Every era in human history has created mythologies. We modern scientific humans think we are beyond those eras in history because we have science.
But we're not.
Mythology has crept on stealth feet into science. How do we know the difference between real and fake? The term "science and technology" does the trick. If a functioning and robust technology can be created from a scientific discovery, we know that specific science is solid.
But it does not always turn out that way, in fact, frequently, it does not. And the mythologists can be loath to admit it to themselves, and then of course to others.
Mythologies do not function in an era unless "everybody" believes them. And mythologies are always about immortality in some way.
The Gods are immortal. In addition they looked like us and had powers we mortal humans do not have. In mythology power is external.
In reality power is internal. In addition, immortality is a myth.
Both are true.
One of the more common mythologies of our era is there will be "space humans" in the not too distant future. "The Heavens" have been a mystery and fascination since early humans, for good reason.
Space Humans are not the astronauts who are in space comparatively short term, they are interplanetary humans who colonize other planets (starting with Mars), and travel from planet to planet like we travel by jet from continent to continent.
And it will be a big adventure conquering space!
NASA began to realize some time ago humans cannot survive for lengthy periods in non-biological conditions. But they don't talk about it....it would be cruel to take away one of our most cherished mythologies.
So then we'll just create biological conditions! How hard could that be? We have technology to solve all problems!
Let's just stop a minute to ask a question...how many biological planets do we astronomically informed humans know of? One, obviously. That does not mean there are no other biological planets out there, it means if there are we just do not know about it...yet. We have, so far, been listening for extraterrestrial signals for a century, but have heard nothing.
Biology IS life, right? And LIFE is intelligence, right? The expression "dumb as a rock" is to the best of our knowledge 100% true...right?
Not to get too far out into outer space, but if biology is the organizing principle for life, and the universe (as we know it) APPEARS to have a "structure" (organizing principle), it does seem likely that there would be other biological planets out there. But even if so, how far away are they? Light years?
A single light year in human terms is unimaginably long, but in context of the observable universe it's too tiny to comprehend - the current estimate of the observable universe is 92 BILLION light years, end to end.
It would seem then if the conditions for biology to arise (in the biome sense) are very precise, and consequently very rare, it would also then seem that the arisal and eventual collapse happens in singular fashion, and as a consequence of the idea that everything is always changing.
What does any of this have to do with "Space Humans"? Only that humans cannot really survive in good enough health to be functional (or even alive) for long periods outside of an organically created biome, with the only one we know of being earth.
Which brings me to a point I have mentioned once or twice before :) ----
Biology is massively underappreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment