Evidence that the Universe is Intelligent

I thought I'd share my most recent blog post with you all :)

Most people, if they are not religious or spiritual (and sometimes even when they are) subscribe to the belief that the universe is essentially stupid. In other words, if God does not exist in the Judeo-Christian sense, then it is assumed that the only alternative is a universe that is pure accident, a fluke, and is perpetuated by blind, unintelligent energy.

This is the model of the universe that is assumed in the scientific and academic world, but is there any solid scientific evidence for this model? No, there isn’t. It seems to us the logical conclusion, that unless God is up there exactly the way we have been taught to conceive of Him, then we are in a world that is meaningless and without any intelligence. I find it amazing that the scientific world has adopted this view as their official metaphysics, because there isn’t a shred of evidence for it.

So, what is the evidence that the universe is intelligent? You are. People go around and attempt to make intelligent statements about the universe, they write books, try to hold intelligent conversations etc., and they should realize that they themselves ARE products of the universe. They came out of it. Now how could the universe produce intelligent human beings if it was not itself intelligent? We are the evidence of the intelligence of the universe because we are just as much a part of nature as the trees are, but lately we’ve been taught that that is not true, that in fact we are separate from nature and everything else.

In my view, the mistake that the academic and scientific world has made is that it can be truly objective. Unfortunately this is not possible. Every person on the planet has a personal philosophy or metaphysics. Even if their philosophy is that they don’t think about or get involved in such matters as philosophy or metaphysics, that person is a pragmatist, or a logical positivist.

You see, by my definition of the universe, the universe is all that there is, and all that exists is the universe. If that is the case, then any quality that arises out of the universe is characteristic of the universe. In other words, a universe which gives rise to intelligence is itself intelligent. Likewise, a universe that gives rise to love is a universe that loves. A universe that has an idea of goodness and justice is a universe that cares about goodness and justice.

Of course, you may object that the universe contains evil acts, hate, death, and that by my reasoning we also live in a universe that hates. This is true. However, I don’t believe that you can really know what love is unless you had some idea of what hate is. I don’t think you would know or appreciate the feeling of pleasure at all unless pain existed. Pleasure is just on one end of a spectrum, and you can’t take one half of a spectrum away and still have the other half. All those bad things are necessary for the things we actually like and appreciate to exist.

So today don’t feel alienated from the world. The world is not indifferent to you. You live in a world filled with love, laughter, music, and it even writes articles to let you know it is intelligent ;)

[psychoslice]

The universe does what it does, we add the label Intelligent, but the universe knows nothing of what we have labeled.

I understand what you mean. Many times I have met people who thought "I have prayed to God many many times and it was never answered, therefore there is no God", people who arrive at that conclusion without even looking at it from several different perspectives.

I agree with your ideas, Winston, the bad must exist for the good to exist, this is what we call the black and the white, the balance between good and evil, the yin and yang, etc.

Originally Posted by psychoslice

The universe does what it does, we add the label Intelligent, but the universe knows nothing of what we have labeled.

Yes it does, if we are a/the part of it that thinks thoughts. A thinking entity is one of the brain cells of the universe, so our thoughts about the universe are the universe's thoughts about itself.

We more or less have to see it this way because of how we ourselves work. Only about 1% of the cells in our body are brain cells, but even though the vast majority of me is not directly engaged in thinking about things, you can't say that "I" am not thinking. If there are thoughts anywhere in me, I am thinking. If there are thoughts anywhere in the universe, the universe is thinking.

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by contentest

Yes it does, if we are a/the part of it that thinks thoughts. A thinking entity is one of the brain cells of the universe, so our thoughts about the universe are the universe's thoughts about itself.

We more or less have to see it this way because of how we ourselves work. Only about 1% of the cells in our body are brain cells, but even though the vast majority of me is not directly engaged in thinking about things, you can't say that "I" am not thinking. If there are thoughts anywhere in me, I am thinking. If there are thoughts anywhere in the universe, the universe is thinking.

Our thoughts are just like waves on the ocean, their part of the ocean but in truth they are not the ocean, we can think anything about what the universe is or isn't but that doesn't make it so, our thinking is just a mere shadow.

Originally Posted by psychoslice

Our thoughts are just like waves on the ocean, their part of the ocean but in truth they are not the ocean, we can think anything about what the universe is or isn't but that doesn't make it so, our thinking is just a mere shadow.

I believe I understand what you are trying to say. Namely that our thoughts are not the reality to which they point. In other words, the word "wave" is not something wet in the ocean, nor is the thought of it. However, the word wave is something noisy. It is a word. It is part of reality. You can hear it.

So ultimately I have to disagree when you say that waves are not the ocean itself. If waves are not the ocean, then what is the ocean? How can you know the ocean in any way apart from also knowing waves?

[psychoslice]

Originally Posted by Winston

I believe I understand what you are trying to say. Namely that our thoughts are not the reality to which they point. In other words, the word "wave" is not something wet in the ocean, nor is the thought of it. However, the word wave is something noisy. It is a word. It is part of reality. You can hear it.

So ultimately I have to disagree when you say that waves are not the ocean itself. If waves are not the ocean, then what is the ocean? How can you know the ocean in any way apart from also knowing waves?

Yes there is the shadow and there's what cast the shadow, you are talking more about the shadow, I am talking more about what cast the shadow, both are true, but what is the ultimate truth ?.

[Xan]

As above. so below... and vice versa. In essence we cannot be other than our own source.

Whatever we experience in our individual selves, as waves, arises from the ocean that is our universal being.... including intelligence, however much distortion and limitation we have imposed on ourselves.


Xan

Originally Posted by Winston

I thought I'd share my most recent blog post with you all :)

Most people, if they are not religious or spiritual (and sometimes even when they are) subscribe to the belief that the universe is essentially stupid. In other words, if God does not exist in the Judeo-Christian sense, then it is assumed that the only alternative is a universe that is pure accident, a fluke, and is perpetuated by blind, unintelligent energy.

This is the model of the universe that is assumed in the scientific and academic world, but is there any solid scientific evidence for this model? No, there isn’t. It seems to us the logical conclusion, that unless God is up there exactly the way we have been taught to conceive of Him, then we are in a world that is meaningless and without any intelligence. I find it amazing that the scientific world has adopted this view as their official metaphysics, because there isn’t a shred of evidence for it.

So, what is the evidence that the universe is intelligent? You are. People go around and attempt to make intelligent statements about the universe, they write books, try to hold intelligent conversations etc., and they should realize that they themselves ARE products of the universe. They came out of it. Now how could the universe produce intelligent human beings if it was not itself intelligent? We are the evidence of the intelligence of the universe because we are just as much a part of nature as the trees are, but lately we’ve been taught that that is not true, that in fact we are separate from nature and everything else.

In my view, the mistake that the academic and scientific world has made is that it can be truly objective. Unfortunately this is not possible. Every person on the planet has a personal philosophy or metaphysics. Even if their philosophy is that they don’t think about or get involved in such matters as philosophy or metaphysics, that person is a pragmatist, or a logical positivist.

What you're talking about is still in the realm of philosophy. Science as a whole doesn't automatically have to have an opinion on philosophy any more than athletes or businessmen.

If you say that the universe is intelligent because humans are intelligent then you can say the universe is greedy, compassionate, moody, lustful, insecure, and on and on. But what exactly have you proven?

[Chrysaetos]

Its us humans who project intelligence, awareness, feelings, and emotions on the earth, stars, moon, sun, planets, and universe. All religions/spiritualities put the human at the center of the universe.. I've not seen an exception so far.. :|