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I think you're right in that everyone should be aware of the scale of the universe. But importance seems to be fractal in the way that electrons are important t

by luxpir 10y ago

I think you're right in that everyone should be aware of the scale of the universe. But importance seems to be fractal in the way that electrons are important to protons, salty and sweet food is important to me, stars to planets, galaxies to universes and so on. We are important, to ourselves. And I think that's OK.

cjauvin 10y ago
The analogy with fractals is beautiful, and quite illuminating IMO.
- ismail 10y ago
  Yep. Great analogy. There's a book: Where good ideas come from. The thesis is that most of nature is fractral and in it The author draws parallels to innovation. https://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From/dp/1594487715 https://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From/dp/1594487...
Razengan 10y ago
Exactly. One of the personal existential dilemmas I face regularly is reconciling the importance of the human condition with its insignificance. I've come to decide that all the infinity of the Universe may just as well not exist if there were no sentient beings to experience it. Even if I were immortal, and had a spaceship that could take me anywhere instantly, I would still ultimately get attached to the stories and struggles of individual beings, no matter how localized and of infinitesimal consequence they may be. I can imagine that there must be unimaginable beauty out there; endless fields of exotic crystals, planetoids drifting through sparkling nebulas, rogue planets far away from the light of any star, islands floating in the multicolored clouds of a gas giant – even our own planet has many surreal places most people aren't even aware of, like [0] – but even such beauty would become depressing if there is no other being to share it with. I know that this kind of thinking is a human thing; a member of a hive-mind species may probably never feel that way. An species with no biological mating, or an species where all members are identical clones, may have no concept of love or beauty. But again, these differences between species, races, and individuals is what makes everything interesting. [0] http://imgur.com/gallery/ql0uurU http://imgur.com/gallery/ql0uurU

by luxpir 10y ago

cjauvin 10y ago

The analogy with fractals is beautiful, and quite illuminating IMO.

ismail 10y ago
Yep. Great analogy. There's a book: Where good ideas come from. The thesis is that most of nature is fractral and in it The author draws parallels to innovation. https://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From/dp/1594487715 https://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-From/dp/1594487...

Razengan 10y ago

Exactly. One of the personal existential dilemmas I face regularly is reconciling the importance of the human condition with its insignificance. I've come to decide that all the infinity of the Universe may just as well not exist if there were no sentient beings to experience it. Even if I were immortal, and had a spaceship that could take me anywhere instantly, I would still ultimately get attached to the stories and struggles of individual beings, no matter how localized and of infinitesimal consequence they may be. I can imagine that there must be unimaginable beauty out there; endless fields of exotic crystals, planetoids drifting through sparkling nebulas, rogue planets far away from the light of any star, islands floating in the multicolored clouds of a gas giant – even our own planet has many surreal places most people aren't even aware of, like [0] – but even such beauty would become depressing if there is no other being to share it with. I know that this kind of thinking is a human thing; a member of a hive-mind species may probably never feel that way. An species with no biological mating, or an species where all members are identical clones, may have no concept of love or beauty. But again, these differences between species, races, and individuals is what makes everything interesting. [0] http://imgur.com/gallery/ql0uurU http://imgur.com/gallery/ql0uurU