On the meaning of life and the long-term merits of technologic improvement

[Trading]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoextinction

Good quote. The problem is this terminology isn't consensual and, especially, it's generally ignored. Even specialists publish papers saying that a species from who we most certainly descend, like the Homo Ergaster, are extinct (not pseudoextinct).

Anyway, I prefer outevolved than pesudoextinct.

I wrote evolution is gradual. Being slow or fast are relative concepts. Evolution can be pretty fast, but it's always gradual, because depends on the build up of multiple changes on at least a few generations.

Insular dwarfism is a well know case of fast evolution (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insular_dwarfism). There are reported cases of major changes on just a few generations: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080310-palau-bones.html

That is made possible by epigenetics. Studies show that if children have a poor nutrition, the boys, when they start producing semen, activate a gene of lower height on their semen. The girls activate the same gene during their gestation, when they produce their ovules.

In short, if the parents had a poor alimentation during the gestation of their children, or, in the case of boys, they were poor nourished during its infancy, their grandchildren shall be of short height.

Actually, poor nutrition during gestation has several other serious consequences on the children and the grandchildren, affecting the lifespan of both generations.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-an-1836-famine-altered-the-genes-of-children-born-d-1200001177

"Transgenerational effects of prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine on neonatal adiposity and health in later life"
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01822.x/abstract;jsessionid=66FCC69C3D042F971C65143D76B50FBC.f02t02
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[BADecker]

The only reason that we have technological improvements is because God felt sorry for us. Entropy is advancing so rapidly that people have neither the stamina or the intelligence to live a decent life without technology. God wasn't ready to bring the universe to an end in the judgement, yet, so He gave us technology to help us with our physical and intellectual weaknesses. But as usual, we reject giving Him the credit for this, just as people have been rejecting giving Him credit for the creation of the universe almost since the Beginning.

People are so depraved.

[Trading]

Therefore, God gave us also nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

[hermanhs09]

I think we have all technologic improvement because people are never comfortable with what they have right now,
they target is to get something better,to improve every day,to just get better,richer or more popular.
People are greedy,you cannot change human minds.

[BADecker]

Therefore, God gave us also nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Perhaps He did. I don't know.

He gave us the ability to make technical advancements. He also maintained much of the freedom for us that He always had for us. We made the nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

[Trading]

Therefore, God gave us also nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Perhaps He did. I don't know.

He gave us the ability to make technical advancements. He also maintained much of the freedom for us that He always had for us. We made the nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Of course, we made the nasty things, but he made the good ones... the usual "peculiar" logic...

Actually, it seems it was the serpent that gave us the ability to develop technology (at least, that is what the "good book" says: the story of the tree of knowledge and the talking snake...) and we were expelled from paradise because of that.

[BADecker]

Therefore, God gave us also nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Perhaps He did. I don't know.

He gave us the ability to make technical advancements. He also maintained much of the freedom for us that He always had for us. We made the nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Of course, we made the nasty things, but he made the good ones... the usual "peculiar" logic...

Actually, it seems it was the serpent that gave us the ability to develop technology (at least, that is what the "good book" says: the story of the tree of knowledge and the talking snake...) and we were expelled from paradise because of that.

It was a contractual thing. God gave us freedom in the Garden. We made a deal with the serpent. Of course, the serpent couldn't fulfill his part of the deal. But as long as we don't know that...

The second thing was that God had said that the day that we eat of the fruit, we will die. God in mercy commuted the sentence to a lot longer, because in the form of God and man, Jesus came. Jesus didn't sin, thereby upholding the length of days to the new amounts He gives us.

Jesus was a trust Person in the Garden. God trusted that this new form - the God/man - would uphold godliness when He came. And Jesus did it. So, the authority was given to Jesus, and Jesus commuted the sentence.

[Trading]

The fate of the Universe

 I already posted about the beginning of the Universe and wrote also on its end. Let me add something more on it (it’s not my field).


The consensus about the fate of the Universe is moving into the Big Rip or the Big Chill. And that is good, since the Big Crunch would be the worst of the scenarios.

The precise numbers change from author to author, but the numbers about the composition of the Universe are more or less around these:

Normal stuff: 4.9% (the numbers go around 4.6 and 4.9%: mostly, 4%, are hydrogen and helium; with stars amounting to about 0.5% and neutrinos for approximately 0.3%).

Dark matter: 25% (the estimations oscillate between 22% and 27%).

Dark energy: 70% (the opinions swing between 66% and 73%).

See, accessible:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe#Contents https://www.spacetelescope.org/science/composition_of_universe/ http://space.about.com/od/astronomybasics/a/Composition-Of-The-Universe.htm

This composition changed during the life of the Universe. It seems that dark energy has been gaining preponderance.

Clearly, now it is this energy that is controlling the Universe.

Basically, the specialists only know well regular matter. They know little about dark matter and know almost nothing about dark energy.

It’s known that dark matter responds to gravity and constitutes the back bones of the Universe, around which galaxies are formed (with a strong help from black holes, since every galaxy seem to have one on its centre).

So, dark matter is what keeps galaxies united.

However, what is controlling things now is dark energy and it has the contrary effect. This energy is pulling apart galaxies.

It seems that some time ago the velocity of the expansion of the Universe was decreasing.

But, currently, the Universe is expanding faster, because of the increase of dark energy.

Therefore, once, the Universe was dominated by dark matter, but now is controlled by dark energy.

The issue is still debated (it depends on the intensivity of dark energy, on the reason for its increase and its rate and possible limit), but now specialists are saying that the galaxies will expand faster and faster.

Some controversial calculations point out for 22 thousand millions years from now as the date of the Big Rip.

In due time, if humankind is still here, our descendents will only see the stars of our galaxy, Milky Way, on the night sky. All the other galaxies will be out of sight.

Then, at about 60 millions before the Big Rip, even our Milky Way will be ripped apart. All solar systems would follow the same path a few months before the final Rip.

On that time, our Solar System won’t probably be here.

Our Sun will start expanding and destroy all life on Earth on one or two thousand million years and will explode on about five thousand million years.

But these are not the only problems, even if the Solar Systems could resist the growing speed of expansion, it’s also confirmed that the Universe is dying.

The number of stars created has been diminishing. One day, the Universe will be a dark place, because, one by one, stars will die and less and less ones will be created.

So, what can kill us first? The Big Rip, caused by the speed of expansion of the Universe, or will it be the Big Chill, provoked by the slow death of the Universe?

From a natural perspective, one or both of these situations seem inevitable.

But no need to feel gloomy about this.

A touch of human magic might be possible.

If we won’t screw up and end destroying ourselves, we know for sure that we shall be very far from this planet and solar system long before the end of the Sun.

And, if we accept the theory of the Multiverse (saying that there are other universes besides this one) we might also find a way out of this Universe long before he fails us.

Michio Kaku argues that it's (theoretically) possible to create a wormhole to another universe.

Nothing like keep hoping for some meaning by dreaming we “can” endure forever (we won’t, because forever never ends).

[nururochac]

Therefore, God gave us also nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Perhaps He did. I don't know.

He gave us the ability to make technical advancements. He also maintained much of the freedom for us that He always had for us. We made the nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Of course, we made the nasty things, but he made the good ones... the usual "peculiar" logic...

Actually, it seems it was the serpent that gave us the ability to develop technology (at least, that is what the "good book" says: the story of the tree of knowledge and the talking snake...) and we were expelled from paradise because of that.

Hahaha. I agree with this. Whenever good thing happen theist people say "it's the work of god" but when there's horrible event happened people says "That's the work of Satan" like they never knew all things is because of God's divine plan.

[Trading]

Actually, Bakunin, writing about the tree of knowledge, makes satan the hero and god the villain.

Satan (assuming the form of the talking snake) is the one that tries to teach humans, giving us access to knowledge.

God is the one that tries to keep us ignorant and expels us from paradise for becaming what we are, sapiens.

[Dank14]

Therefore, God gave us also nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

God gave us what we needed to make technology, we decided to make weapons out of the materials God gave us.

You can't always blame God for the choices of man.

God gave us noses, but some use it to sniff cocaine. Is that God's fault?

Actually, Bakunin, writing about the three of knowledge, makes satan the hero and god the villain.

Satan (assuming the form of the talking snake) is the one that tries to teach humans, giving us access to knowledge.

God is the one that tries to keep us ignorant and expels us from paradise for becoming what we are, sapiens.

What Satan gives man appears to be good but it's rotten at its core.

If you want to kill a rat, you get a nice piece of steak and sprinkle a tiny amount of rat poison on it, isn't that so?



God tries to save us from ourselves the same way you would save your toddler from hurting himself.

God is far more intelligent than we are, creation attests to that.

[Trading]

   Since god (allegedly) created all of us, knowing very well what we would do and believe (the good book say he is omniscient, knows everything: Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be"), he created us as we are.

   When god (allegedly) created humankind, he already knew who would be the ancestors of Hitler and knew that Hitler would born on 20 April 1889 and do all the things he did.

   Any insignificant change on the current of events would avoid the existence of Hitler (a few seconds could be the difference that would allow a brother to be born created by a different spermatozoid and not Hitler).

   But god decided to create his ancestors exactly the way that allowed Hitler to be born.

   So in the end, god planed and created Hitler with full conscience about whom he was creating (see also Marshall Brain, http://godisimaginary.com/i6.htm).

   He is guilty for everything Hitler did as an individual is guilty for creating a chain of events with the clear conscience that those events will necessarily provoke a catastrophe or even any damage.

[BADecker]

  Since god (allegedly) created all of us, knowing very well what we would do and believe (the good book say he is omniscient, knows everything: Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be"), he created us as we are.

But you DO have a choice to repent and follow God, right now. So it is you who are guilty if you won't change.

   When god (allegedly) created humankind, he already knew who would be the ancestors of Hitler and knew that Hitler would born on 20 April 1889 and do all the things he did.

God gave Hitler and his parents and those who worked with him the choice to be on God's side or against him, but just like you they made the wrong choice. They don't have a choice any longer, but you still do.

   Any insignificant change on the current of events would avoid the existence of Hitler (a few seconds could be the difference that would allow a brother to be born created by a different spermatozoid and not Hitler).

   But god decided to create his ancestors exactly the way that allowed Hitler to be born.

   So in the end, god planed and created Hitler with full conscience about whom he was creating (see also Marshall Brain, http://godisimaginary.com/i6.htm).

God gave the ability to choose, and mankind chose... this way or that. Now that you understand this, are you going to continue to make the wrong choice?

   He is guilty for everything Hitler did as an individual is guilty for creating a chain of events with the clear conscience that those events will necessarily provoke a catastrophe or even any damage.

God sent Jesus, the Son of God, as God and man, to take the punishment for all the bad things mankind did. Jesus, the God/man, did this when He died on the cross.

In other words, the only reason God was guilty, was that He took on the guilt when He was in the form of Jesus... in the form of both God and man. Being God, after He paid for the wrongs of mankind, He went the next step. What is the next step? The next step is this.

God is creating a New Universe for people who decide to be on His side to be moved into. After He moves them there, He will destroy this universe along with all the people who are against Him, in the smelting pot of the Lake of Fire. Once this universe is destroyed, it will not be remembered or brought to mind, because even the history of it, and the time of it will be made to be completely nonexistent.

Blame God in your own mind if you like. But He is showing you how you and mankind in general are the ones to be blamed... and how He is erasing all the evil completely in such a way that it will never have been... by removing even all of the dimensions of the universe when He destroys it all in the Lake of Fire.

Your choice is yours. God is holding it open for you... except, of course, if you have died before you have a chance to read this.

[Trading]

Free will is incompatible with the omniscience of god.

If he knows the future, he knows what we are going to do and, therefore, everything we do is already determined.

Determined by god, since he created (allegedly) us exactly as we are and determined to do what he knew we would do.

[BADecker]

Free will is incompatible with the omniscience of god.

If he knows the future, he knows what we are going to do and, therefore, everything we do is already determined.

Determined by god, since he created (allegedly) us exactly as we are and determined to do what he knew we would do.

Free will in mankind is free only in one little area. And it is only partially free in this area. This area has to do with the strength of faith that a person has in God and the salvation He provides.

God looks at this free will in every person, and examines how the person uses it. Then He goes back to the Beginning of the universe, and tweaks cause and effect in everything, to match changes in the little piece of free will faith in God or not, that each person uses, so that results of that free will are effected in everything.

Mankind totally, completely and entirely underestimates the strength and control and understanding that God has and uses in all things.

[Trading]

I bet you took that idea of limited free will out of nothing.

Actually, you are risking your "eternal soul".

By stating that we have limited free will about our faith you are implying god doesn't know what we are going to do about believing him or not.

Because if he knew we were going to believe him or not, we wouldn't have free will on this subject. We would be determined on our actions.

So, you are saying god isn't omniscient. He doesn't know everything.

It might be wise to remove your post, because it's evidence that you are a free thinker.

On other words: that you are an heretic that will (according to main churches) burn in hell.

Of course, god knows (according to you, almost) everything, so he already knows you are a heretic and, therefore, you are already so very much nailed...

Perhaps, if you repent, remove your post and pray 100 our fathers he will forgive you.

[BADecker]

I bet you took that idea of limited free will out of nothing.

Personally, I think that before God created the universe, He created an empty space for it that was filled with nothing. Jesus said that with God nothing is impossible, and that is why the creation came into being.

Actually, you are risking your "eternal soul".

No not really. Jesus speaking, John 10:27-30:

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and the Father are one.”

By stating that we have limited free will about our faith you are implying god doesn't know what we are going to do about believing him or not.

God has the method for retrieving any knowledge that He wants. However, He doesn't keep all knowledge sitting right in front of His face all the time, just as Jesus set aside a great portion of His power as God when He came to be born of a woman.

When you search the New Testament, you will find places that say that we have free will, and places that express that our faith is held by God and places that say that God hardens the hearts of unbelievers into their faith attitude. Put these things together, and you will start to understand the marvelous thing that God has done in giving us our touch of free will, and yet holding even that in place in us because our weakness is so great that we couldn't do even that little thing alone.

Because if he knew we were going to believe him or not, we wouldn't have free will on this subject. We would be determined on our actions.

Again, it is God who works with our free will to allow us to have faith in Him. He says that we have free will. But He says that He hardens those whom He will harden.

So, you are saying god isn't omniscient. He doesn't know everything.

Not at all. Consider yourself. Perhaps you haven't ridden bicycle in 40 years. But before that you rode it almost everyday. Did you forget how to ride bicycle? Of course not. But you don't think about it, maybe, for years at a time. God has the ability to hide things from Himself.

It might be wise to remove your post, because it's evidence that you are a free thinker.

Well, free will has to do with free thinking. What does that have to do with removing my post?

On other words: that you are an heretic that will (according to main churches) burn in hell.

Everyone makes mistakes - you, me, the churches. Yet we are all forgiven, even though we die in some of those mistakes, if we believe in the salvation of Jesus.

Of course, god knows (according to you, almost) everything, so he already knows you are a heretic and, therefore, you are already so very much nailed...

Now what are you going on about? You need to get into the Bible a little more, and allow the Holy Spirit to work understanding in your mind.

Perhaps, if you repent, remove your post and pray 100 our fathers he will forgive you.

Now you are simply joking around.

[Trading]

Space X and the prospects of Mars colonization.

The goal of 1 million inhabitants on Mars is unfeasible. With the Mars Colonial Transporter, at 100 passengers per flight, this would require 10,000 flights only to transport the people.

But the material support is about 10 times more demanding. So, as Elon Musk recognizes, the system would require 110,000 flights (see https://aeon.co/essays/elon-musk-puts-his-case-for-a-multi-planet-civilisation; see his recent presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10gECHeMSds).

Even at one flight a day, it would take 301 years. And to be able to make a flight a day, taking in account that the voyage to go and return would take much more than 1 year (during times when Mars is more far away, it would be much longer), he would need 425 reusable spacecrafts. That is beyond the normal resources of any company or country.

To finance the passengers flights, he would need to find 1 million people willing to pay  200,000 USDs to go live permanently on hell. Only the poor would be ready to try their luck, looking for well paid jobs on hell. But they won't have 200,000 USDs.

Musk might find 1 million people willing to go and work there for very good jobs, but someone else would have to pay for the trip.

Selling tourism trips won't pay the voyages either. I doubt he will be able to find 20 people willing to pay 1 million bucks to pay the ticket of the other 80 for at least 14 months to go and return to hell, especially after the trip became more common.

It wouldn't be like a month on the Moon or on a tourist space station. With time to wait for the shortest return, it would be about spending more than two years on a living hell.

I don’t see many people eager to go live on Antarctica, the most similar place on Earth.

Therefore, unless there are on Mars very rich minerals, or other very valuable resources, that would pay for the trips (people and resources going to Mars and minerals coming back to Earth), with current technology of space flight, Mars will be dependent on Earth, with a few thousand or, probably, hundreds, of inhabitants.

We'll be a two planets species, but the second planet will end badly if the first planet ends badly too. Only with new technology on flight and energy, Mars will be able to be independent.
Even at 24 flights a year, 110,000 flights would take 4583 years.

The goal of making humankind a dual planet species is very worthy from the perspective of ensuring that we can endure millions of years more.

But normal people, who care first about how to pay their bills, just do what is practical to this goal and hope for the best. They won't ruin their life to go to Mars and ensure some of us will survive on the remote case that a catastrophe strikes Earth.

If massive colonization of Mars isn't economically feasible, it won't happen.

It will be fantastic to humankind in terms of pride and self-esteem to go to Mars and build a permanent station there for investigation and some scarce tourism, but we won't have more than that until we find economic reason to do more.

If Space X is able to send humans to Mars sooner than NASA, even if with NASA cooperation (if NASA figures out that Musk is really going to make it, they will jump on board), Musk will have his deserved place in History, side by side with Von Braun and Korolev (forget about Armstrong, beside courage, he had little merit).

[Trading]

This Space X post deserved an autonomous thread.

[sergeyzol]

I bet you took that idea of limited free will out of nothing.

Personally, I think that before God created the universe, He created an empty space for it that was filled with nothing. Jesus said that with God nothing is impossible, and that is why the creation came into being.

Actually, you are risking your "eternal soul".

No not really. Jesus speaking, John 10:27-30:

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and the Father are one.”

By stating that we have limited free will about our faith you are implying god doesn't know what we are going to do about believing him or not.

God has the method for retrieving any knowledge that He wants. However, He doesn't keep all knowledge sitting right in front of His face all the time, just as Jesus set aside a great portion of His power as God when He came to be born of a woman.

When you search the New Testament, you will find places that say that we have free will, and places that express that our faith is held by God and places that say that God hardens the hearts of unbelievers into their faith attitude. Put these things together, and you will start to understand the marvelous thing that God has done in giving us our touch of free will, and yet holding even that in place in us because our weakness is so great that we couldn't do even that little thing alone.

Because if he knew we were going to believe him or not, we wouldn't have free will on this subject. We would be determined on our actions.

Again, it is God who works with our free will to allow us to have faith in Him. He says that we have free will. But He says that He hardens those whom He will harden.

So, you are saying god isn't omniscient. He doesn't know everything.

Not at all. Consider yourself. Perhaps you haven't ridden bicycle in 40 years. But before that you rode it almost everyday. Did you forget how to ride bicycle? Of course not. But you don't think about it, maybe, for years at a time. God has the ability to hide things from Himself.

It might be wise to remove your post, because it's evidence that you are a free thinker.

Well, free will has to do with free thinking. What does that have to do with removing my post?

On other words: that you are an heretic that will (according to main churches) burn in hell.

Everyone makes mistakes - you, me, the churches. Yet we are all forgiven, even though we die in some of those mistakes, if we believe in the salvation of Jesus.

Of course, god knows (according to you, almost) everything, so he already knows you are a heretic and, therefore, you are already so very much nailed...

Now what are you going on about? You need to get into the Bible a little more, and allow the Holy Spirit to work understanding in your mind.

Perhaps, if you repent, remove your post and pray 100 our fathers he will forgive you.

Now you are simply joking around.

No God didn't create anything. Man when something creates, he controls it. The people of God no longer controls. Or you want to say that God is for war? And if the God does not control man at least his equal.