Collection

  • "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." — Arthur C. Clarke
  • 平行宇宙并不是一个理论，它们是某些理论的预测。
  • 当我们从主观上察觉到外部世界时，所有事物都已经退相干了 (breaking the delicate state of quantum entanglement)，以保证我们永远无法感知到量子怪诞性，这也解释了我们为何只能感知到那些强健的惯常状态。
  • 追问万物由什么组成，并拉近距离，从微小的尺度上观察世界时，我们发现物质的终极组成材料是数学结构，它们的性质都是数学性质。当我们追问万物有多大，并把距离拉远时，我们回到了同样的境地：数学结构的国度，更准确地说，是所有数学结构组成的第四层多重宇宙。
  • Space is Just Unimaginably Big Even with Speed of Light
    • I actually go with "Space in unimaginably huge" like it generally requires years of training to be able to conceptualize how actually big space is. Like, the speed of light doesn't help us, still to huge, 10x the speed of light . . . nope still to large, on 100x . . . umm, no still take you longer than a human lifetime to get anywhere interesting.
    • We haven't met alien life because for all realistic purposes we live in an endless void, hell our early radio waves still haven't (this might be false, I honestly haven't checked in like a decade) hit anyplace that could have a similar civilization (ie carbon based life forms that work similar to us).
    • Yea a lot of people don't realize that even going 100x light speed (which is impossible as far as we know, without literally bending space itself which we don't know how to do but even if we did would take the mass energy equivalent of all of Jupiter) it would take 2000 years (external observer years, let's not even start down the relativity rabbit hole) to travel across our galaxy… We'd need a self sustaining generation ship designed to last longer than any civilization has in history… even at the impossible speed of 100x the speed of light.
    • The reality is we're trapped in our little spacial bubble and every indication points to humanity cooking our little planet under a blanket of greenhouse gasses before we ever even get a chance to reach a level where we have the ability to contemplate operating civilizationally on those kind galactic timescales. Humans — on the whole — are angry, brutish, selfish, short-sighted, narrow-minded animals. What would any alien civilization with that kind of capability possibly gain by talking to us?
  • Whether We Were Alone in the Universe — The Dark Forest Theory
    • Of significance, I note The Dark Forest Theory is not one of the ones in the graphic. Imagine, if you will … There's an excellent summary of this theory in the novel The Killing Star by Charles Pellegrino and George Zebrowski, published in 1995. The most pertinent section is:
      • Imagine yourself taking a stroll through Manhattan, somewhere north of 68th Street, deep inside Central Park, late at night. It would be nice to meet someone friendly, but you know that the park is dangerous at night. That's when the monsters come out. There's always a strong undercurrent of drug dealings, muggings, and occasional homicides.
      • It is not easy to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys. They dress alike, and the weapons are concealed. The only difference is intent, and you can't read minds.
      • Stay in the dark long enough and you may hear an occasional distant shriek or blunder across a body.
      • How do you survive the night? The last thing you want to do is shout, "I'm here!" The next to last thing you want to do is reply to someone who shouts, "I'm a friend!"
      • What you would like to do is find a policeman, or get out of the park. But you don't want to make noise or move towards a light where you might be spotted, and it is difficult to find either a policeman or your way out without making yourself known. Your safest option is to hunker down and wait for daylight, then safely walk out.
    • There are, of course, a few obvious differences between Central Park and the universe:
      • There is no policeman.
      • There is no way out.
      • And the night never ends.