I just joined this astronomy list serv, so let's see if I can stay on topic: "Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything and that life sprang from non-life," Cameron said. "Mommy, where did I come from?" asked the little girl. "You spontaneously self-assembled in an environment of large available genetic and potential energy that your father and I formed," answered the mother. Cameron incorrectly assumes that life springing from non-life is a scientific impossibility. In fact, science is several steps ahead of "possible", already in the "exploiting to improve our lives" stage. The distinction between life and non-life is only one of many useful arbitrary points of view of material. Another point of view is to realize the way in which all material is the same, transcending the life / non-life distinction. This point of view allows development in many areas, i.e.:
From Wikipedia's article on biomaterials: "Molecular self-assembly is found widely in biological systems and provides the basis of a wide variety of complex biological structures. This includes an emerging class of mechanically superior biomaterials based on microstructural features and designs found in nature. Thus, self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis and nanotechnology. Molecular crystals, liquid crystals, colloids, micelles, emulsions<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsions>, phase-separated polymers, thin films and self-assembled monolayers all represent examples of the types of highly ordered structures which are obtained using these techniques. T*he distinguishing feature of these methods is self-organization.*"
Ian Glenn On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 3:39 PM, Dave Gary <davegary@me.com> wrote:
I’ve never understood the distinction between the myths and superstitions of Bronze-Age, Jewish pastoralists and those of Hellenistic Greeks in terms of believability. YHWH seems to get pissed-off more frequently. A difference for sure, but hardly a motivation for worship. Maybe Nick Bostrom is correct. We’re living in a simulation. It’s as good an explanation as any for the weird things people believe. In the simulation some were programmed to believe weird things, some were not. Both are wrong.
On May 19, 2011, at 2:41 PM, Julie Clyde wrote:
I just saw this quote on a friend on Facebook and thought it was funny, and fit in with this topic. No offense intended to anyone!
"Christianity - The belief that some cosmic Jewish zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree. "
Julie
On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 2:36 PM, <erikhansen@thebluezone.net> wrote:
Well in Cameron's logic, he should have to prove there is a Heaven and a "He-double toothpicks". Cameron offers less proof than Hawking. Hawking is saying he does not believe in Heaven but a soul can be defined in many ways.
Who you do you believe a noted physicist or an actor? The actor saying life just "appeared on earth" or the Hawking saying there were precursors to life on earth and the creation of the known universe. It is in its root, the Creation vs Evolution debate. Science or Fantasy?
You sure like opening a can of worms don't you? Lol
-Barrett
-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 12:34 PM To: utah astronomy utah astronomy listserve Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Stephen Hawking vs. Kirk Cameron: A heavenly debate
Stephen Hawking vs. Kirk Cameron: A heavenly debate
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700136489/
patrick
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