Why are we here? My Theory

[F.Zamataki]

so last night i got to thinking (i think alot)
and i came up with a reason of why humans are here on this planet. what our purpose is...this is just my idea, i just want some feedback.

k, so imagine where it began....the "big bang"...no one knows what caused it, but we know that it created that what is our universe. now, in contrast, that is a pretty big and important event.

so, this event, was caused by something before it...this is where my theory begins, and try to follow along here.

each human being created on this planet has an effect on it. how? its a long lasting process. think of it this way.
one human is born, this human lives and dies, but in its life it gives birth to another human, this new human has a purpose. this new humans purpose could be anything. from something as simple as becoming a teacher, or to becoming a doctor.

so, if it became a teacher...it could teach a child something, and that could influence that child to teach his children what he learned, and his children may one day cause, or prevent something from happening because of that knowledge. and that what they prevented or caused can effect another person....this goes on forever.
this can span endlessly, one person to the next, each human doing something, no matter how tiny or large, to affect and cause another human to cause, affect or prevent something...and so on and so forth.

with me so far? i hope so...

the doctor can save a humans life, wich was nessicary to have some sort of effect on another human, and to have that other human affect another...i think you get the picture.

now well take a small detour and contrast the size of our universe.
for what we know, our universe is endless...but we do know that it is extremely large, soo large that a human mind does not have the capacity to imagine its size.

so in our universe...planets, stars, even distances are very large, and in accordance, 1 billion years, to our universe, is really not that long of a time. since everything lasts so long and the distances take immense amounts of time to cross...we can agree that 1 billion or so "years"
is a fairly short amount of time.

now look at the span of a human life, im comparison to the entire universe, it is but a microsecond...it is nothing of importance to time.

ahh but it is.

get back to the way each human causes/affects/prevents something that eventually causes/affects/prevents something else....and on and on.

so we look at the planet, when man was first roaming around....each and every human created since the beginning of our earth has in some way caused what is happening in the world today, and what the world is like today. so we are all contributing to what the earth will be like in another 1000 years...and so one and so forth.

so, if we look at how humans affect what happens on this planet..then where does what we do get past our atmosphere?

well..if you think about it (providing we dont get hit by an asteroid in this case)...time passes, a disease is cured, a bomb explodes, the ozone is gone, the poles melt...etc etc, the planet changes. the planet changes because of each human through time.
this changing of our planet may cause a change in our solar system, that may cause a change in our local group, that may cause a change in our galaxy. and even if this change is soooo small, soo tiny in comparison to the universe. that small change in some way will cause another change...you get the picture by now.

so, our purpose in life, is not to get a good job, its not to become rich.
our purpose is basically just to contribute, in whatever way, to one change, that causes another..........................that will eventually change the universe in
900,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or so years, and that is the next big "event" that will cause something totally new to happen...for what i know, its a neverending cycle, my mind cannot contemplate what comes after that.

what each of us does in our life is sooo insignificant, but yet, after a long unimagniable while, it makes something significant.

makes ya feel really small dont it?

thats all i got..my brain hurts, and my fingers are numb...

maybe this essay will cause one of you to do something th.................................................................

 

[F.Zamataki]

ehhh please move to opinions forum. my bad

 

[Blake]

I agree - everything does affect something. For example me typing on this computer on the internet is making my mums bill larger causing her to have to pay more causing me to have less pepsi max next week causing me to be a b*tch to everyone cuasing them to get pissed at me etc etc etc.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by F.Zamataki
so last night i got to thinking (i think alot)
and i came up with a reason of why humans are here on this planet. what our purpose is...this is just my idea, i just want some feedback.

k, so imagine where it began....the "big bang"...no one knows what caused it, but we know that it created that what is our universe. now, in contrast, that is a pretty big and important event.

so, this event, was caused by something before it...this is where my theory begins, and try to follow along here.

each human being created on this planet has an effect on it. how? its a long lasting process. think of it this way.
one human is born, this human lives and dies, but in its life it gives birth to another human, this new human has a purpose. this new humans purpose could be anything. from something as simple as becoming a teacher, or to becoming a doctor.

so, if it became a teacher...it could teach a child something, and that could influence that child to teach his children what he learned, and his children may one day cause, or prevent something from happening because of that knowledge. and that what they prevented or caused can effect another person....this goes on forever.
this can span endlessly, one person to the next, each human doing something, no matter how tiny or large, to affect and cause another human to cause, affect or prevent something...and so on and so forth.

with me so far? i hope so...

the doctor can save a humans life, wich was nessicary to have some sort of effect on another human, and to have that other human affect another...i think you get the picture.

My opinion is that we are here by chance. Our planet formed at the correct distance from the sun - a life sustaining distance - by chance. When it cooled and formed oceans and landmasses, either an asteroid from some far flung region of space, or evolution ( from what i dont know) began the process of life. Bacteria evolved into organisms which evolved into animals which evolved into humans. When sun explodes as a super nova in a few hundred million years time, our luck runs out. Period. This happens all across the universe, only we are too far away from any of it to realise it.

for what we know, our universe is endless...but we do know that it is extremely large,

er, yes.

, 1 billion years, to our universe, is really not that long of a time. since everything lasts so long and the distances take immense amounts of time to cross...we can agree that 1 billion or so "years"
is a fairly short amount of time.

As the universe is about 15 billion years old, 1 billion years works out to 6.5% of the universes total life, so it is hardly a "short amount of time".

now look at the span of a human life, im comparison to the entire universe, it is but a microsecond...it is nothing of importance to time.

Now we are talking

ahh but it is.

Now we arent. We matter nothing to the universe, we do however matter to each other.

this changing of our planet may cause a change in our solar system,

Only in the form of planetary litter in the form of spent out satellites.

that may cause a change in our local group, that may cause a change in our galaxy.

The nearest star is 4.3 light years or 4.068027e+013 Km away. Unless we learn warp technology, forget about it.

that will eventually change the universe in
900,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or so years, and that is the next big "event" that will cause something totally new to happen

Otherwise known as the big crunch, as Universe will be long dead by that time (you specify something like 900 Billion Billion Billion Billion years....)

makes ya feel really small dont it?

Not as small as that dog Rumple hit

 

[Danoff]

There are scientific theories that suggest that the universe might be created (and destroyed) cyclically because it must... because it is not possible for nothing to exist.

However, I don't think that human development on our particular lump of rock is all that special.

 

[Duke]

I'm of the opinion that the universe is cyclical as well, in a constant but extremely slow process of expansion, collapse, and re-explosion. Whether the physics stays constant or not between cycles, I'm not decided about.

But the universe is so large that virtually anything can happen, just by random chance. That's why I see no need for a "purpose" behind the existence of life.

 

[Famine]

Originally posted by F.Zamataki
the "big bang" [...] was caused by something before it

Nope.

The Big Bang was the formation of Space-Time - the two are inseperable.

Therefore the concept of a "before the Big Bang" is non-existant. There was no "before" since there was no time.

 

[skip0110]

Originally posted by Famine
The Big Bang was the formation of Space-Time - the two are inseperable.

Therefore the concept of a "before the Big Bang" is non-existant. There was no "before" since there was no time.

Remeber, space-time is just a model for some physical phemomena. As far as I know (from reading Scientific American, etc.) out physcial models fall apart a few micro/nano seconds before the big bang. Just because our models cant predict what occured at/before the big bang does not mean that nothing could have occured. All it means is that we need to expand our models, since they are too weak or flawed.

 

[Famine]

Well, I WAS keeping it simple, for the sake of the thread starter...

 

[Danoff]

The Big Bang was the formation of Space-Time - the two are inseperable

I have read that it is likely that the "big bang" model is not correct. There are explanations similar to the big bang that have to do with dimensional manifolds colliding that fit our observations better.

 

[///M-Spec]

( starts doing the rap from Rush's Roll the Bones )


M

 

[Jpec07]

I thought I posted a message in this thread last night, but apparently I'm mistaken. Your theory is interesting for the most part, however when you say that the Big Bang created us and everything, you are mistaken. Most scientists will say that the big bang happened 14 billion years ago and that it was a massive explosion that sent matter flying across the universe in various directions. However, this theory does not account for the beginning of matter, and here's why:
Take into account the gravitational constant and the fact that when matter becomes extremely condensed it heats up alot, then you can understand that the "Big Bang," if we're following that theory is part of a cycle that repeats itself every few billion years. The explosion sends the matter flying off in all directions and based on gravity it condenses into stars, planets, etc. Now, as you probably know, everything in the universe is moving against the force of gravity; that is, it's all moving away from each other. Gravity, naturally, will slow this process. In a few billion years, the universe will be static, and everything will be stopped dead in place relative to itself. Give it a few more billions of years and the universe will start to collapse in on itself again. Now, if all the matter in the universe were condensed into one place, you can imagine that there'd be a pretty big explosion in a little while. So, that is what the big bang was; all the material in the universe condensed into an area the size of a few galaxies going super-duper-nova. Do you follow me?

 

[F.Zamataki]

Originally posted by Jpec07
I thought I posted a message in this thread last night, but apparently I'm mistaken. Your theory is interesting for the most part, however when you say that the Big Bang created us and everything, you are mistaken. Most scientists will say that the big bang happened 14 billion years ago and that it was a massive explosion that sent matter flying across the universe in various directions. However, this theory does not account for the beginning of matter, and here's why:
Take into account the gravitational constant and the fact that when matter becomes extremely condensed it heats up alot, then you can understand that the "Big Bang," if we're following that theory is part of a cycle that repeats itself every few billion years. The explosion sends the matter flying off in all directions and based on gravity it condenses into stars, planets, etc. Now, as you probably know, everything in the universe is moving against the force of gravity; that is, it's all moving away from each other. Gravity, naturally, will slow this process. In a few billion years, the universe will be static, and everything will be stopped dead in place relative to itself. Give it a few more billions of years and the universe will start to collapse in on itself again. Now, if all the matter in the universe were condensed into one place, you can imagine that there'd be a pretty big explosion in a little while. So, that is what the big bang was; all the material in the universe condensed into an area the size of a few galaxies going super-duper-nova. Do you follow me?

ya i follow, what i meant to say, in reference to my theory, is that the big bang was an event, that in some way, however small or large, caused the correct formation and placement of our planet to our sun. thus eventually contributing to the creation of man.

 

[F.Zamataki]

Originally posted by Famine
Nope.

The Big Bang was the formation of Space-Time - the two are inseperable.

Therefore the concept of a "before the Big Bang" is non-existant. There was no "before" since there was no time.

but every action always has an action before it, that caused the following action, and for every action there is an equal or greater reaction.....

it is impossible to explain how "there was no 'before'". i mean, ok the atom that sparked the big bang HAD to be lit by something right? there had to be something before... the human mind just cannot imagine what it was...
also we have to remember the big bang is just a theory.....our universe could just be small particle that blew off of another immense "event" that happened even more than 15 billion years ago...we dont know for sure exactly how small we are. its just amazing.

my theory just contasts how small and insignificat, and pointless our puny little lives are.

 

[Famine]

Originally posted by F.Zamataki
but every action always has an action before it, that caused the following action, and for every action there is an equal or greater reaction.....

Nope. Cause only follows effect if you assume time (or space-time) is always linear and one directional. Which it isn't.

If you accept the "Big Bang" theory - universe as we know it came into being from a single expansive event 15-20 billion years ago - then you cannot say that anything happened, or even existed "before" the event, since the event itself created space AND time simultaneously.

The basis of the Big Bang theory is that an infinitessimal universe popped into existance simply because nothing existed (there is a really amazingly long-winded way of saying this, and proving it, but I'm not that bored). As has been pointed out, our models are fine for everything since the Big Bang but seem to stop working roughly 10^-12s after the event - we simply cannot say what happened before this. Several theories abound as to why this is so - possibly one of several universal constants had different values (such as the Planck constant, the gravitational constant and the speed of light in a vacuum).


Interestingly enough, on that theme, researchers recently succeeded in freezing light - they made it completely motionless. So there you go - the speed of light is not a constant.

 

[Axe_Gaijin]

My opinion on why we're here;

We just are, life sucks, then you die.

 

[skip0110]

Originally posted by Famine
Interestingly enough, on that theme, researchers recently succeeded in freezing light - they made it completely motionless. So there you go - the speed of light is not a constant.

Well, I don't want to nitpick, but at the risk of sounding annoying/derailing this thread, what Einstein said is that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant. It travels slightly slower in air than in vacuum, and yet slower in water. But in each medium, he claimed that the speed of light is constant. By stopping light, they did not "disprove" Einstein, they just fashioned a meterial that slowed ligh to a stop.

But, you were still correct in saying that the speed of light is in fact not a constant, although not for the reason you mentioned. (I'm using c as the speed of light in vacuum, here.) According to quantum theory, light actually has a slight probability to travel just above c in a vacuum, and a probability to travel slower than c in a vacuum. Fortunately, these probabilities cancel out in the scale that we live in every day, so its OK to say that the speed of light is constant (in a given material).

And if you're interested in this kind of thing, I would highly reccomend a book called QED by Richard Feynman. He is an excellent and very graspable author.

 

[Jpec07]

Originally posted by Famine
Nope. Cause only follows effect if you assume time (or space-time) is always linear and one directional. Which it isn't.

If you accept the "Big Bang" theory - universe as we know it came into being from a single expansive event 15-20 billion years ago - then you cannot say that anything happened, or even existed "before" the event, since the event itself created space AND time simultaneously.

The basis of the Big Bang theory is that an infinitessimal universe popped into existance simply because nothing existed (there is a really amazingly long-winded way of saying this, and proving it, but I'm not that bored). As has been pointed out, our models are fine for everything since the Big Bang but seem to stop working roughly 10^-12s after the event - we simply cannot say what happened before this. Several theories abound as to why this is so - possibly one of several universal constants had different values (such as the Planck constant, the gravitational constant and the speed of light in a vacuum).


Interestingly enough, on that theme, researchers recently succeeded in freezing light - they made it completely motionless. So there you go - the speed of light is not a constant.

Wait a minute, you're saying that the big bang created everything? Doesn't that go against the theory that "Matter can neither be created nor destroyed"? If this big bang did really create everything we know of, wouldn't that completely illegitimatize (that a word????) our body of the understanding of physics? What I forgot to mention above is that that long-winded statement was proved through some thick thick discussion I had with a few of my nerdy friends. And how the heck did they freeze light, which is not made of matter? Please explain this to me...

 

[skip0110]

Originally posted by Jpec07
And how the heck did they freeze light, which is not made of matter? Please explain this to me...

They didnt really "freeze" it in the sense that you put water in the freezer to make ice cubes. Instead, they developed a material that slowed the photons that light is made up of to the point that they just stopped. And thusly they were "frozen" in a position. And, I'm not positive here, but I think light is matter. There was an idea several years ago for a light "sail" that would push a spacecraft along by photons hitting it.

 

[F.Zamataki]

Originally posted by Jpec07
Wait a minute, you're saying that the big bang created everything? Doesn't that go against the theory that "Matter can neither be created nor destroyed"? If this big bang did really create everything we know of, wouldn't that completely illegitimatize (that a word????) our body of the understanding of physics? What I forgot to mention above is that that long-winded statement was proved through some thick thick discussion I had with a few of my nerdy friends. And how the heck did they freeze light, which is not made of matter? Please explain this to me...

well if that quote is true, and i DO remember hearing it somewhere before, probly school.
then there had to be something there that caused it.
its very hard on the mind to try and think of what could possibly have been before the big bang....but i ask...what caused it to explode? it exploded....but how? what form of physical energy caused the atom to burst? ahhh my head..

 

[Sage]

Originally posted by F.Zamataki
its very hard on the mind to try and think of what could possibly have been before the big bang....

Well, theoretically, there was nothing (or there was a universe that had shrunken), so that's that. I'm assuming you're having trouble with the "nothing" theory, since it's just about impossible for the human mind to have a sense of nothing. I guess "nothing" wouldn't even be black, would it?

 

[F.Zamataki]

Originally posted by Sage
Well, theoretically, there was nothing (or there was a universe that had shrunken), so that's that. I'm assuming you're having trouble with the "nothing" theory, since it's just about impossible for the human mind to have a sense of nothing. I guess "nothing" wouldn't even be black, would it?

neither black, or white. thats just it, the human mind can't imagine "nothing".

 

[Jpec07]

Sensory Deprivation is a good way to experience the feeling of nothing. Your senses are all totally quiet and you can't feel a thing. When exposed to that small taste of nothing, it is possible for the mind to become so insanely screwed up that it's beyond repair. The concept of nothing is like the concept of infinity (in fact I have proven that they are the same, but I'd rather not get into that now), the human mind simply cannot grasp the intensity of it. I mean sure, we can get really close to nothing, but never to exactly at nothing (and we're nowhere close to infinity). In my opinion, I view infinite as ever-changing, not set for a moment and constantly growing (it helps me grasp it). Black is the color of nothing, and so you would see black. This is just pointless ramble, as my mind is practically completely wasted right now.

 

[F.Zamataki]

haha mine too, this is making me think too hard, a man once told me in order to imagine infinity, youd have to "picture a steel ball the size of jupiter, and every 1 million years a hummingbird flys by and brushes its wing on the ball...so over time the ball is ground into nothing....then imagine a million of these giant balls."

thats how i grasp the idea of infinity.

and on a second note, since youd see black..then space is the equivalent of nothing..however, space is matter created by the "big bang". so nothing cant be black, it cant be white...its nothing.

 

[Sage]

Originally posted by F.Zamataki
haha mine too, this is making me think too hard, a man once told me in order to imagine infinity, youd have to "picture a steel ball the size of jupiter, and every 1 million years a hummingbird flys by and brushes its wing on the ball...so over time the ball is ground into nothing....then imagine a million of these giant balls."

That's sure an odd way of thinking about it.

I just imagine a white line drawn in space that goes on farther than the eye can see.

 

[skip0110]

I dont think it's entirely approprite to try to imagine infinity as a "something," because as soon as you have fixed it in your mind, you have constrained your thought process and therefore have not grasped infinity.

Your hummingbird example, for example, descibes a finite amount of time, however unfathonable it may be. Sage's description is accurate, because however far you follow that line, you the distance left to walk does not go down. It's still an infinite distance.

Webster defines infinity as boundlessness, or the quality of being boundless. And this is pretty close. In math, when something is infinite, this goes not refer to some specific "imaginable" quantity, but rather to the fact the it is unbounded (usually you can replace the word infinite with grows unboundedly) in a proof.

Funny, we started discussing the big bang and now we're talking about infinty.

 

[milefile]

How can infinity grow?

 

[F.Zamataki]

sweet i found the description of infinty, from this book my ex girlfriends dad has...about space and time etc...

ok so from what i remember, this is what it says.(to my recollection)

a line cannot be infinite, a line always has a point A to point B...distances between said points just vary.
but if you take that same line...and you bend it so that it forms a circle where point A and point B connect, then this "line" actually has no end. to tread on the circle would give you no destination. its not that you literally "go in circles", its just that it keeps going, a circle has NO end.

i think thats the best description of infinity that we can imagine.

 

[Famine]

Originally posted by Famine
Several theories abound as to why this is so - possibly one of several universal constants had different values (such as the Planck constant, the gravitational constant and the speed of light in a vacuum).

Originally posted by skip0110
Well, I don't want to nitpick, but at the risk of sounding annoying/derailing this thread, what Einstein said is that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant.

As you can see, I already stated that bit. I didn't feel the need to restate it two lines later...

 

[Shannon]

Originally posted by Mike Rotch
As the universe is about 15 billion years old, 1 billion years works out to 6.5% of the universes total life, so it is hardly a "short amount of time".

If the universe has an age, than what was present before it? And did that have an age?