The BIG questions remaining.

Ivor Bigun

Ivor Bigun

Registered Member
It appears to me that there are two BIG questions remaining for science to answer.
Many religious ideas have been replaced by modern scientific theories.

We know that the weather is not caused by Zeus, the tide is not caused by Poseidon. the earth is roughly spherical and moves around the sun. that diseases are mostly caused by germs, not demons.

Evolution by natural selection is the foundation of biology and medical science and explains the diversity of life.
Science is now so advanced that we have a history of the Universe going back over 13 billion years.

We still don't know the origin of life and the origin of the Universe.
Scientists are working on these two problems and there are many proposals.

When these are solved, people will lose interest and concern themselves with other problems.
Religious minded folk will find ways of coping with the scientific answers, as they have done in the past.

Can life come from non-life ?
Can matter come from non-matter ?
 
Ivor Bigun said:
It appears to me that there are two BIG questions remaining for science to answer.
Many religious ideas have been replaced by modern scientific theories.

We know that the weather is not caused by Zeus, the tide is not caused by Poseidon. the earth is roughly spherical and moves around the sun. that diseases are mostly caused by germs, not demons.

Evolution by natural selection is the foundation of biology and medical science and explains the diversity of life.
Science is now so advanced that we have a history of the Universe going back over 13 billion years.

We still don't know the origin of life and the origin of the Universe.
Scientists are working on these two problems and there are many proposals.

When these are solved, people will lose interest and concern themselves with other problems.
Religious minded folk will find ways of coping with the scientific answers, as they have done in the past.

Can life come from non-life ?
Can matter come from non-matter ?
Click to expand...
^^^
I understand, to some degree, how those can seem impossible but we know there is matter & we know there is life & it cannot be explained by any thing we do not know.
Either life came about naturally from nonlife after the Big Bang or steady state is correct, after all or it was god done it or it was done by some other spiritual force.
In the case of god, we must then ask, despite theists' protests, where did god come from or can god come from nothing. It does not answer anything, it only pushes the question back.
Any other spiritual force requires the same.

<>
 
Ivor Bigun said:
We still don't know the origin of life and the origin of the Universe.
Scientists are working on these two problems and there are many proposals.

When these are solved...
Click to expand...
Just to be picky: science will never be able to "solve" those two problems. Science will not be able to tell us how life did begin (if it did) or how the universe began (if it did). At best it can provide us with possible ways in which life may have begun or ways in which the universe may have started.

And this is an important distinction: discovering a way in which it might have happened doesn't mean that it did happen that way, only that it is possible it could have done.
 
Ivor Bigun said:
Can life come from non-life ?
Can matter come from non-matter ?
Click to expand...

As has been posted such questions will forever be out of the reach of definitive answers and proof

I do find it strange (in truth I've been finding it strange for many years) your opening
It appears to me that there are two BIG questions remaining for science to answer.
is reminiscent of many other such statements I have read over the years

Never ever in all those years have I read a statement along the lines of

It appears to me that there are two BIG questions remaining for religion to answer.

I wonder why that is? Rhetorical I know why

:)
 
gmilam said:
No, the BIG question is "why is there anything at all?".
Click to expand...
Agree
I would have thought the default position would be for nothing to exist
I have been informed that scientists state a condition of nothingness is impossible
Since there obviously is something currently in existence I grant nothingness does not currently exist.
I am not willing to rule out or concede the possibility that a state of nothingness is possible
Like when the Universe has thinned out so much even atoms can no longer hold themselves together
The forces of thinness ie vacuum pull the components of atoms apart under the physics of dilution

And you can add another puzzlement to the collection of Universe puzzlements

Matter, or mass, if you prefer can be considered as energy in a compact compressed form as per E = mc²

Once you have uncompressed the energy surely it's gone. The work has been expended in splitting the atom

As in energy being the ability to do work no ability remains

No mechanism exist to collect the expended energy back to recreate the atom

The components of the atom are no more

They have gone

Ya Monty and the parrot

Breakfast time and later coffee

All ideas/explanations welcome

:)
 
Ivor Bigun said:
Can life come from non-life ?
Can matter come from non-matter ?
Click to expand...
The first question is a result of the second question. Physicists say that matter can pop (materialize) out of nothing. Once that occurs it can interact with other particles that pop out of nothing. And here we are today. So far, no combination of resources in modern experiments have produced life from chemistry. In the above scenario it could happen, but 'we' haven't reproduced it.
 
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Ivor Bigun said:
It appears to me that there are two BIG questions remaining for science to answer.
Many religious ideas have been replaced by modern scientific theories.

We know that the weather is not caused by Zeus, the tide is not caused by Poseidon. the earth is roughly spherical and moves around the sun. that diseases are mostly caused by germs, not demons.

Evolution by natural selection is the foundation of biology and medical science and explains the diversity of life.
Science is now so advanced that we have a history of the Universe going back over 13 billion years.

We still don't know the origin of life and the origin of the Universe.
Scientists are working on these two problems and there are many proposals.

When these are solved, people will lose interest and concern themselves with other problems.
Religious minded folk will find ways of coping with the scientific answers, as they have done in the past.

Can life come from non-life ?
Can matter come from non-matter ?
Click to expand...
Like many people here, you misunderstand the purpose of religion. Religion is not really concerned with providing an account of the natural world. It is fundamentally a guide to help people live their lives.
 
exchemist said:
Like many people here, you misunderstand the purpose of religion. Religion is not really concerned with providing an account of the natural world. It is fundamentally a guide to help people live their lives.
Click to expand...

Balderdash

Purpose of religion is to scare the poop out of people in order to control them

Not really concerned with providing an account of the natural world??? Please. They give detailed accounts of how the Universe and world came to be. Total nonsense accounts to be sure and frequently held onto in the face of evidence to the contrary

...a guide to help people live their lives. Again please. We're back to controlling people by scaring the poop out of people to control them

spidergoat said:
I just searched for one on youtube, it took 2 seconds.
Click to expand...

Can you please provide a link for lazy people like me?
Cheers

:)
 
Sarkus said:
Just to be picky: science will never be able to "solve" those two problems. Science will not be able to tell us how life did begin (if it did) or how the universe began (if it did). At best it can provide us with possible ways in which life may have begun or ways in which the universe may have started.

And this is an important distinction: discovering a way in which it might have happened doesn't mean that it did happen that way, only that it is possible it could have done.
Click to expand...
Michael 345 said:
As has been posted such questions will forever be out of the reach of definitive answers and proof
Click to expand...

To both: I would be perfectly happy to have these models become part of The Standard Model. TSM isn't proof, but it has a foundation of centuries - upon which we will build centuries more knowledge. And attempts to tear it down would take equal centuries (as yet not forthcoming) counter-observations. I'm OK with that.
 
Michael 345 said:
Purpose of religion is to scare the poop out of people in order to control them
Click to expand...
Guys, can we not have this thread spin off into a debate about the supposed purpose of religion?
It is explicitly about scientific answers.

Wouldn't it be a refreshing change to discuss science for a while?
 
DaveC426913 said:
Guys, can we not have this thread spin off into a debate about the supposed purpose of religion?
It is explicitly about scientific answers.

Wouldn't it be a refreshing change to discuss science for a while?
Click to expand...

Seconded if a seconded is required

Another big question

If clocks run faster on the top floor of a very tall building, than clocks do on the ground floor of the building why why why does the top floor not zip into the future and the ground floor slip back into the past

:)
 
Michael 345 said:
Balderdash

Purpose of religion is to scare the poop out of people in order to control them

Not really concerned with providing an account of the natural world??? Please. They give detailed accounts of how the Universe and world came to be. Total nonsense accounts to be sure and frequently held onto in the face of evidence to the contrary

...a guide to help people live their lives. Again please. We're back to controlling people by scaring the poop out of people to control them



Can you please provide a link for lazy people like me?
Cheers

:)
Click to expand...
^^^
 
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