Thank you for this great intro to DS! The need for humanity to harness latent powers to survive this era is why I like to say "be the Jedi you want to see in the world" (adding a Star Wars twist to Gandhi's quote). But I find that those still trapped in orthodox scientism tend to mock and abuse me for "believing" in UFOs, powers of mind and such.
Although I have plenty of reasons and logical arguments to consider my views to be evidence-based, there is no way I've been able to find so far to impart this info to the orthodox scientism crowd because of their filters and biases.
Thus, I have decided, given the reality of the intellectual climate we're in, to accept their assertion that my views are "mere beliefs" and call my views a religion: Conspirituality by name. I seek protection from abuse and mockery by calling that bullying what it is-- mere bigotry and small-mindedness. I seek the company of like-minded others so we can, among other things, work out how to transcend Homo Economicus and the lemming imperative.
I appreciate your call to transcend conventional science all the more because of your background in the hard sciences. This is how real science progresses.
How to explain toddlers who have conversations with dead grandparents. My dead relatives come to me in dreams to let me know that all is well with them. Personally I am a Deist, but whether one believes in the force of a creator or not, there is more than we know and can perceive with our senses. The oligarchs are the essence of evil, an evil we can only fight with a force for good in equal measure, and that is spiritual. What is the obstacle, what stops humans from sharing a vision of the good world. It appears to me to be the passivity created by too much ease, by smart phones and video games that so distract them they cannot see the evil that is operating. That is what we must conquer.
Is there really a paradox in Fermi’s paradox? I mean, it took the lifetime of the universe for the Solar System to be formed and intelligent life (Humanity, allegedly) to evolve on Earth. We are NOWHERE near tackling the problems of interstellar travel, so conceivably any other civilisations out there are in the same boat. The deep, light-year gulfs separating planetary systems are simply to great to be crossed. 'This Island Earth' is real and we are marooned.
Actually Enrico Fermi isn't as dumb as we might think. The Universe is 13 billion years old, and civilizations measure their lives in thousands of years. If there are at least millions (maybe billions) of planets that can support life in our own galaxy, then some of them are bound to be a few years ahead of us in technology. Einstein's speed limit seems, by present thinking, to be an absolute limit imposed on living organisms exploring the galaxy; but we don't know if future physics might tell a different story. And even if Special Relativity holds up, Frank Tipler (45 years ago) proposed that advanced civilizations might explore the universe with self-replicating robots. https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/V/vonNeumannprobe.html He estimated that if such machines were developed by a single civilization anywhere in our galaxy, they would be able to explore the whole galaxy within about a hundred million years which is less than 1% of the lifetime of the Universe.
But the deeper answer to your question is that the whole paradox disappears if we read Leslie Kean's book and acknowledge the millions of people around the globe who attest to experiences with UFOs or extraterrestrials.
This is great, well-considered stuff. I'm going to read all these links in detail, and share on my whatsapp group for Real Science vs X-Files (really) but first let me give a little more detail to my hypothesis/half-baked musing. Without looking anything up on wikipedia, the solar system is 5bn+ years old, right? So the universe had around 9bn years to cook up (in supernovae/other stellar mechanisms) the heavier (everything after lithium) elements necessary for life, never mind stuff like silicon dioxide. So let's say 9bn years is the average time for a life-supporting solar system to get started and create rocky planets. Then you have the development of entropy-reversing life itself, which kicked off 1.5bn years after the planet formed. You need enough H2O and CO2 to create the conditions to split water and create oxygen. And then, you need a very special event to kick start advanced (eukaryotic) life itself, which is the incorporation of a carbohydrate-burning prokaryote (the mitochondrial ancestor) into another cell. By all accounts, this happened only once (see biologist Nick Lane). Was it a freak event? OK, chloroplasts are another prokaryotic relic, but you see where I'm going - intelligent life takes a lot of luck and a long time. So I have problems in believing in aliens based on those barriers.
These are deep questions. I think that our present understanding of biology cannot explain the transition from hypercycles of self-catalyzing reactions to living metabolisms. In other words, not only don't we have a model for the origin of life, we know enough chemistry to say that it cannot be explained in the context of our present paradigms. In my mind, this is one more reason for expanding science to encompass a fundamental role for mind alongside known physical laws.
I want to point out that your estimates of 9 by and 1.5 by and 4 by are not hard numbers. They are what we guestimate based on a sample of one. So Fermi's paradox is rooted in the guess that 9 by could easily be 7 or 8 in some cases, and that the time for life to emerge and evolve is even more uncertain. One possible resolution of Fermi's Paradox is that we just happen to be #1 in our galaxy to attain technological civilization. But, as I said, I prefer the resolution that says "They're here. They're all around us. The scientific community is suppressing the evidence around UFOs, but evidence there is aplenty for those willing to look."
I see what you mean. The need for transformative change is real, but the idea that this will be done through centralized control is what we must all oppose. The world's future is a million diverse, autonomous communities founded in grass roots democracy. These independent communities will cooperate, not because they are entrained by global governance, but because they have nothing to fear and everything to gain from working with one another.
Bravo! This is exactly what is needed. Hopefully the last two years have catalyzed the spirit, motivation and autonomous confidence needed for each of us to utilize the telepathic gifts we have available to save the world.
Thank you for this great intro to DS! The need for humanity to harness latent powers to survive this era is why I like to say "be the Jedi you want to see in the world" (adding a Star Wars twist to Gandhi's quote). But I find that those still trapped in orthodox scientism tend to mock and abuse me for "believing" in UFOs, powers of mind and such.
Although I have plenty of reasons and logical arguments to consider my views to be evidence-based, there is no way I've been able to find so far to impart this info to the orthodox scientism crowd because of their filters and biases.
Thus, I have decided, given the reality of the intellectual climate we're in, to accept their assertion that my views are "mere beliefs" and call my views a religion: Conspirituality by name. I seek protection from abuse and mockery by calling that bullying what it is-- mere bigotry and small-mindedness. I seek the company of like-minded others so we can, among other things, work out how to transcend Homo Economicus and the lemming imperative.
I appreciate your call to transcend conventional science all the more because of your background in the hard sciences. This is how real science progresses.
This is the most inspiring interviews I've ever watched, about one hour. Cosmogenesis as described by Dr. Brian Thomas Swimme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Amfah-7il0&t=232s
His words on reductionist materialist world view are spot on, imo.
Rupert Sheldrake and many others, such as the late Terrence McKenna have said much on this as well.
How to explain toddlers who have conversations with dead grandparents. My dead relatives come to me in dreams to let me know that all is well with them. Personally I am a Deist, but whether one believes in the force of a creator or not, there is more than we know and can perceive with our senses. The oligarchs are the essence of evil, an evil we can only fight with a force for good in equal measure, and that is spiritual. What is the obstacle, what stops humans from sharing a vision of the good world. It appears to me to be the passivity created by too much ease, by smart phones and video games that so distract them they cannot see the evil that is operating. That is what we must conquer.
I'm enough of a Marxist to say, "Cell phones are the opiate of the masses."
Is there really a paradox in Fermi’s paradox? I mean, it took the lifetime of the universe for the Solar System to be formed and intelligent life (Humanity, allegedly) to evolve on Earth. We are NOWHERE near tackling the problems of interstellar travel, so conceivably any other civilisations out there are in the same boat. The deep, light-year gulfs separating planetary systems are simply to great to be crossed. 'This Island Earth' is real and we are marooned.
Great, interesting article, by the way.
Actually Enrico Fermi isn't as dumb as we might think. The Universe is 13 billion years old, and civilizations measure their lives in thousands of years. If there are at least millions (maybe billions) of planets that can support life in our own galaxy, then some of them are bound to be a few years ahead of us in technology. Einstein's speed limit seems, by present thinking, to be an absolute limit imposed on living organisms exploring the galaxy; but we don't know if future physics might tell a different story. And even if Special Relativity holds up, Frank Tipler (45 years ago) proposed that advanced civilizations might explore the universe with self-replicating robots. https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/V/vonNeumannprobe.html He estimated that if such machines were developed by a single civilization anywhere in our galaxy, they would be able to explore the whole galaxy within about a hundred million years which is less than 1% of the lifetime of the Universe.
But the deeper answer to your question is that the whole paradox disappears if we read Leslie Kean's book and acknowledge the millions of people around the globe who attest to experiences with UFOs or extraterrestrials.
https://www.amazon.com/UFOs-Generals-Pilots-Government-Officials/dp/0307717089
Do you remember the evening in the spring of 1997 when tens of thousands of Phoenix AZ residents reported seeing a huge craft hovering over the city?
This is great, well-considered stuff. I'm going to read all these links in detail, and share on my whatsapp group for Real Science vs X-Files (really) but first let me give a little more detail to my hypothesis/half-baked musing. Without looking anything up on wikipedia, the solar system is 5bn+ years old, right? So the universe had around 9bn years to cook up (in supernovae/other stellar mechanisms) the heavier (everything after lithium) elements necessary for life, never mind stuff like silicon dioxide. So let's say 9bn years is the average time for a life-supporting solar system to get started and create rocky planets. Then you have the development of entropy-reversing life itself, which kicked off 1.5bn years after the planet formed. You need enough H2O and CO2 to create the conditions to split water and create oxygen. And then, you need a very special event to kick start advanced (eukaryotic) life itself, which is the incorporation of a carbohydrate-burning prokaryote (the mitochondrial ancestor) into another cell. By all accounts, this happened only once (see biologist Nick Lane). Was it a freak event? OK, chloroplasts are another prokaryotic relic, but you see where I'm going - intelligent life takes a lot of luck and a long time. So I have problems in believing in aliens based on those barriers.
These are deep questions. I think that our present understanding of biology cannot explain the transition from hypercycles of self-catalyzing reactions to living metabolisms. In other words, not only don't we have a model for the origin of life, we know enough chemistry to say that it cannot be explained in the context of our present paradigms. In my mind, this is one more reason for expanding science to encompass a fundamental role for mind alongside known physical laws.
I want to point out that your estimates of 9 by and 1.5 by and 4 by are not hard numbers. They are what we guestimate based on a sample of one. So Fermi's paradox is rooted in the guess that 9 by could easily be 7 or 8 in some cases, and that the time for life to emerge and evolve is even more uncertain. One possible resolution of Fermi's Paradox is that we just happen to be #1 in our galaxy to attain technological civilization. But, as I said, I prefer the resolution that says "They're here. They're all around us. The scientific community is suppressing the evidence around UFOs, but evidence there is aplenty for those willing to look."
Top comment. I’m off to ponder it all anew.
https://joshmitteldorf.scienceblog.com/2014/07/21/late-night-musings-on-the-origin-of-life/
https://joshmitteldorf.scienceblog.com/2014/07/28/origin-of-life-follow-up-on-your-comments/
<b>Biology is not Physics</b>
You’ve found the spark that makes the sun burn bright
and tracked the orbits of the distant stars.
You’ve harnessed energy for planes and cars—
success convinces you you’ve got it right.
You think the rule of physics must be strict,
yet only in the aggregate do maths
apply to living things. Their single paths
take twists and turns that you cannot predict.
Man’s thirst for knowledge never can be quenched
while minds refuse to grant the role of mind
that regulates the quantum. You won’t find
broad truth while narrow physics is entrenched.
What sort of physics would it take to know
how neurons fire, hearts beat, and grasses grow?
(sonnet by JJM)
Thank you for a wonderfully entertaining piece, though that last paragraph reminds me a little of Darth Schwabs dark agenda.
I see what you mean. The need for transformative change is real, but the idea that this will be done through centralized control is what we must all oppose. The world's future is a million diverse, autonomous communities founded in grass roots democracy. These independent communities will cooperate, not because they are entrained by global governance, but because they have nothing to fear and everything to gain from working with one another.
Bravo! This is exactly what is needed. Hopefully the last two years have catalyzed the spirit, motivation and autonomous confidence needed for each of us to utilize the telepathic gifts we have available to save the world.