, October 31, 2013 5:25 AM

2014 - Neil hosts the revival of COSMOS, which will appear on FOX.

How cool is that ?

There was a promo during the World Series, so I missed it.

http://io9.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-promises-a-whole-new-journey-in-cos
-1452878190

Can't wait !

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, October 31, 2013 6:56 AM

Intelligent Design is nothing more than than the human ego run riot. Frail, insecure, and extremely self-centered humans see something complex (the natural world) and protect themselves by saying: only a human-like intelligence could have made that happen, a human-like tinkerer in robes with a beard and an interest in human sex lives and what we eat on certain Fridays, etc.

ID offers nothing but proof that humans created God as a way of worshiping ourselves. We, as a race, can't handle the fact that nature is far more complex than we are capable of grasping. The real, actual Universe is beyond us. It is so far beyond us that it need have no purpose that pertains to us.

Suck it up, fellow inconsequential little humans. ;)

*---------------------------------------*
The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

OONJERAH

Thursday, October 31, 2013 7:52 AM

I don't watch TV at all anymore unless I'm at a friend's home.
I don't keep up on trends or celebrities.
Last night was my introduction to Neil deGrasse Tyson, thanks to Kiki.

I watched 2 of his vids. What I got: He is very good at thinking
critically and objectively. He's also a teacher. He is always
challenging his audience to think better, deeper, and to drop our
precious preconceptions & habitual interpretations.

My habitual view: Most people don't think very well & they don't
even try. If Tyson can get people to start thinking, then he's a
very great teacher.

======================
A man's gotta know his Illusions. ~Richard Bach?

OONJERAH

Thursday, February 27, 2014 4:43 AM

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and
I'm not sure about the universe." attributed to Albert Einstein
by Frederick S. Perls. Disputed.

If I had said that, what would I mean?
That the masses apprear to me as fools in lieu of my own lofty
intelligence?
No. Not at all.

It means I am stupid.
(The expression of our group Intelligence, however, is scary.)

I was a child prodigy about just One little thing. I had talent and
no one taught it to me. No one (teachers, parents) ever told me
I was smart in grade school. But in high school, they did, saying
I had a high I.Q. = I was smart. Sometimes I believed them.
Yet I was always aware of my limits, my incomprehension of
things both grand & mundane. I could/would never know the
answers to the most fascinating stuff.

Human Reason Has Limits.

Dr William Lane Craig & Dr. Peter Atkins:

Saints & Sceptics: 12 Things Science Can’t Explain
http://www.saintsandsceptics.org/12-things-science-cant-explain/

1. Logical and mathematical truths (which are presupposed by science) ...

====================== :>

Apollo in 1969. Shuttle in 1981. Nothing in 2011. Our space program
would look awesome to anyone living backwards thru time. ~Neil deGrasse Tyson

If aliens did visit us, I'd be embarrassed to tell them we still dig fossil
fuels from the ground as a source of energy. ~Neil deGrasse Tyson

BYTEMITE

Thursday, February 27, 2014 4:56 AM

Quote:
Neil deGrasse Tyson's answer was: Not Sure.

Good. Anything else is just arrogance.

Oonj: *Byte whining intensifies*

AURAPTOR

Thursday, February 27, 2014 5:07 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:

ID offers nothing but proof that humans created God as a way of worshiping ourselves. We, as a race, can't handle the fact that nature is far more complex than we are capable of grasping. The real, actual Universe is beyond us. It is so far beyond us that it need have no purpose that pertains to us.

Suck it up, fellow inconsequential little humans. ;)

And there's the kicker. The IDer's, aka Creationists, think it is humans who believe in 'evil-ution' as the ones who are putting themselves above God. It's their claim that WE think we're " all that and a bag of chips ". We openly admit we are as less than nothing, in the grand scheme of things, and that nature is immensely beyond our grasp to comprehend.

I find it funny, how both sides accuse the other of the exact same thing.

Might be we're dealing w/ the different sides of the same coin?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

BYTEMITE

Thursday, February 27, 2014 8:36 PM

Quote:
I find it funny, how both sides accuse the other of the exact same thing.

Might be we're dealing w/ the different sides of the same coin?

Most likely. I actually had that very conversation with Oonj just this last week.

There are many who believe as I do, who take some comfort of sorts in being able to laugh at other people's beliefs because they can be so certain they're right.

I can assure all of you that I take no comfort in it. The universe is hard, and uncaring, and it will crush us. Whatever potential humans might have to avoid that fate, known or unknown, is clearly being squandered. If people want to turn to something else, or pursue some idea that I would have no interest in, I can't blame them for that.

Although I admit to some levels of frustration when I hear something discussed that I don't think is logically or scientifically possible. Or if I have particular personal insights into the matter which I think would render some of the more popular viewpoints incorrect.

SIGNYM

Friday, February 28, 2014 8:45 PM

If you ask the wrong question, you'll generate nonsensical answers.

Asking "why" of the universe is the wrong question, as Bill Cosby demonstrated in his "Why is there air?" skit. (To blow up balloons and basketballs, IIRC.) People often ask "why?" when they really mean "how?". Just repeatedly ask yourself the question "why" about some physical process (Why is there rain? Because rising humid air cools and condenses out moisture. But why does air rise? Either because it is forced to by an intruding air mass, mountains, or because of instability. But why are there mountains?...) and you'll sow a lot of confusion in yourself after three or four iterations. Switch to "how?" and the confusion clears up.

That's the problem with language. It's a very powerful tool which shapes that brain that uses it. It allows us to encompass the unviewable (electrons) but also to accept the ridiculous (purple dragons, god). We should be more careful about how we use it!

OONJERAH

Saturday, March 1, 2014 9:08 AM

Quote Bytemite: "Most likely. I actually had that very conversation
with Oonj just this last week."

That wasn't a conversation. It was Bytemite in her normal "bait &
switch" mode. ... No communication occurred.

BYTEMITE

Saturday, March 1, 2014 10:16 AM

Right, because attacking me like that isn't outright baiting me. Also, baiting people isn't part of my troll repertoire and never has been. You ever see me post threads trying to get a negative reaction out of people? It's easy to press existing buttons. It's another level entirely to create new ones.

All I'd have to do is post the link to that conversation and everyone would see you bragging about how easy it is to set me off. AuRaptor caught a lot of flack recently for saying something similar you know. I'm no victim, but you sure as hell aren't either.

You know we have a point about it being both sides of the science versus spiritual spectrum causing trouble. You didn't stop posting in the other conversation because I'm such a mean awful troll.

And if I really DO bother you so much, it's not like you have to talk to me. I've managed to stay out of most of your threads where you talk about cryptids and stuff. It's only when you get in my face that I bite back.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 1, 2014 3:53 PM

Rawr!

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 1, 2014 6:21 PM

Bill Nye took this selfie with Neil. There's another one w/ Barry, but I'm too unmotivated to find one that isn't over sized.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

OONJERAH

Monday, March 3, 2014 4:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Right, because attacking me like that isn't outright baiting me. Also, baiting people isn't part of my troll repertoire and never has been.
...
And if I really DO bother you so much, it's not like you have to talk to me. I've managed to stay out of most of your threads where you talk about cryptids and stuff. It's only when you get in my face that I bite back.

WHEDON SHEDS LIGHT ON "SERENITY'S" NEW DAY
http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=56991
a thread started 9 Dec 13 by Haken.

In the 5th post down, Second quotes Brian W. Aldiss.
Directly below Second, I commented on what Aldiss had written.
Next posts: Bytemite, Oonj, Second.

Second's post was about current research on ESP; it was news to me
& fascinating. Dean Radin "is Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic
Sciences." I shared what I knew of that organization.

Bytemite responded to me so: "Sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if you
are actually trying to set me off."

I had not addressed you, Byte. But you appear to be so self-obsessed,
perhaps you imagine that others spend their whole day thinking about
you, too. I felt that you wanted the conversation to become about you
and not about ESP. ... I find ESP more interesting.

So then I snarked. I admit it.
So how about leaving me alone?

====================== :>
All I suggest is a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. ~Paul Simon

SIGNYM

Monday, March 3, 2014 5:11 AM

It went like this

Quote:
I was there on one occassion when founding Noetic Sciences was announced. I believe Mitchell was in the SF Bay area to contact "adepts" at Lewis Bostwick's Berkeley Psychic Institute- oonjerah

Sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if you are actually trying to set me off.- Byte

Although I only quoted a small part, I read the whole thread up to then. I fail to see what's so offensive in this, Byte.

FWIW, although there are undoubtedly a lot of things we don't know, and will prolly never know about the universe, mental powers isn't one of them, as I've yet to see a reasonable demonstration of said powers.

MAL4PREZ

Monday, March 3, 2014 8:29 AM

Wow. Byte. You came out of no where in that thread. I gotta go with oonj here, though it's nothing I haven't said to you before: It's not all about you girl. It may be a shock, but people exist as completely independent beings, separate from you, not planning their every post around how YOU will react to it. Crazy but true!

You'll be a lot happier and easier to be around when you figure that out. I know, not that you care to achieve either of those...

*-------------------------------------------------*
What trolls reveal about themselves when they troll:
http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57532
*-------------------------------------------------*

BYTEMITE

Monday, March 3, 2014 10:25 AM

You all know full well that I am aware that your lives don't center around mine.

I react to the implications. I read between the lines. And with oonj there's always things she's implying. I did not go into detail about that conversation or say anything negative about her in THIS thread until she attacked ME by saying that *I* was baiting *her*. It's death by a thousand paper cuts any moment I even enter the same thread she's in.

It doesn't matter if any of you agree or see it that way or not. I definitely don't expect you to - goodness knows you all would let me hang if you had your preferences - and if I hang MYSELF, all the better. And in light of that, I certainly don't care to be patronized about anything about my life from any single one of you.

If any of you were ever concerned about me or anything in my life or my mental health for more than leverage in an argument, I would eat my very favourite hat. And in fairness, I've earned that reaction. Why would you?

This is the internet, and as I've learned, I've been very naive about the concept of friendships in that medium. No one has ever cared. And if you think I don't know that, before I ever came here and now, then you know nothing about me.

SIGNYM

Monday, March 3, 2014 10:52 AM

You're a little hard to care about, but you have a unique voice that I find interesting.

BYTEMITE

Monday, March 3, 2014 11:01 AM

Quote:

You're a little hard to care about, but you have a unique voice that I find interesting.

Sig, please. You think I'm a moron. All of you do, and you'd all be right. Anything of interest here is along the lines of releasing hounds on a chained bear.

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Monday, March 3, 2014 11:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
Intelligent Design is nothing more than than the human ego run riot. Frail, insecure, and extremely self-centered humans see something complex (the natural world) and protect themselves by saying: only a human-like intelligence could have made that happen, a human-like tinkerer in robes with a beard and an interest in human sex lives and what we eat on certain Fridays, etc.

ID offers nothing but proof that humans created God as a way of worshiping ourselves. We, as a race, can't handle the fact that nature is far more complex than we are capable of grasping. The real, actual Universe is beyond us. It is so far beyond us that it need have no purpose that pertains to us.

Suck it up, fellow inconsequential little humans. ;)

I tend to think we are moving away from religion as the answer. The radicalisation is the last gasp of a way of thinking that is outmoded. Perhaps I'm being optomistic.

Perhaps because the universe is so vast and we our lives are so incredibly insignificant that we created a god who gives a damn (hee hee) about us, otherwise that looking down the void of eternity is crazy making. Just ask the Master....

" Douglas Adams
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. " Douglas Adams

SIGNYM

Monday, March 3, 2014 11:14 AM

No, I don't. Out of all of the people on this board you're one of the few who will actually have an extended theoretical conversation. But I prolly won't convince you of that.

1KIKI

Monday, March 3, 2014 1:47 PM

Byte

As compared to most other people here, you are far more a product of your brain than you are of your thoughts. IMO of course.

MAL4PREZ

Monday, March 3, 2014 6:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
You all know full well that I am aware that your lives don't center around mine.

Apparently not, when you take a post that has nothing to do with you and "read between the lines" and somehow make it out to be all about you. Reacting to implications is exactly what I'm talking about. That's what you do, again and again, with all kinds of twisting and turning to make out those implications.

Imagining all this hate directed at you is also quite self-centered, Byte. It takes a lot of energy to hate. Frankly, I just don't care enough about anyone on this site to hate them. Including you. You must fancy yourself quite important if you think any poster has no reason to be here other than to passive-aggressively attack you.

I've told you before, I'm sure I'll tell you again and you won't hear it again because of that brain filter you've got: the paper cuts are all on you. You invent shit because you need it, and I'm not making that up. You've been quite open about how you are here to fuck with people. You sure aren't here to improve your understanding of us, or of yourself.

You seem a decent person when your brain isn't getting in your way (nice way to put it Kiki) so I will continue to hope that you someday get over this thing you do. I got over doing it, though it took time. You're still young.

*-------------------------------------------------*
What trolls reveal about themselves when they troll:
http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57532
*-------------------------------------------------*

MAL4PREZ

Monday, March 3, 2014 6:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
I tend to think we are moving away from religion as the answer. The radicalisation is the last gasp of a way of thinking that is outmoded. Perhaps I'm being optomistic.

I can only hope you're right! I think so too. Sanity is slowly, so very slowly spreading.

Quote:
Perhaps because the universe is so vast and we our lives are so incredibly insignificant that we created a god who gives a damn (hee hee) about us, otherwise that looking down the void of eternity is crazy making. Just ask the Master....

Yeah, this is what I meant, plus a little more. It's not enough to have a god that cares about us. The god has to be like us. If a human-like God rules over all of nature, we can vicariously feel like we do too.

This is what ID makes so clear to me. ID folks, including some on this site, cannot believe that nature creating something so complex as life. Only a human-like tinkerer could do that. Hence, humans are above nature. It blows my mind that any thinking being can be so ignorant of the complexity of nature.

This conversation somehow reminds me of a clip on the Daily Show from a few weeks back. One of the team went to Russian to cover the gay rights issue and all the average schmoes on the street were schockingly anti-gay rights. Except one sweet soft-spoken woman who said she wanted to be able to look her kids and grandkids in the eye and say she'd done the right thing.

Then - no shit - she said there's the TV writer in America who wrote this very important line: "If nothing you do matters, then all that matters is what you do."

Oh, and Douglas Adams rocks!

*-------------------------------------------------*
What trolls reveal about themselves when they troll:
http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57532
*-------------------------------------------------*

MAL4PREZ

Monday, March 3, 2014 7:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
And in fairness, I've earned that reaction. Why would you?

I know, dead horse here, but I'd missed this.

All you see is "that" reaction because that's all you will accept.

Brain filter.

*-------------------------------------------------*
What trolls reveal about themselves when they troll:
http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57532
*-------------------------------------------------*

SECOND

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 12:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
. . .she said there's the TV writer in America who wrote this very important line: "If nothing you do matters, then all that matters is what you do."

Last week there was a God and Cosmology Debate, with W.L. Craig and Sean Carroll, that discussed purpose of the universe.

See the videos
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2014/02/27/godcosmology-debate-video
s/
Post-Debate Reflections
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2014/02/24/post-debate-reflections/
Run up to the Debate
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2014/02/20/god-and-cosmology-debate-
with-w-l-craig/

From the video I gather that the philosopher of theology understood cosmology very much less than the cosmologist understood theology. The cosmologist knew that, so far, his science shines no light on the hidden existence of God. The cosmologist was also very aware of the purpose-of-life question that haunted Tolstoy:

Is there any meaning in my life that wouldn’t be destroyed by the death that inevitably awaits me?

Writing War and Peace and Anna Karenina wasn’t enough; the love of his wife wasn’t enough; the lives of his children weren’t enough. Schopenhauer, Solomon, and Buddha offered the Russian writer no solace. Scientific rationalism was a coffin for his soul. Others of his own class and education had no clue. Tolstoy had a Malcolm Reynolds-ish feeling: “You can only live as long as you’re drunk with life; but when you sober up, you can’t help but see that all this is just a fraud, and a stupid fraud. Precisely that: there’s nothing even amusing or witty about it; it’s simply cruel and stupid.”

In a suicidal stupor, Tolstoy began to see that the supernaturalism and irrationality of faith, and all the vulgate attached to it, wasn’t so stupid after all. Leo Tolstoy had to have an invitation from the infinite.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

1KIKI

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 1:14 AM

The videos are WAY too long for me to watch them now - however -

If we assume that what we sense is at least reflective of reality at a certain scale, then one thing we may reasonably conclude is that time doesn't repeat itself. What we do at any moment is unique, and will never be repeated in the span of the universe. If you're looking for ultimates - for the eternal - to instill meaning, then your small but eternal history is meaningful.

My mother taught me that.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 1:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Neil deGrasse Tyson is brilliant and I agree with him.:)

He is soooo cool.

I'm officially the Old Guy.

I have no clue who T is.

The only Tyson I knew growing up was delicious going down my gullet.... except for that crazy dude that got as much satisfaction from digesting Holyfield's ear.

That wasn't even a hate crime. That's some black on black Tupac stuff I don't even know about.

That was like if JoJo English took a bite out of MJ's face during practice, circa 199whenever....

Mikey Likes it

AURAPTOR

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 2:50 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

I'm officially the Old Guy.

I have no clue who T is.

Don't beat yourself up too much. Not too many in the general public knew who Carl Sagan was before COSMOS aired , back in 1980.

Of course, I was up to speed on NDT for some time now. Ever since I saw the story of the building of the Hayden Planetarium, and that he would be the director, I have been a fan. The HP and the NYMNH ( new york museum of natural history ) are on my 'to see' list. But I won't be going to NYC while there's a communist as mayor.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 3:52 AM

definition of a troll: "and I refuse to chase others in a mindless, endless circle of " debate " on the internet. If I 'bitch out' of a discussion, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter, my views have been presented, and there's nothing left to add."

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

And this is Geezer being non-partisan ... HAHAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Dem Super Pac slams Obamacare because it really sucks and will cause herpes
Geezer
So some Democrats are running on pointing out that the Healthcare.gov rollout was an unmitigated disaster

I feel so vindicated.

"Just glad that some Democrats are acknowledging the bad job done in developing Healthcare.com." "it'll be interesting to see if these same Democrats acknowledge" "these Democrats seem to understand what the real Obama Kool-Ade drinkers still won't address" " it's about Democrats using criticism of the rollout in their campaign ads".

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 8:17 AM

AURAPTOR

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 8:30 AM

Yep. Been following NDT on Twitter for a while now. Though I don't check out twitter too often. Not as much as I should.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 10:38 AM

definition of a troll: "and I refuse to chase others in a mindless, endless circle of " debate " on the internet. If I 'bitch out' of a discussion, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter, my views have been presented, and there's nothing left to add."

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

And this is Geezer being non-partisan ... HAHAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Dem Super Pac slams Obamacare because it really sucks and will cause herpes
Geezer
So some Democrats are running on pointing out that the Healthcare.gov rollout was an unmitigated disaster

I feel so vindicated.

"Just glad that some Democrats are acknowledging the bad job done in developing Healthcare.com." "it'll be interesting to see if these same Democrats acknowledge" "these Democrats seem to understand what the real Obama Kool-Ade drinkers still won't address" " it's about Democrats using criticism of the rollout in their campaign ads".

OONJERAH

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 11:23 AM

Gee whiz, Chris. I prepared this one last night ... but ya beat
me to it. OK. Keeping the thread relevant.

Narrator: "In the final decade of the 21st century,
men & women in rocket ships had landed on the Moon."

and then ...
Forbidden Planet - star profile

Doc Ostrow: You ought to see my new mind... it's up there in lights...
.
.
Doc Ostrow: Morbius was too close to the problem. The Krell had
completed their project. Big machine. No instrumentalities. True
creation.

Commander John J. Adams: Come on, Doc, let's have it.

Doc Ostrow: But the Krell forgot one thing.

Commander John J. Adams: Yes, what?

Doc Ostrow: Monsters, John. Monsters from the Id.

Commander John J. Adams: The Id? What's that? Talk, Doc!
[Doc slumps and dies]

Commander John J. Adams: Doc?
Commander John J. Adams: [sadly] Oh, Doc. Doc.
.
.
Dr. Edward Morbius: The fool, the meddling idiot! As though his
ape's brain could contain the secrets of the Krell!

Altaira: [shocked] Father, he's dead!

Dr. Edward Morbius: He was warned, and now he's paid! Let him be
buried with the other victims of human greed and folly!
.
.
the Point: I think the Krell, if they existed, were smarter than us
... but dumber than some other races.
I base this notion on the size & age of the Universe.
What we can see of it ...
Other intelligent life, lots of it, diverse, seems likely.

====================== :>

All I suggest is a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. ~Paul Simon

OONJERAH

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 10:30 AM

Cosmos is back with NDT!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/neil-degrasse-tyson-cosmos-go
d-alien-life-multiverses-interview_n_4790408.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology

Why Revive 'Cosmos?' Neil DeGrasse Tyson Says,
"Just About Everything We Know Has Changed."
^^^^^
"Things are looking up for Neil deGrasse Tyson--way up. As the
director of the Hayden Planetarium and the author of several popular
books on space, Tyson is already one of the nation's best-known
scientists. And now his already-high profile is set for a big boost
with the March 9 launch of "Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey," a new
documentary television series that he hosts.

"Tyson calls the 13-part series a continuation of "Cosmos: A Personal
Voyage," a 1980 PBS series narrated by Carl Sagan that is acclaimed
as one of the most significant science-themed programs in television
history. ...

"NT: We have excellent theoretical and philosophical reasons to think
we live in a multiverse."

Yes, Neil! Blow my mind, please! Learning in lights!

====================== :>

There are more things in Heaven & Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
in your philosophy. ~Hamlet

AURAPTOR

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 9:27 PM

Quote:
Why Revive 'Cosmos?' Neil DeGrasse Tyson Says,
"Just About Everything We Know Has Changed."

What a mind blowing thing to say. The original series was a glorious look back on man's attempt to comprehend the world in which we lived, and its place in the Cosmos.

From the Library of Alexandria, to Galileo , Einstein, Neil Armstrong and beyond, Sagan looked at the journey of mankind.

I can't wait to see what's next .

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SIGNYM

Thursday, March 6, 2014 9:29 AM

Quote:
I can't wait to see what's next.

Except global warming. The current extinction event. The end of capitalism. THAT, you'll greet with denial!

AURAPTOR

Friday, March 7, 2014 7:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
I can't wait to see what's next.
Except global warming. The current extinction event. The end of capitalism. THAT, you'll greet with denial!

As I deny the existence of bigfoot, loch ness monster and the Earth being visited by intelligent aliens.

Yep.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SIGNYM

Friday, March 7, 2014 8:37 PM

So, you think (1) the earth isn't warming (2) species aren't going extinct at a rate equal to/exceeding the previous extinction events and (3) capitalism will last until the end of time? Not very realistic of you.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 8, 2014 4:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
So, you think (1) the earth isn't warming (2) species aren't going extinct at a rate equal to/exceeding the previous extinction events and (3) capitalism will last until the end of time? Not very realistic of you.

Lemme 'splain. No, there is too much. Lemme sum up...

1 - The earth warms and cools, on its own. Anything man is doing is insignificant.
2 - I don't know at what rate species are going extinct. Not sure anyone knows. I'm all for preserving as much as possible. But the vacancy of 1 species opens the doors for others to step in.
3 - capitalism will last as long as there is freedom. When the former goes, so does the latter.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SIGNYM

Saturday, March 8, 2014 6:30 AM

"As long as there is freedom..." BWHAHAHAHAHA!!

I'll bet you can't even define the word. But, give it a try!

In the meantime... whatever.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 8, 2014 7:05 AM

Tough concept for you to comprehend, Alliance loving scum.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Saturday, March 8, 2014 7:32 AM

definition of a troll: "and I refuse to chase others in a mindless, endless circle of " debate " on the internet. If I 'bitch out' of a discussion, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter, my views have been presented, and there's nothing left to add."

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

And this is Geezer being non-partisan ... HAHAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Dem Super Pac slams Obamacare because it really sucks and will cause herpes
Geezer
So some Democrats are running on pointing out that the Healthcare.gov rollout was an unmitigated disaster

I feel so vindicated.

"Just glad that some Democrats are acknowledging the bad job done in developing Healthcare.com." "it'll be interesting to see if these same Democrats acknowledge" "these Democrats seem to understand what the real Obama Kool-Ade drinkers still won't address" " it's about Democrats using criticism of the rollout in their campaign ads".

SIGNYM

Saturday, March 8, 2014 8:33 AM

Quote:
Tough concept for you to comprehend, Alliance loving scum.

Reduced to name-calling??? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 8, 2014 9:18 AM

Not name calling, just stating fact.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Saturday, March 8, 2014 9:48 AM

definition of a troll: "and I refuse to chase others in a mindless, endless circle of " debate " on the internet. If I 'bitch out' of a discussion, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter, my views have been presented, and there's nothing left to add."

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

And this is Geezer being non-partisan ... HAHAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Dem Super Pac slams Obamacare because it really sucks and will cause herpes
Geezer
So some Democrats are running on pointing out that the Healthcare.gov rollout was an unmitigated disaster

I feel so vindicated.

"Just glad that some Democrats are acknowledging the bad job done in developing Healthcare.com." "it'll be interesting to see if these same Democrats acknowledge" "these Democrats seem to understand what the real Obama Kool-Ade drinkers still won't address" " it's about Democrats using criticism of the rollout in their campaign ads".

OONJERAH
We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.

SIGNYM

Saturday, March 8, 2014 9:59 AM

Back to the original post.

ONE LOOK at people like rappy made me realize that the universe has no purpose. What better argument is there against intelligent design, a clockwork universe, or any sort of higher purpose that to look at the folly of human beings?

OONJERAH

Saturday, March 8, 2014 12:38 PM

We Do serve a purpose.

You see all those UFOs flying around here? Those are successful alien races.
They are bringing their kids here to study us. We are the bad example.

====================== :>

Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events,
small minds discuss other people.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 8, 2014 6:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Back to the original post.

ONE LOOK at people like rappy made me realize that the universe has no purpose. What better argument is there against intelligent design, a clockwork universe, or any sort of higher purpose that to look at the folly of human beings?

You and 1kiki display the insignificance of humans, perfectly.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SIGNYM

Saturday, March 8, 2014 8:04 PM

Quote:
We Do serve a purpose.

You see all those UFOs flying around here? Those are successful alien races.
They are bringing their kids here to study us. We are the bad example.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Wow, touche Oonj!

OONJERAH

Sunday, March 9, 2014 3:39 AM

Homo Sap is a smart monkey ... but not that smart.

Using a Fahrenheit thermometer scale of 0-120 as a measure of Smartness.
Smartness includes these attributes:
Awareness-Intelligence-Maturity-Morality-Creativity
Responsibility is inherent in maturity/morality.

I'll arbitrarily put Homo-sapiens at 20. = I assume there are beings
in the Galaxy who are six times smarter than us. Conservatively.
But in truth, the Smart scale may be as unlimited as the Galaxy itself.

Our race runs on pEg: paranoia-Egomania-greed. That's why we'll self-
destruct. We are competitive to eXcess; Trust is a rare commodity.
Survival may require a flexible adaptability that we have lost.

Cannot find the quote from MIB, my recall:
Kay: In some parts of the galaxy, Our intelligence is regarded as a virus.

Honest humility has value, too.

====================== :>

Actually, if my mind is small enough, I will only discuss mySelf.

AURAPTOR

Sunday, March 9, 2014 3:44 AM

Quote:

Kay: In some parts of the galaxy, our intelligence is regarded as a virus.

I'm not opposed to using movie quotes to demonstrate a POV in the real world. I do it myself, from time to time. However, as much as I'll agree that certain comments really do paint a picture, and nail a point home, the same can't be said for all quotes.

Some are just flat out ridiculous.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

AURAPTOR

Sunday, March 9, 2014 4:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:...3) capitalism will last until the end of time? Not very realistic of you.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SIGNYM

Sunday, March 9, 2014 11:09 PM

Cartoon is wrong.
Capitalism

OH- BTW- DEFINE FREEDOM. You use the word often enough, surely you must have some idea what it means to you!

AURAPTOR

Sunday, March 9, 2014 11:27 PM

The liberal logic 101 posting is accurate.

And if you can't comprehend that, then my definition of freedom will be dismissed, out of hand, by you, just the same.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Monday, March 10, 2014 1:26 AM

definition of a troll: "and I refuse to chase others in a mindless, endless circle of " debate " on the internet. If I 'bitch out' of a discussion, I've said all I'm going to say on the matter, my views have been presented, and there's nothing left to add."

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

And this is Geezer being non-partisan ... HAHAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Dem Super Pac slams Obamacare because it really sucks and will cause herpes
Geezer
So some Democrats are running on pointing out that the Healthcare.gov rollout was an unmitigated disaster

I feel so vindicated.

"Just glad that some Democrats are acknowledging the bad job done in developing Healthcare.com." "it'll be interesting to see if these same Democrats acknowledge" "these Democrats seem to understand what the real Obama Kool-Ade drinkers still won't address" " it's about Democrats using criticism of the rollout in their campaign ads".

OONJERAH
We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.

AURAPTOR

Monday, March 10, 2014 2:34 AM

9pm on FOX

Everyone ready?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

RAHLMACLAREN

Monday, March 10, 2014 7:15 AM

WTF??? I'll have to Hulu (verb) Cosmos tomorrow 'cause of f***ing local redneck programing! Must be a bunch of creationists running the FUX affiliate.

SHU MA NYAOW, I was even awake on time!

Find here the Serenity you seek. -Tara Maclay

AURAPTOR

Monday, March 10, 2014 7:36 AM

No spoilers from me, so I'll just say 1 thing so far...

I miss Carl.

Granted, it's 13 weeks in full, so 1/2 into ep 1 isn't enough to pass judgement yet.

PS - I see that it'll also air on NatGeo, on Mondays.

Also, I'll just say I enjoyed the very last part the most.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 6:26 PM

i thought i saw a ufo on the weekend

maybe the sun was in my eyes

how cool would it be though

AURAPTOR

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 7:06 PM

The feeling of seeing something you can't ID is a bit exhilarating and uncomfortable at the same time. " Am I really seeing... What AM I seeing ? "

3x I've had that experience. 2 I figured out. The 3rd, I kinda have an idea, but it was still a bit " off ". There may be a simple explanation, but I just missed it.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

OONJERAH

Saturday, March 22, 2014 3:17 AM

CLARKE's Three Laws are three "laws" of prediction formulated
by the British writer Arthur C. Clarke. They are:

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something
is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that
something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture
a little way past them into the impossible.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

<: ============================================== :>

1KIKI

Monday, March 24, 2014 9:55 AM

OONJERAH
We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.

OONJERAH

Saturday, October 7, 2017 2:39 PM

New Season of Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'StarTalk' Premieres Tonight[ 1 Oct '17 ]
https://www.space.com/38329-startalk-neil-degrasse-tyson-season-4-prem
iere.html

born October 5, 1958 : Happy birthday, Dr. Tyson!

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences awarded Tyson the
Public Welfare Medal in 2015 for his "extraordinary role
in exciting the public about the wonders of science".

... oooOO}{OOooo ...

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Sunday, October 8, 2017 3:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Oonjerah:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and
I'm not sure about the universe." attributed to Albert Einstein
by Frederick S. Perls. Disputed.

If I had said that, what would I mean?
That the masses apprear to me as fools in lieu of my own lofty
intelligence?
No. Not at all.

It means I am stupid.
(The expression of our group Intelligence, however, is scary.)

I was a child prodigy about just One little thing. I had talent and
no one taught it to me. No one (teachers, parents) ever told me
I was smart in grade school. But in high school, they did, saying
I had a high I.Q. = I was smart. Sometimes I believed them.
Yet I was always aware of my limits, my incomprehension of
things both grand & mundane. I could/would never know the
answers to the most fascinating stuff.

Human Reason Has Limits.

Dr William Lane Craig & Dr. Peter Atkins:

Saints & Sceptics: 12 Things Science Can’t Explain
http://www.saintsandsceptics.org/12-things-science-cant-explain/

1. Logical and mathematical truths (which are presupposed by science) ...

====================== :>

Apollo in 1969. Shuttle in 1981. Nothing in 2011. Our space program
would look awesome to anyone living backwards thru time. ~Neil deGrasse Tyson

If aliens did visit us, I'd be embarrassed to tell them we still dig fossil
fuels from the ground as a source of energy. ~Neil deGrasse Tyson

That is interesting about your school.
I was considered stupid in grade school, at least by the students and some teachers - I did everything wrong, but just got everything right. The school psychometrist had other ideas, IIRC. Then in 8th grade my math teacher inqired of my boredom, and realized and explained to me that I had been using algebra to do math since developing it in 2nd grade, although nobody had known it - my teachers and certainly not me. I knew that it was right and would always result in the correct answer, and more quickly, but didn't know the name of the process.

My new question from last night is this: Does the Sun come around Earth from the East every dawn? How would you answer it?

OONJERAH

Sunday, October 8, 2017 4:26 AM

JewelStaitFan: "Does the Sun come around Earth from the East every dawn?
How would you answer it?"

No. The earth turns to face the sun.

"The sun rises." "The sun sets." Idiomatic phrases that we say out of
habit ... You know, from when the Earth was "the center of the Universe."

... oooOO}{OOooo ...

OONJERAH

Sunday, October 22, 2017 12:05 PM

A newly discovered moon tunnel could be the
perfect place for a colony, scientists say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/10/21/
a-newly-discovered-moon-tunnel-could-be-the-perfect-place-for-a-colony-scientists-say/?utm_term=.8c757fd0f08d

At the close of the Apollo age, a year before the final moonwalk in 1972, a NASA researcher argued that vast tunnels lie beneath the lunar surface.

... oooOO}{OOooo ...

OONJERAH

Monday, December 18, 2017 4:36 PM

UFOs - Area 51, etc.

"The United States Air Force facility commonly known as Area 51 is a
highly classified remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base, within
the Nevada Test and Training Range."

That's the place where they keep all the super-secret stuff ... such as
alien artifacts.
You see pictures of the secret stuff if you look for it ... but maybe
they're just Hollywood props to get us to read the page they're on (plus
the Ads).

I really have no idea what's in there. But I sure would like to have
the grand tour and see.

... oooOO}{OOooo ...
Idea for new thread: What's become of our Space Program?