What if we solve the universe?

[Unconcept]

What if we solve the universe?
What if we as humans (and in the very long term likely other consciousnesses) solve all phenomena in the universe starting from the fundamentals working up to understand.. well everything that could be based on the fundamentals.
Surely, this is a very long way to go, Chess for example has a number of possible games higher than the number of atoms in the observable universe. And the chess is relatively too simple when compared to the universe.
Even then, there could still be various degrees of certainties, about whether we truly exhausted all possibilities and that there's no more.

I suppose that's what the goal in life should be, since I see no evidence of existence of god(s) that could satisfy as a purpose. But if we get there, what will we do? What could happen?
Could something intervene and say "Congratulations!". Could we find something beyond our current brain that could serve as a satisfying purpose of eternal existance?

[Neverfly]

These are so far into speculation as to almost cry foul right off the bat.

Our entire way, with our current brains, of thinking is based on the evolution we are a part of on Earth.
To say "my lizard brain" is astonishingly accurate, as the human brain is a series of levels of primitive brains stacked upon another, with a final layer of Human. We use all of the layers.

Our concepts and ideas, developed in this environment, these specifics.

It will be a long time, very long time, indeed- before we can separate ourselves from that kind of programming.

To achieve that "Higher consciousness" maybe technology needs to be involved. Or maybe, by chance, an evolutionary step that we cannot fathom.

That being the case, I dread the technological. It would be based on our own thoughts of what is superior- and that's a frightening prospect.

But assuming this higher consciousness, that we cannot currently fathom, is reached, and we extend outward into the universe, exploring galaxies and wonders, with a consciousness better suited to achieving very high accuracy in observations, we will reach an upper limit, if we still have managed to survive that long. At least as long as that run on sentence was. That upper limit being the Universe itself.
We are desperately contained and unable to break free. We cannot step out of existence, out of reality. We would always have that need, to find out what is outside- if anything at all...
And if we were to advance so far- far beyond what we can dream in our current primitive state, to exit the universe, maybe we would see the time before the Big Bang.
Maybe we would see myriads of many, many universes- all begging to be explored...Unique in their own right with entirely different principles of physics... Maybe alternate universes where you can explore alternate realities...
Or maybe there will be nothing at all and someone will bitch, "Shut the damned door! It's cold out there!"

[Buddha12]

Could we find something beyond our current brain that could serve as a satisfying purpose of eternal existence?

How about another alien race that would teach us even more than we knew. What if we needed to reach a state of enlightenment that would trigger other alien races to get in touch with us once they knew we weren't out to kill, steal, molest, harm or do other stupid things that we now do to ourselves and the animals who live with us.

[Neverfly]

How about another alien race that would teach us even more than we knew. What if we needed to reach a state of enlightenment that would trigger other alien races to get in touch with us once they knew we weren't out to kill, steal, molest, harm or do other stupid things that we now do to ourselves and the animals who live with us.

Everything about us is 'survival of the fittest.' We're not too likely to stop clawing our way to the top, endangering others to get there and taking risks ourselves any time soon.
I would speculate that a severe change would need to be made to our physical brains before we could move past our current state.

[Buddha12]

I would speculate that a severe change would need to be made to our physical brains before we could move past our current state.

Evolution sometimes happens to a few that could pass on that change to the next generation if they were allowed to do so. However there are so many humans that think like you do that they would just kill anyone different from them to show how "superior" they were to those who became more evolved. I do hope you realize that evolution does happen differently to each human for the genetic makeup can and does have variations that create different ways of thinking and acting.

[Neverfly]

Evolution sometimes happens to a few that could pass on that change to the next generation if they were allowed to do so. However there are so many humans that think like you do that they would just kill anyone different from them to show how "superior" they were to those who became more evolved. I do hope you realize that evolution does happen differently to each human for the genetic makeup can and does have variations that create different ways of thinking and acting.

Wow, buddha. Really?
I have no idea what bassackwards tangent you just went rolling off on all by yourself there.

Absolutely none of what you just said has any relevance to the topic. Not one bit of it makes any sense, including your claim of "humans thinking as I do killing eachother for superiority." How did you even come up with that? I mean really?

All I had said was that our brains are a product of about two million years of evolution in a harsh environment. Our entire basis of thinking is based upon primitive principles that our brains are physically wired with.
All I had said was that it would take severe physical changes to the structure of the human brain to overcome that. It is a scientific statement based on our medical knowledge. That was ALL I said that you felt led you to jump to that wild conclusion.

That's it.

So don't go derailing a thread on your misconceptions, assumptions and personal attacks.

The response was really disturbing.

[AlexG]

Well, Arthur C Clarke said the universe would then come to an end, God's plan having been fullfilled (The Nine Billion Names of god)

Asimov thought that the universe would then start over. (The Last Question).

Heinlein was a big fan of alternate Universes, so the idea of the END didn't arise (The Cat Who Walked Through Walls (and a bunch of others).

So take your pick. It's all covered.

[Epictetus]

Yes, Alex, I also thought of The Nine Billion Names of God.
But to the OP: What if the universe isn't a puzzle to be solved, but an adventure to be enjoyed? You can solve a Rubik's cube (or try to) but how do you solve a game of Monopoly? Or chess? Is the game about solving all the possibilities, or passing time in a friendly way with one of your mates?

"It is better to travel hopefully, than to arrive." - Albert Camus

[river]

we would still Explore the Universe

[Neverfly]

Yes, Alex, I also thought of The Nine Billion Names of God.
But to the OP: What if the universe isn't a puzzle to be solved, but an adventure to be enjoyed? You can solve a Rubik's cube (or try to) but how do you solve a game of Monopoly? Or chess? Is the game about solving all the possibilities, or passing time in a friendly way with one of your mates?

"It is better to travel hopefully, than to arrive." - Albert Camus

For an individual, that may make sense but humanity as a whole? Might have some bored folks

[Epictetus]

Oh I get it Neverfly: "To boldly go where no man has gone before" and split infinitives there too, no doubt.

[Neverfly]

Oh I get it Neverfly: "To boldly go where no man has gone before" and split infinitives there too, no doubt.

Ok, now I don't get it:|
heh...
The way I read the O.P., scientific discovery is a human venture. It's not limited to the individuals, and in fact, it's a small percentage of the population that actually engages such ventures first hand.
So once we know all there is to know... well, what do we do then?

I'd like for "us" to venture outside of the Universe. See what it is from the outside.

Given our current map and Big Bang Cosmology, I'm willing to bet that the entire universe is a sneeze.
Will be enough to make our distant descendents creep back in, shut the door, and swear to forget what they saw.
Act casual and say, "So... Yeah... We know everything, now what do you wanna do?"
"I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

[Emil]

What if we solve the universe?

You can try, eventually you will have an useful result.

"Particle accelerators, the giant machines that create highly energetic beams of subatomic particles, are designed to solve the universe's grand mysteries. Now they're battling cancer. Since 1992, more than 50,000 patients have undergone proton therapy, which uses particle accelerators to precisely blast tumors with high-speed protons.
Now physicists at CERN, the European particle-physics center in Switzerland, have begun experimenting with antimatter made of rare, negatively charged twins of protons, and the results are promising. In studies involving hamster tissue, antimatter therapy has even proved to be four times as powerful as protons.
X-rays, which deliver conventional radiation therapy, burn through the body, increasing the cancer risk in healthy tissue. Protons and antimatter, by comparison, can be tuned to release most of their energy right at the tumor site, thus damaging fewer of the surrounding cells. "I didn't experience any nausea or radiation burn," says Florida state congressman Stan Jordan, who received proton therapy for advanced prostate cancer earlier this year at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville. Jordan, who likened the treatment chamber to the Starship Enterprise, says the actual "beam-me-up-Scotty" part of the therapy lasted less than two minutes.
Unfortunately, each facility costs more than $100 million, so there are just five in the U.S., limiting treatment to only the toughest cases. But plans for two more facilities are under way."

http://www.popsci.com/node/9858

[Epictetus]

I'd like for "us" to venture outside of the Universe. See what it is from the outside.Given our current map and Big Bang Cosmology, I'm willing to bet that the entire universe is a sneeze.

You should read Xenocide by Orson Scott Card. In that novel, they find a way to leave the universe, which when you are out side of it is as big all get out or the size of a pinhead - it's up to you. In the novel, they step outside in order to create an anti-virus they need, and to travel great distances (within the universe) instantaneously. I'd call that 'solving the universe'!

[Rav]

"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened." - HHGTTG

[too-open-minded]

What if we solve the universe?
What if we as humans (and in the very long term likely other consciousnesses) solve all phenomena in the universe starting from the fundamentals working up to understand.. well everything that could be based on the fundamentals.
Surely, this is a very long way to go, Chess for example has a number of possible games higher than the number of atoms in the observable universe. And the chess is relatively too simple when compared to the universe.
Even then, there could still be various degrees of certainties, about whether we truly exhausted all possibilities and that there's no more.

I suppose that's what the goal in life should be, since I see no evidence of existence of god(s) that could satisfy as a purpose. But if we get there, what will we do? What could happen?
Could something intervene and say "Congratulations!". Could we find something beyond our current brain that could serve as a satisfying purpose of eternal existance?

We will never understand everything. I'm willing to bet were not the only universe out their. Maybe even other universes were more primitive than ours and soon to be universes will be more complex.

[sigurdV]

On Everything.

1 Everything is everything else put together.
2 so IF we put everything together with everything else THEN we get more than everything, wich is absurd.
3 Therefore everything isnt!

PS Cool thread. Cool participants.

[wlminex]

What if we solve the universe?

Ans: Some other yahoo will try to re-solve the universe!!

[kx000]

You mean everything that makes up everything? How will we go about solving this?

[sigurdV]

You mean everything that makes up everything? How will we go about solving this?

Dont disturb me! Im writing poetry:
Since everything makes up everything.
Then nothing makes up nothing.
And sense makes sense...