How do you view the universe?

Keep mind that I'm a very objective person. If something hasn't been determined in a tangible way, I'm not going to "believe" in it. Yet I still like to philosophically theorize on things whether they're supported or not.

• What ideas on the shape or structure of the universe do you agree with and support the most?

If you think back to the Big Bang, if a singularity were to spontaneously expand, it would expand in all directions...so in that sense, if it expands in every direction, it's spherical.

• Do you think that multiple universes exist?

Well I'm certainly open to the idea. It suggests infinite universes, but want to know the truth? If every universe was based off of time and space, it would actually be finite. Why? Let's assume all universes are the same size. If that's the case, then there's a finite number of ways a certain atom can be arranged in that universe. Yet you need to consider all types of atoms first. There's also a finite number of ways energy can be scattered. It's incredibly large and I'm not going to begin to estimate, but it's true. There's also a finite number of empty spaces that could be places in the universe. So the number is INCREDIBLY large, quite possibly larger than a googolplex. There's also a finite number of points in time that matter or energy could occupy a certain space. So this number is incredibly large, but it's finite.

• Will we be able to comprehend the size of the universe to the point of easy travel through its immense size, if "comprehension" is even necessary?

Well mathematically speaking, warp drive is possible. According to a recent study, it could even be very-well within the range of human accomplishment. If the universe is finite and we were to send a drone out into space using warp speed, we might find an edge. Or the universe is infinite. No one can tell yet.

• Out of the many hypotheses, how do you think the universe was created?

I'm going to get a little Deistic and say that it was created by a being. Whether this being is the Islamic God or some conscious singularity that grabbed a white board and designed a universe is, once again, undecidable. Yet the reason I thing the universe was created by a creator because of it's complexity. Things fall together in our universe so cleverly and complexly that you can't help but question plain cause and effect. The human body is programmed in a way that so conveniently correspond to everything else, like cells that fight damage, eyes that so conveniently reflect light onto our retina, hair that grows that warms us, the sexual organs between a male and female that so fit together perfectly to create life...and this is all unconscious creation? Just...boom, complexity?

• If there are statistically other intelligent organisms existing in our universe, where are they, and why have they not appeared to us yet?

It's highly possible for other intelligent life-forms to exist, but they could be at a lower evolutionary state or an equivalent one. They might be just as stumped about aliens and space travel.

• Will all universes with similar conditions eventually form intelligent life fitting with their internal physics?

With the size of a universe and the probability of a planet landing in a habitable zone...probably.

• What is the role, if any, of life in a universe?

Despite the fact that I think there's a creator, I don't think life was created with a stamped purpose. People always ask why things even exist...things don't have to exist, but they do. In quite contradiction to my previous belief, no one was there to determine the point of things. Things happen because they happen.

 

• What ideas on the shape or structure of the universe do you agree with and support the most?

I agree with Crypt when he says that the universe is spherical. It would absolutely make the most sense if the Big Bang Theory is true.

• Do you think that multiple universes exist?

I have always been intrigued by this so called, "Multiverse Theory." However, at this point, I have to say no. There really isn't any tangible evidence out of everything i've read about it that suggests that there are multiple universes. It is an interesting idea and within the realm of possibility, though. We'll see what comes.

• Will we be able to comprehend the size of the universe to the point of easy travel through its immense size, if "comprehension" is even necessary?

I think humans, as intelligent as we are, are incapable of even beginning to comprehend the universe's size. As for traveling around it, there are definitely ways that we can experiment with interstellar travel. (warp drive, worm holes, and such)

• Out of the many hypotheses, how do you think the universe was created?

As a man of science and a critical thinker, I have to go with the Big Bang Theory. While the theory itself may not be able to explain everything, it explains enough to satisfy me.

• If there are statistically other intelligent organisms existing in our universe, where are they, and why have they not appeared to us yet?

Intelligent organisms may very well be out there somewhere in the universe. If our universe is indeed infinite, mathematics say that if you go far enough, a pattern will repeat. Meaning, there may be another you, there may be another me, there may be an exact copy of our Earth right down to the rocks and dirt somewhere far away. But anyway, if there is intelligent life out there that hasn't contacted or appeared to us, I can think of a few possible reasons off the top of my head...

1. Their culture is primitive, or at least not to the point in their technology where they can contact us or visit our planet.
2. They are trying to contact us, but their messages are taking a long time to get here because of the distance between our planets.
3.They are already here and are taking a "covert" approach to learning about us. They may even be giving us little "nudges" in the field of science.
4. They may be in the early stages of their evolution.

• Will all universes with similar conditions eventually form intelligent life fitting with their internal physics?

It would make sense. Intelligent life may differ in appearance and their zones of tolerance depending on what universe you go to.

• What is the role, if any, of life in a universe?

Our role, as is the goal with all life, is simply to survive and reproduce.

 

If you' re speaking about this it doesn' t look very practical for now, not to mention even that is still hypothetical. ^^

You either haven' t studied evolution yet or had a lousy teacher.
99 point something of all the species that ever existed on Earth are extinct (I think it' s 99.9 % but I' m not sure). A lot of genetic mutations turn out to be lethal, which drastically reduces the odds for such a mutation to be passed on, humans just happen to be amongst the (0,1 % ?) of species that survived because we fit enough with our environment (for now).

When you play poker the odds for you to not even get a pair or to get a royal flush are exactly the same. If Earth or the universe as a whole was dealt the "not even a pair" hand then we just wouldn' t be there to talk about it. We' re not particularly improbable, we' re just (subjectively) damn lucky.

 

I didn't bother to read the article you posted so I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but I'm talking about this.

I don't really understand what you're disagreeing with or why that was relevant, to be quite honest, haha. I've had problems in the past getting across why I think the universe was created before. I just have that sense when looking at how things are pieced together not necessarily perfect, but conveniently correspondent to other things. Of course, I'm an Atheist-Deist-Agnosticist, if you will, so my views are sort of self-contradictory at times, like how I tend to argue for and against creationism. Yet...I don't know. When I look at how incredibly convenient things my body, or anyone's body does, I can't help but wonder...why? Then I can say "No reason, the universe just expanded and we just so happened to survive the chaos, ending up these intelligent, complex beings," but it's just weird.

It's almost like a puzzle. Things just...fit together and people are supposed to think that it just exists that way. No conscious design or anything of that fashion.

Or maybe I'm just an ignorant child who wants something to be more than it is.

 

Nope.

Well our brains are trained to look for patterns, even where there isn' t any. That' s what they do, show them a cloud or any other kind of Rorschach picture and they' ll see a bat or something.

Your argument is called the anthropic principle, it' s rejected by scientists because there' s a number of problems with it : http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Fine-tuned_universe

If you' re interested here' s a quite comprehensive list of intelligent design arguments, with a short explanation as to why they' re fallacious :
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html#CI

 

One of the arguments said "Intelligent design is not creationism."

I lol'd.

 

I hold no view on the universe but I think it is both wonderful, mysterious, and scary.

Compared to the universe our planet is but a small speck in a backwater spiral galaxy amongst many others but too us it represents the ultimate step for mankind.

I agree that the universe is continuously expanding but there may be a time where the universe will rescead and return to nothing.

I've always been of the school of thought that multiple universes exist and that a version of ourselves exist in every one but each one is different form subtle differences in personality to an entire different genetic makeup.

The universe is something we cannot comprehend as it is too vast for us to ever know for sure and what we do know we've only scratched the surface of.

I'm for The Big Bang Theory as given what we know supports most arguments but we could find evidence that contradicts it like maybe the universe was always here and will be here for infinity.

I think there are other intelligent beings out there I mean humanity could not be on the one planet that supports life in the entire universe! As for the reason they have not appeared to us is ether they haven't found us yet or more likely they have deemed we're not far enough into our growth as a species to be let loose on the universe at large I mean one only has to look at the current state of our governments and the endless wars that are being fought to gather that we haven't advanced from our early caveman days we're just more polite and cunning about it. So we are being looked after and studied, not constantly but every so often I think they observe us to see how far we've come and one day they will land to extend to us an invitation to join the rest of the citizens of the cosmos.

Will all universes develop like ours if the conditions were similar? Perhaps or perhaps not. Much like how there are planets which cannot support life one can assume that such a result could come about as even if that universe and ours were alike in structure the randomization probability meaning that as far as we know things go life develops by chance if the conditions are correct so it's possible there could be a dead universe though highly unlikely since the universe is incredibly vast so there is a good chance life would develop on some planets now whether said life evolves or dies off is another matter.

In my opinion the universe does not serve a role but rather the background or the stage in which the game of life is played or acted out. It acts as a divider or curtian and only by crossing it do we truly learn.