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To: FreeDeerHawk
You talk about the laws of physics,well,where did those laws originate? Too perfect to be by chance. ********************

The laws of physics in our universe originated the tiniest fraction of a second after the Big Bang created the universe. They are perfect from our own anthropomorphic viewpoint, but only because we exist to observe them. There are likely trillions of other universes that have radically different physical properties than ours does.

147 posted on 09/02/2010 9:32:30 PM PDT by Republican Extremist
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To: Republican Extremist; FreeDeerHawk; Alamo-Girl; YHAOS; Quix
There are likely trillions of other universes that have radically different physical properties than ours does.

You say "likely." Okay. How do you know this? How do you verify that these trillions of other universes with properties radically different than our own are really "out there?" It seems from the anthropocentric point of view they may be undetectable in principle since they are not direct observables. So far at least.

The other thing to mention is that the only thinking we know of or are capable of doing is relentlessly "anthropocentric." It has to be that way, because the only minds we know of in the natural world capable of reasoning, and of communicating their reasonings, their knowledge, in language, are human minds. All human knowledge is unavoidably "anthropocentric" in this way.

People who say that human minds and their propensities — subjectivity — must be removed from science, so as to produce "objective" science untroubled by anthropocentrism are deluding themselves. Science itself is relentlessly anthropocentric. JMHO FWIW.

If there are non-human minds out there, arising on one of the allegedly trillions of other universes with properties radically different than our own, would their minds be sufficiently enough like our own to make communication possible? And if so, in what language?

It is said that mathematics is the universal natural language. So the SETI people are beaming mathematical messages out into deep space, hoping for an intelligible reply from a denizen of such a radically different system sooner or later — a reply expected to be couched in the language of mathematics.

But if the systems are radically different, then how can we simply assume that such systems evolve life and minds such as we know them, which speak a common language? — which seems fundamental to the question of whether or not we can communicate with them.

Just a bunch of questions.... The more I know, the more I realize how much I do not know....

Thanks for writing, Republican Extremist!

181 posted on 09/04/2010 1:54:22 PM PDT by betty boop (Those who do not punish bad men are really wishing that good men be injured. — Pythagoras)
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