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Are we really discovering the universe, or are we discovering the limits of our own minds?
As humans, we try to understand an infinite universe with a finite mind. No matter how much knowledge we gain, there will always be more that we don't know. Just because something seems theoretically possible doesn't mean humanity has absolute control over reality.
Do you think that, while trying to understand the universe, we're actually discovering the limits of ourselves?
Perhaps our greatest journey isn't simply exploring the cosmos, but using the mind we've been given to search for the meaning of existence.
Are we only what we can observe, or could we be part of a story that extends beyond what our senses can perceive?
What Girls & Guys Said
Opinion
5Opinion
The limits of the human mind are easy to discover. Read “Being Wrong” by Kathryn Schulz.
At present, the scientific method is widely considered the best way to get at the facts. There is an intrinsic problem with it though. The entire process begins with a question or an assertion that can be challenged and tested. If we don’t start with the right questions and premises, it’s impossible to get all of the facts. There are academic think tanks who spend an inordinate amount of time debating the veracity of those questions and premises. Furthermore, in the end, it’s too frequently the monied position that wins the debate. Science is expensive and the people and organizations paying for it often influence the published outcomes. Even ideologues can get in the way. Look up the “Grievance Studies Affair”.
All of that said, there have been some very exciting discoveries in the cosmos recently. As a good example of how we so often get science wrong, some recent discoveries have shattered the mathematical models that leading experts have long relied on heavily. The good news is that responsible researchers will use the new information to rework the models and hopefully ask new questions. Beyond that, i for one am hoping that more recent observations weren’t a matter of luck and they will be able to spot some more groundbreaking firsts.
Yeah that possibility exists. We've done some amazing things as a species and learned a lot bout the macro, micro, and quantum structure of the universe. But there are known gaps in our knowledge like, expansion, dark energy, dark matter, and gravity. And there is likely more we aren't even aware of yet. At some point our biology may very well become a limiting factor in our ability to understand the true nature of reality. For example, 11 dimensions that string theory says exist, one school of thought that says we exist in a 2 dimensional hologram, the multiverse theory, the idea of three vectors of time like 3 dimensional space. The real answer may be something so strange we can't understand it as all our senses tell us we live in a 3 dimensional universe where time has one vector.
I was actually wondering when I'd see your reply. Welcome back. 😄
I agree. The more we discover, the more we realize how much remains beyond our understanding. Sometimes every answer reveals an even better question. Maybe the greatest discovery isn't that the universe is stranger than we imagined, but that it may be stranger than we're capable of imagining.
Want a scary thought? Things are always easiest at the outset.
Addition and subtraction lead to... multiplication and division which leads... to algebra which leads to... geometry and trigonometry. Full stop. Now you need a whole new branch of mathematics to go further... thank Newton for Calculus and Differential Equations. Full stop again. Now you need more than mathematics. You need giant leaps of intellect. Thanks Einstein for General Relativity. But relativity fails at the quantum level... thanks to hundreds of people pushing that boundary.
And we're still a long way from the finish line.
The early stuff comes relatively fast and easy. The details, the nuances get more difficult as you get deeper into the quest. And we really only got started as a species around about 1500 - 1700 with Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. So 400 - 500 years. That was almost certainly the easy stuff, LOL.
The air gets thinner the higher you try to climb.
The James Web space telescope has discovered a lot of new stuff in cosmology. Including the fact that a lot or our theories were wrong. Because we lacked critical information.
yes, That's exactly what fascinates me. Every generation believes it has climbed closer to the summit, only to discover another mountain hidden beyond the clouds. Perhaps wisdom is not reaching the end of knowledge, but realizing there may never be an end.
Personally, I think we've uncovered only a tiny fraction of reality. We still haven't fully explored our own oceans, and almost every year we discover new bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, and species. If we haven't completely understood the world beneath our feet, claiming to understand the universe would be premature.
To me, everything humanity has learned so far is not even a drop in the ocean. It's only the first ripple on its surface. The deeper we look, the more we discover that knowledge expands faster than certainty.
Hmmh. I am impressed that theoretical physicists have conjectured particles and subsequently experimental physicists have found them. Like the Higgs Boson. Proposed in 1964 and detected in 2012 48 years later and fortunately Higgs won the nobel prize in 2013 before he died in 2024.
It is almost as if a particle can be thought of mathematically it exists. It does seem we are discovering the limits of the human mind.
That's possibly confirmation bias because we hear of the successes of prediction but failure to detect is just X hasn't been found yet. I find it hard to use the collective 'we' as it is well above my pay grade.
no. we add knowledge and study distant stars.
I know you’ve left planet earth.
I asked people with brains, you don't have to answer.
You think there's really a difference?
Yes, there's a difference. Exploration is about expanding knowledge. Discovering our limits is about understanding the boundaries of the one doing the exploring. The deeper we look into the universe, the more we realize the greatest mystery may not be the cosmos itself, but the mind trying to comprehend it. Every discovery reveals not only what exists, but also what we're currently incapable of fully understanding.