Drank to much tea

Sunday October 9, 2005 - 3:16AM EDT

So now I can't sleep. I was thinking about the universe and this intelligent design thing. Not just the intelligent design thing but the meaning behind what it states. Life is so complex that an intelligent designer had to put it together. I think that is an odd statement. First I think that the statement presupposes some kind of total perfection in the universe. They say that evolution and the randomness it has could not have come up with the world we know today. I don't get that kind of thinking. We know one world. And some seem to think it is the only world possible. I don't know how to put this into words. It is our definition of randomness. Randomness to most people is chaos. Randomness to most people is unorderly. Randomness is imperfect. Think about what pops into your head when you think of randomness. Think about it for a second. All the examples of randomness that you have stored in your mind. What are they? I won't name any here so I don't influence people, but just think for a second about what randomness means to you.

Do the examples you've thought of have order to them. Even the dictionary skews the essense of randomness. First defintion from answers.com goes as follows.

1. Having no specific pattern, purpose, or objective:random movements. See synonyms at chance.
2. Mathematics & Statistics. Of or relating to a type of circumstance or event that is described by a probability distribution.
3. Of or relating to an event in which all outcomes are equally likely, as in the testing of a blood sample for the presence of a substance.

From that definition one can see why most probably think randomness is chaos. It states it right there. We think in comparison to things, we think relatively. We need light to define dark. So when randomness is defined as having no pattern we think chaos. But randomness cares nothing for pattern or purpose, those things are subjective. What purpose does a chair have to a fly? What I am trying to say is that randomness can have pattern, every outcome is equal when it is random. The third definition captures more precisely what randomness should be thought off. The arguement that this world we live in must have been created by an intelligent creature because it is too complex for the chance of evolution is hogwash. In fact I would argue that the world being created in this "perfect" way by a single intillegent being is far more unbelievable than the randomness of evolution.

I was reading some article of a few quantam physicists and their thoughts about the universe and randomness. They were tossing the idea around that the whole universe now is truly random. That the essence of this universe is simply the noise of tiny particle zipping around in no particular pattern. That the universe is simply just noise. This goes back to subjective consciousness that I talked about earlier and perception. How is it that we as people seem to take this noise and make it into an orderly world. Not only that, but can we ever be sure as to what the person next to us perceives the world as. Is their perception of this noise radically different from mine? Do we only agree in our perception through the commonality of communication? What that means is the color red the same to me and you simply because we have agreed to call it the color red? What if my red is the explosion of a supernova. I don't think about or take thoughts like these to deep because you'd go insane. The world would fall apart. But I always keep these questions of subjective consciousness in mind. Even as just a way to stand back from things and try to view something differently.

Are people just so afraid of the unknown that they have to make up something to comfort themselves. I don't get it sometimes. I've come to almost enjoy the unknown. Maybe I wouldn't go that far. But I don't know why I would say anything or anyone had everything figured out. When I read about certain physicists trying to come up with a theory of everything I laugh because they are starting to sound like religious zealots who know all or at least say they will someday. Fear of the unknown is a huge thing in humans. We grow up with this fear. Being scared of the dark and whatnot. The unknown has come to drive me. Maybe not all the time but more and more. I makes me want to live forever sometimes simply to keep on trying to discover and know everything and not be sure whether I will or not. The idea that there is no end is kind of comforting. The idea that I may never know an end is interesting. Even with this fear of the unknown that is apart of humans it is the unknown that drives us. Philosophers ask why and look for answers. But it seems to me on some level that by asking the question why and looking they have answered their question. That is kind of funny thinking but so is that stuff we call faith.

I wonder about those who take their faith seriously or even those who don't take it seriously. Why do they believe. Is it fear. A fear that no one can admit. Take the most devout muslim, christian, hindu whatever. One who lives his life in peace and tranquility with his faith. One who has found jesus or god or whatever. So now through this knowledge of god or relationship with jesus christ they have found something. Something to hold on to something that they know is truth. That they "know". I often hear christians talk about knowing god. I'd hate this point turn into something purely semantical but it is almost that way. They become confident in their knowledge. They don't even want to think about the unknown. Contained in their faith is disregard for the unknown. They give a name to the unknown and call it god. I just can't make the jump. Now this is where things get hairy. Because maybe one would call into question my vehement assertion that unknown is unknowable as some sort of knowing. I don't know what to think of that but I ask myself the same question sometimes. I don't have the slightest idea where to go from here. I always get stuck here in my thinking. So then I just go back, to basic things like what I am going to eat for breakfast. Bagel sounds good. I'm confused and don't know what else to write.