Star Trek had some pretty cool ideas. Even the spinoffs. Now I’m not a Trekkie. I’ve never worn the ears. I don’t speak Klingon. But one of the things about Trek was even though they traveled far and wide and kept stumbling onto sentient life forms who were often evil, there was often a message that there was a special-ness to man. I mean even more special than Kirk’s dropkicks.
You know what I mean. In about thirty episodes, Kirk was forced shirtless into some gladiator type arena where he had to battle some being with a head clearly made of paper mache to the death. Kirk, after being tossed about for a minute, would cleverly gain the upper hand and then would have the paper mache creature right where he wanted it and then…he would refuse to kill the creature. And everyone would learn something from this and comment on how odd humans were. Hey, I enjoyed it.
This brings me to my point. Fox News had a piece yesterday entitled “Scientists: Earth May Exist in Giant Cosmic Bubble.” The crux of the piece comes down to whether Earth exists in a “special” place in the universe. One scientist thinks so.
If the notion of dark energy sounds improbable, get ready for an even more outlandish suggestion.
Earth may be trapped in an abnormal bubble of space-time that is particularly devoid of matter.
Scientists say this condition could account for the apparent acceleration of the universe’s expansion, for which dark energy currently is the leading explanation.
Now I think I’m attracted to this story because it sounds like a sci-fi/ fantasy story with its mentions of “space-time,” and “dark energy.” I admit it I get a kick out of writing these terms. Mind you, these are all terms science is cool with. You want to know one word science doesn’t want to hear: “Special.”
Dark energy, according to the article, is the name given to the hypothetical force that could be drawing all the stuff in the universe outward at an ever-increasing rate.
They theorize that much of the universe (74 percent) could be made up of dark energy with another 21 percent being dark matter while good old normal matter comprises the remaining 5 percent.
So, essentially, this scientist is positing that we live in “an unusually sparse area of the universe.” This would explain much, he says, and many scientists agree that it would explain some things that people with my lowly IQ aren’t able to understand. BUT…one little problem. It sounds a little too much like God so it therefore it gives scientists pause.
One problem with the void idea, though, is that it negates a principle that has reigned in astronomy for more than 450 years: namely, that our place in the universe isn’t special.
When Nicholas Copernicus argued that it made much more sense for the Earth to be revolving around the sun than vice versa, it revolutionized science.
Since then, most theories have to pass the Copernican test. If they require our planet to be unique, or our position to be exalted, the ideas often seem unlikely.
“This idea that we live in a void would really be a statement that we live in a special place,” Clifton told SPACE.com. “The regular cosmological model is based on the idea that where we live is a typical place in the universe. This would be a contradiction to the Copernican principle.”
So, science showing that the universe exists in an anomalous area in the space-time could lead one to suspect that we were special which could lead us to question why we were set aside in a special place.
It will be interesting to see if this theory gains any foothold in scientific circles or whether other theories which point to the man’s special role or place in the universe are looked into or ignored.
October 2, 2008 at 6:17 am
Random thought:
don’t “sophisticated” folks usually lay the smack down on folks who assume that the place they’re at is utterly, totally and wholly an example of what’s normal?
October 2, 2008 at 6:20 am
Good thought. But logic has never been their strong suit. They only accept “facts” which fit into their worldview.
October 2, 2008 at 12:34 pm
STAR TREK was /is always good fun, and the thin budget meant that character and story carried the weight far more memorably than the computerized lights and noises of later and inferior variants.
One notes, tho’, that while some ST characters occasionally withdrew meditate with candles and gew-gaws (wait…that could be us…), no one on the ENTERPRISE appeared to be a Catholic or a Methodist. I always figured Dr. McCoy for a Baptist.
Christianity and Judaism are far greater mysteries and far more dramatic than anything the producers could cobble up from a file of cliches’.
— Mack
— Mack
October 2, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I swear, I thought Copernicus’ theory was about the fact that just because we think we’re special doesn’t mean the universe revolves around us, especially since he found plently of evidence it didn’t. I don’t think it necessarily ruled out any kind of exceptionalism. Moreover, we haven’t discovered sentient beings on anywhere else, and if they exist, they haven’t discovered us. I’d say that makes us kind of special.
I think sometimes science gets caught up in its own paraphernalia and forgets that it, too, is only one part of a guesswork puzzle, not the encyclopedia.
I never really watched Startrek, but I like that attitude that typifies that era and is, unfortunately, becoming less common in tv by the minute nowadays. It reminds me of the old westerns I love to watch- what separates good guys and bad guys isn’t really their abilities, but what they choose to do, especially when they’re at a particular advantage or disadvantage. In that era, what made man man was his ability to distinguish himself from a brute by showing virtue beyond self-interest. I can only hope that sees a resurgence!
October 2, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I think that when the leading scientific theory is that random genetic mutations (which as far as I know are almost always harmful) over the course of millions of years turned single-cell organisms into humans, the idea that the earth is in a unique place in the universe doesn’t necessarily shake people up. Our world being in a uniquely hospitable spot is just one more highly improbably occurrence in the long line of highly improbably occurrences that led to human life.
This doesn’t mean that I think evolution is impossible (I’m personally rather agnostic about it) – the odds of me writing this exact message at this exact time are astronomically small and yet I’m doing it as I type. I’m just saying that for someone who believes in evolution, I don’t think the idea of the Earth being in a “special” spot is a necessarily world-view shattering idea.
October 2, 2008 at 6:28 pm
As an avid Trekkie, I have to point out that there are at least 7 things wrong with the author’s opening post : P
Actually, one of the lowest rated Star Trek “Spin-offs” is Deep Space 9 — my favourite. It is all about an oppressed people relying on their faith and religious institution (with many similarities to Catholicism) to overcome a brutal occupation, and now trying to reconcile their “need” for faith religion/Gods/clerics etc in light of their new-found freedom. They had some VERY heady concepts throughout the series, far more than any other which is why it wasn’t so well received.
Finally, not like it matters, but I do believe that scientists are grasping at straws when it comes to matters of the Universe. And I believe that the fabric of the universe is far more complex than any human brain could or will ever fathom, since it is a reflection of its creator.
October 2, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I have nearly finished the final season of TOS and I have to say that I was stunned when Uhura mentioned Jesus, as well as when Kirk expressed the desire to watch Christianity spread on the Roman planet where Jesus had just appeared. The direct appreciation of Christianity was welcome! Although at least DS9 showed some appreciation for faith in general if no Christianity in particular.
October 3, 2008 at 4:57 am
One thing I found troubling with the spinoffs, was that human religion seemed to no longer exist. Spirituality was confined to alien races…I guess this reflected Gene Roddenberry’s own secular-humanist ideals.
That’s why I preferred Babylon 5…I remember a poignant discussion of the agony in the garden…how often do you see that on television let alone in sci-fi?
October 3, 2008 at 6:01 am
I wanted to add something from my physics class the other day. Our professor is Catholic (I ended up attending a secular university) and occasionally surprises me with what he manages to work into the lesson plan.
Here is a problem from the class lecture:
In cosmology, the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is electromagnetic radiation that exists everywhere in the universe. It is currently in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Ok, so there’s radiation everywhere. And it is all at the exact same wavelength.
Since as time passes, wavelengths are red-shifted (they get longer), this means that if we look backwards through time the wavelenths get longer.
We were asked, could someone please figure out what wavelength the CMB was at the moment of the Big Bang?
Science claims this is about 13.73 billion years. If you do the math, at that point, this radiation, which is everywhere, was in a rather small space.
And it was at the extremely narrow and rare range of 380 to 750 nm.
That is something rather strange and wonderful. A number of us began to smile in the classroom.
According to physicists, at the moment the universe began, at every point in the universe…
was visible light.
Haven’t we read about this somewhere before?
“dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux”
October 3, 2008 at 6:03 am
Should say, “back in time… shorter.”
Too long, don’t read.
Physics is very happy with “fiat lux”.
October 3, 2008 at 6:03 am
Ooooh! That is NIFTY!
October 3, 2008 at 6:14 am
nemmerle, I passed out from brain overload on paragraph three but when I was able to rest my weary IQ I read the rest. That’s some fascinating stuff. Thanks.