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The Wonder of Reality
April 22, 2015 at 7:06 pm
I wholeheartedly believe that the sense of awed wonder provided by understanding the science of existence is, as Richard Dawkins put it, "one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable". On that thought, I would love to dedicate this thread to posting thoughts, quotes, pictures, etc. which relate to the beauty of understanding and which show that facing truth can not only liberate you, but also move you at your very core. I regularly think that if more people realised the astounding wonder of reality, more people would be atheists. I'd like to start it off by posting two of my favourite quotes by Krauss and Dawkins:
“A universe without purpose should neither depress us nor suggest that our lives are purposeless. Through an awe-inspiring cosmic history we find ourselves on this remote planet in a remote corner of the universe, endowed with intelligence and self-awareness. We should not despair, but should humbly rejoice in making the most of these gifts, and celebrate our brief moment in the sun.” - Lawrence Krauss
“After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?” - Richard Dawkins
"The chances of each of us coming into existence are infinitesimally small, and even though we shall all die some day, we should count ourselves fantastically lucky to get our decades in the sun." - Richard Dawkins
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 7:29 am
(This post was last modified: April 23, 2015 at 8:26 am by Alex K.)
![[Image: 2dfslice_black.gif]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=www.roe.ac.uk%2Froe%2Fsupport%2Fpr%2Fpressreleases%2F080116-rasaward%2F2dfslice_black.gif)
Our "neighbourhood" within a few billion lightyears - every point is a galaxy. Just to gain perspective...
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 9:23 am
(April 22, 2015 at 7:06 pm)PhilosophicalZebra Wrote: I wholeheartedly believe that the sense of awed wonder provided by understanding the science of existence is, as Richard Dawkins put it, "one of the highest experiences of which the human psyche is capable". On that thought, I would love to dedicate this thread to posting thoughts, quotes, pictures, etc. which relate to the beauty of understanding and which show that facing truth can not only liberate you, but also move you at your very core. I regularly think that if more people realised the astounding wonder of reality, more people would be atheists. I'd like to start it off by posting two of my favourite quotes by Krauss and Dawkins:
“A universe without purpose should neither depress us nor suggest that our lives are purposeless. Through an awe-inspiring cosmic history we find ourselves on this remote planet in a remote corner of the universe, endowed with intelligence and self-awareness. We should not despair, but should humbly rejoice in making the most of these gifts, and celebrate our brief moment in the sun.” - Lawrence Krauss
“After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?” - Richard Dawkins
So you come at the conclusion that this is............ A universe without purpose .....................
What make you believe that you are correct?
Have you got solid evidence to back up this sentence from Krauss? 
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 9:28 am
Oh, watch out Zebra, you caught a Riketto
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 9:34 am
It is commonly accepted that the majority of heavier atoms were formed from reactions in stars. This means we are all made of stardust.
Btw love the quotes and thread idea.
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 9:35 am
(This post was last modified: April 23, 2015 at 9:36 am by Cyberman.)
A wild Riketto appears!
It tries to use Reason.
But - it confuses itself!
Riketto fainted!
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 10:22 am
(This post was last modified: April 23, 2015 at 10:32 am by Little Rik.)
(April 23, 2015 at 9:34 am)cocunningham Wrote: It is commonly accepted that the majority of heavier atoms were formed from reactions in stars. This means we are all made of stardust.
Btw love the quotes and thread idea.
What about the consciousness?
Is this also made by matter?
(April 23, 2015 at 9:35 am)Stimbo Wrote: A wild Riketto appears!
It tries to use Reason.
But - it confuses itself!
Riketto fainted!
Gee, where have you been Stim?
I miss you so much for your clever interventions and your guidance.
Actually i was really confused.
I didn't know whether i should use the reason or the stupidity but at the end i came up with the reason.
But please Stim feel free to correct me at any time so i don't get confused anymore.  
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 11:10 am
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 11:11 am
google.com.. quotes on existence in search bar.. hit enter.. click toppish link because scrolling takes effort.. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywor...tence.html this is actually a pretty awesome page.
Do you know how to spot a moron? They use the word "evolutionist"... lol
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RE: The Wonder of Reality
April 23, 2015 at 11:20 am
Hi, Riketto 
A theistic outlook on life would involve believing that the universe itself has a meaning (I hope this idea does not get confused with personal meaning which is an entirely different concept that I will get to it in a moment). However, there is, as of now, no evidence to suggest that there is a higher power or some ultimate fate for the cosmos, and therefore as a result, atheists do not believe in god or some larger meaning. However, in the quote I posted, Krauss is trying to tell people that this idea should not depress us or make us feel hopeless, but rather that we should contemplate our immense luck to be alive at all and to be part of a species that has evolved to the point that we are able to think and be self-aware. The fact that we all burst into consciousness and woke up into this world is incomprehensibly amazing and he's simply emphasising that this fact is meaningful enough in itself
On top of this, when you think about it, we don't tie our personal goals to the ultimate fate of the cosmos in reality. The real things that give meaning to life are far more personal - the love we share with family and friends, being kind to people, achieving our potential, helping people in need, and just making the most of the time that we have on this Earth. I feel that this quote from the genius that was Christopher Hitchens better sums up my point:
“A life that partakes even a little of friendship, love, irony, humor, parenthood, literature, and music, and the chance to take part in battles for the liberation of others cannot be called 'meaningless'...”
Life is wonderful and there doesn't need to be an ultimate meaning for this to be true.
As for consciousness, this remains to be a deeply complex, unsolved issue which scientists are working on. It is true that we do not yet understand it, but with no proper explanation, the most rational course is to keep trying to figure it out.
@ Alex K, @cocunningham: Awesome facts, thanks for sharing 
"The chances of each of us coming into existence are infinitesimally small, and even though we shall all die some day, we should count ourselves fantastically lucky to get our decades in the sun." - Richard Dawkins
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