Things you've never understood...

[riadnicolas]

is their other life forms and if they know whether the universe ends and where

[phagist_]

I still dont understand the concept of time, like wat was there b4 everything existed? And when will it ever end?
Does the universe go forever? If so how? If not wats on the other side? LOL.

This is how I see it.

Time (as we know it) is purely a human construct for convenience - just like length, this is how I see it.
But there is also a definition of time pertaining to entropy which throws a spanner in the works

Asking what was before time is a redundant question - because there is no definitive answer (this also depends on your definition of the word 'time')

It's just one of those things that we use for convenience, yet do not truly understand (pretty much like a lot of 20th century physics)

[phagist_]

Hmm this brings me to the question: What are photons? Like literally, what are they?

They are particles and are just "packets of energy".

for all intensive calculations - yes they are. But no one truly understands the nature of a photon.. i.e how it has both a wave and particle nature.

For example in the double slit experiment, we know where the photon starts (in one of the two slits) and where it ends (as the interference pattern) and have no idea what happens in between.

However one perplexing property (possibly of the photon) is that should we decide to find out which slit the photons went through - the interference pattern disappears.

check out Quantum Eraser. This is one of the most mind boggling things I have ever seen.

[Survivor]

I still fail to understand the whole chem unit on battery cells along with most of the electrolysis/galvanic stuff.

OH YAY, my chem study score will be verrrry interesting XD

[Eriny]

I was never very good at physics or chem, but I get both subjects, at least to a level that isn't embarrassing.

I obviously don't understand the meaning of life.

I don't understand how we can produce meaning through lots of circularity. For instance, if you define a word, you do it with other words, but if you keep defining words that appear in your definition, your definition of each of those words includes the word that you were originally supposed to define. Perhaps we have notions separate to the words themselves which we understand but are obviously inexplicable. As if language is an imperfect tool, or something.

[xox.happy1.xox]

I want to know why I chose maths when I wasn't even good at it to begin with? (Lol, why the hell did I call light an organism for?)

@ Eriny: Wow, I didn't understand what you said (in a good way ).

[phagist_]

I don't understand how we can produce meaning through lots of circularity. For instance, if you define a word, you do it with other words, but if you keep defining words that appear in your definition, your definition of each of those words includes the word that you were originally supposed to define. Perhaps we have notions separate to the words themselves which we understand but are obviously inexplicable. As if language is an imperfect tool, or something.

Yes I've thought this also!
It also makes me kinda depressed, because words are purely a human construct for communication (and as you said an imperfect tool) they can never really portray how one is feeling. For example the word sad has thousands of connotations/feelings attached...yet they are unique to the person (defined by experience), so no one can truly understand how you are feeling if you tell them you are 'sad'..they can only approximate, based on their own experiences. It makes me realise how isolated humans are

Oh and vcestar check out this thread.. interesting discussion on time

[bturville]

How there was nothing before the big bang, just darkness. I get headaches when I think about it for too long.

there wasn't even darkness =p

Quantum Mechanics..well, no one understands this haha.

Oh yes, that reminds me of something i've never understood.

does ANYBODY understand quantum theory?

Quantum is just another definition for a certain amount of energy a photon carries.
I guess since we studied this in unit 4, quantum physics is a more detailed study of light and matter. I am not exactly sure though.

Humm I think your definition is a bit sketchy.

Also i'm talking about shit like the shrödinger equations, wave functions, uncertainty, and all the fun maths they involve.

[/0]

I have a love-hate relationship with philosophy. I enjoy it, but it seems the more enlightened I become, the more confused I become.

When does something go from being not alive to being 'alive'?
Or does this never happen? I remember posting a question about this some time ago and back then I was satisfied with life as a form of "biochemical potential energy". But it seems so simplistic now that I think about it. Can it really explain the enormous complexity of things? How can it possibly explain consciousness? Why do our bodies require a consciousness? Why can't everyone's brains simply 'operate' in the absence of consciousness?

Why are things the way they are?
In short, this question is the big WHY... WHY!? WHY!!? WHY!!!? WHY!!!!? WHY!!!!!?
And the multiverse theory doesn't solve this either. Even if there existed different universes, why am I experiencing only this universe? Shouldn't I be experiencing every universe simultaneously? Do I have a severe case of schizophrenia?
Why am I me? By symmetry, assuming consciousness only develops as a result of life, why is it that my 'consciousness' has been placed in 'my' body? Does every 'consciousness' pick names out of a hat? That would require 'souls' to exist, and I can't find a basis for 'souls'. And consciousness does not need to correlate with intelligence, only the level of consciousness would correlate - this is symmetry we're talking about! Surely if souls didn't exist, then 'I' would be equally likely to experience life through the eyes of anyone. Either our lives are contradictions, or the cosmos is skewed (another contradiction - what could possibly skew the cosmos, assuming the cosmos is everything?).

Are humans innocent regardless of what they do?
People can commit horrendous crimes, but it can all be attributed to their environment, genetic predisposition, and how those people were raised. In the end, all humans are shaped by things which they have no control over. Does this then mean that every human is innocent, regardless of what they do?

Are we living in virtual reality?
Are we living inside a computer simulation? Is there any way of knowing this? No. But I think the probability would be quite high. Imagine... a single advanced alien civilization could create millions of computer simulations. So the ratio of possible virtual worlds to real worlds would be astronomical. Of course, we have no idea what a 'universe' outside our own would look like, but chances are an alien civilization would create one in their own image.
We could be living inside an infinite nest of matrices - if so, then would 'reality' be theoretically non-existant?


WOW THAT TURNED INTO A RANT. OOPS BETTER STOP NOW

[excal]

I wonder a lot about death - what happens to human consciousness? Rationally, it 'just dies', but I wonder if there's a greater tale to that.

Hearing things about 'ghosts' and other paranormal phenomena, as falsifiable as they may be, does beg the question. What happens to dead people (asides from the obvious rot)?

[xox.happy1.xox]

Is there really a god? Sure, many people believe in god, but if so, why isn't he/her tangible? Why can't we see them, nor hear them, nor touch them? God, where are you? :S

[username]

Cant' understand why M. Night Shyamalan keeps on producing crappy movies (The Village, Signs, Lady in the Water (What was he thinking?!)) and his latest -> The Happening.

For anyone who has dared to watch The Happening and didn't kill themselves from sheer boredom, I salute you. 

[kurrymuncher]

Cant' understand why M. Night Shyamalan keeps on producing crappy movies (The Village, Signs, Lady in the Water (What was he thinking?!)) and his latest -> The Happening.

For anyone who has dared to watch The Happening and didn't kill themselves from sheer boredom, I salute you. 

Signs is an awesome movie. How can you say its crap??

[kurrymuncher]

is their other life forms and if they know whether the universe ends and where

If you mean distance. The universe is always expanding

[phagist_]

If you mean distance. The universe is always expanding

If you say the universe is expanding, you are implying it is of finite size (i.e something of infinite size cannot expand).

And if you say it is finite.. then what is outside of it?

this shit always confuses me.