One person wrote anonymously about my blog yesterday and I think it is worth turning what they have written into today’s blog. He or she wrote “ But let's leave out the idea that because we can't (yet?) come up with the full explanation of its creation we can put it down to some supreme being. Balderdash”.
You will notice that nowhere in yesterday’s blog entry did I state or even suggest that we could put the explanation for the creation of the universe down to some supreme being, though now that Anonymous has mentioned it, I have to say that this does seem to me to be the most likely explanation. What truly is “balderdash” is the approach which contemptuously dismisses any ideas we feel uncomfortable about without giving them even a moment's thought, e.g. substituting "balderdash" for reasoned argument.
He or she disagreed with my comment about the hope to change the universe and wrote “we are changing (mostly for the worse) some aspects of Planet Earth - I can't see us getting on to Universe scale”. Every action we take changes the universe in some small way. For instance when anonymous wrote balderdash in response to my comment, the universe (that is, the entire universe, not just this small planet) changed from one in which anonymous hadn't responded to my comment with balderdash, to one in which he or she had. If anonymous or anyone else finds that idea too much to understand then I'm happy to revert to my usual piece of advice, the one with which I sign off every entry in this blog.
Change the world.
P.S. I'll admit that anonymous does make one point which is worth some attention. Please try to make sure that the changes you make are changes for the better.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Monday, 6 September 2010
Creating the universe
Many parents will recognise this scenario. A child asks why, you give an explanation and the child asks why again and continues to ask why to every answer. Science is a little like that. You make an observation, possibly through experimentation, repeat it and if it happens enough times you may predict that it will happen again. A hypothesis may be put forward to explain the observations. Scientific laws, like Newton's laws of motion are reserved for matters that are considered universal and invariable. Then you get people like Einstein who realise that these laws aren't really laws at all but just the best ways of explaining things until something better comes along.
Therefore it was surprising to read last Thursday that Stephen Hawking had discovered that God did not create the universe. In his new book Stephen decides that the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. If I could have a debate with him about the creation of the universe I would listen to his explanation and ask why. Like the child with their parent, I would continue to ask why until he gave up and I would win the debate. And people say Stephen Hawking is clever.
To be serious, I do suspect that Dr. Hawking might actually be clever, since you probably don't get to be Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (a seat formerly occupied by Sir Isaac Newton) by being a dunce. However, even the cleverest people make occasional mistakes. What science ought to tell us is not how much we know about everything, but rather how little we know about anything. That is what the child's "why" game actually does tell us. No matter how clever we are, we will always reach a point where we have to respond to the latest "why" with "Because. Just because. Now get to bed, it's past bedtime".
We occupy and know about only the tiniest pinprick in a vast universe. The nearest star (apart from the Sun) is a hundred million times more distant than the Moon is, which is the furthes place where humans have stood. The furthest star is, as far as we can tell, more than a hundred million times more distant than the nearest star is. Out of the billion billion or more stars that the universe contains, all except one are just points of light to us. Even most of our own planet is a mystery of which we know very little. And the sole real evidence that we have for the Big Bang is a reddening of light from the more distant of those distant points of light, something which is guessed to be caused by their receding from us, but which might have any number of causes. Given the amount that we still can't explain, I think it would be presumptuous of us to claim to understand the universe. At this point, I think the best we can hope to do is change it.
Change the world
Therefore it was surprising to read last Thursday that Stephen Hawking had discovered that God did not create the universe. In his new book Stephen decides that the Big Bang was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. If I could have a debate with him about the creation of the universe I would listen to his explanation and ask why. Like the child with their parent, I would continue to ask why until he gave up and I would win the debate. And people say Stephen Hawking is clever.
To be serious, I do suspect that Dr. Hawking might actually be clever, since you probably don't get to be Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (a seat formerly occupied by Sir Isaac Newton) by being a dunce. However, even the cleverest people make occasional mistakes. What science ought to tell us is not how much we know about everything, but rather how little we know about anything. That is what the child's "why" game actually does tell us. No matter how clever we are, we will always reach a point where we have to respond to the latest "why" with "Because. Just because. Now get to bed, it's past bedtime".
We occupy and know about only the tiniest pinprick in a vast universe. The nearest star (apart from the Sun) is a hundred million times more distant than the Moon is, which is the furthes place where humans have stood. The furthest star is, as far as we can tell, more than a hundred million times more distant than the nearest star is. Out of the billion billion or more stars that the universe contains, all except one are just points of light to us. Even most of our own planet is a mystery of which we know very little. And the sole real evidence that we have for the Big Bang is a reddening of light from the more distant of those distant points of light, something which is guessed to be caused by their receding from us, but which might have any number of causes. Given the amount that we still can't explain, I think it would be presumptuous of us to claim to understand the universe. At this point, I think the best we can hope to do is change it.
Change the world
Sunday, 5 September 2010
The Marmite of politics
I particularly enjoyed the last contribution on Any Answers yesterday. A staunch Conservative supporter came on to challenge the two answers from panellists who didn't like Margaret Thatcher. She thought that Mrs Thatcher was a marvellous leader and Gordon Brown was a terrible person who has done a lot of damage to the country.
It wasn't the fact that the lady who made these comments chose to be so prejudiced but that she chose to preface her comment with "without being biased at all". Not only has she decided that Margaret Thatcher and Gordon Brown are extreme opposites, but she also has the idea that she has no partiality.
I don't think you have to step back too far to find out that Margaret Thatcher is the Marmite of politics. Some people love her and some hate her. I don't think Gordon manages to divide the nation to such an extent but he does have his supporters and detractors. The point is if you are going to put forward your views on national radio it is probably wise to not say something that is so obviously wrong.
Change the world.
It wasn't the fact that the lady who made these comments chose to be so prejudiced but that she chose to preface her comment with "without being biased at all". Not only has she decided that Margaret Thatcher and Gordon Brown are extreme opposites, but she also has the idea that she has no partiality.
I don't think you have to step back too far to find out that Margaret Thatcher is the Marmite of politics. Some people love her and some hate her. I don't think Gordon manages to divide the nation to such an extent but he does have his supporters and detractors. The point is if you are going to put forward your views on national radio it is probably wise to not say something that is so obviously wrong.
Change the world.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Two of Cyril's jokes
I was sorry to hear of the death of Cyril Smith yesterday. I have been active in politics all my life and I heard Cyril speak three or four times. I never heard him say anything with which I disagreed and I was able to tell him this a few years ago. He was respected by almost everyone. In fact I was speaking about him two days ago to someone who was from Rochdale and she had only good memories of him. I say almost everyone because I wrote a blog last November about a former Labour supporter who thought he had been parachuted in to Rochdale. He hadn't been, but I had been told this error with conviction. The conviction was ill-founded.
On the news yesterday I was told that Cyril's political dream started with the Labour Party. It hadn't but it must have sounded good to the reporter and it was said with conviction. Many will believe it and as I see the former Labour supporter occasionally I may get the BBC interpretation of Cyril's political history passed back to me.
I did hear Cyril say that if you showed him the fence he would sit on it. I also heard him refute the claim that the Liberal Party could hold meetings in a taxi - well they couldn't after Cyril was elected.
Change the world
On the news yesterday I was told that Cyril's political dream started with the Labour Party. It hadn't but it must have sounded good to the reporter and it was said with conviction. Many will believe it and as I see the former Labour supporter occasionally I may get the BBC interpretation of Cyril's political history passed back to me.
I did hear Cyril say that if you showed him the fence he would sit on it. I also heard him refute the claim that the Liberal Party could hold meetings in a taxi - well they couldn't after Cyril was elected.
Change the world
Friday, 3 September 2010
Restraints on freedom
What constitutes freedom and constraints to liberty has occupied the minds of great philosophers over the centuries. We generally think that prison is a deprivation of liberty but prisoners have unrestrained use of their imagination. Is it possibly a state of mind that leads us to unrestrained freedom? Do you go to work because you have to pay the bills or do you go out to play and just happen to get paid for it?
I remember being taught one aspect of psychology in the 1980s that we should not confirm things that were wrong. Someone isn't knocking on the window as we are on the fifth floor. However this lesson has progressed. Sometimes the truth hurts and a repetition of a painful truth, like a reminder that a spouse has died, may not be the best thing to do.
This leads me to the Chilean miners. They were told that there would be delays in getting them out and it may be Christmas before this is possible. We were told that it was psychologically right to tell them there would be a delay. Then another shaft was proposed and the miners were told that they could be out sooner than Christmas. I didn't hear how this may affect the miners state of mind. I think the truth is the right way to go even if the truth hurts. If it is bad news and a further delay is envisaged then the miners are bound to find out. The way you tell them is the important part. David Blaine may think of their hardship as a basis for his next show. One person's suffering is another person's pastime and another person's source of employment.
Change the world
I remember being taught one aspect of psychology in the 1980s that we should not confirm things that were wrong. Someone isn't knocking on the window as we are on the fifth floor. However this lesson has progressed. Sometimes the truth hurts and a repetition of a painful truth, like a reminder that a spouse has died, may not be the best thing to do.
This leads me to the Chilean miners. They were told that there would be delays in getting them out and it may be Christmas before this is possible. We were told that it was psychologically right to tell them there would be a delay. Then another shaft was proposed and the miners were told that they could be out sooner than Christmas. I didn't hear how this may affect the miners state of mind. I think the truth is the right way to go even if the truth hurts. If it is bad news and a further delay is envisaged then the miners are bound to find out. The way you tell them is the important part. David Blaine may think of their hardship as a basis for his next show. One person's suffering is another person's pastime and another person's source of employment.
Change the world
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Winning hearts and minds
I saw on the news last night that there is a report on the harm caused by alcohol and there is a much greater problem in the north of England. In particular Blackpool was highlighted as having a significant problem. The misuse of alcohol may be a factor in losing employment, medical conditions and higher levels of crime. It seems that if all alcohol-related deaths were prevented, men would be living on average nearly two years more. Perhaps we should be looking at preventing misuse.
I say perhaps, because you have to compare this with another programme shown yesterday evening about Alex Higgins. He was seen as a hero to many, and a lot of famous names were telling us how Alex was a man that we should hold in high regard. There are many examples of stars who were popular but died because their lifestyle was not healthy.
If we want to improve healthy attitudes it is not much use just having an education system in place. We need to win over the hearts and minds of our role models. I think we have some way to go.
Change the world
I say perhaps, because you have to compare this with another programme shown yesterday evening about Alex Higgins. He was seen as a hero to many, and a lot of famous names were telling us how Alex was a man that we should hold in high regard. There are many examples of stars who were popular but died because their lifestyle was not healthy.
If we want to improve healthy attitudes it is not much use just having an education system in place. We need to win over the hearts and minds of our role models. I think we have some way to go.
Change the world
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Toll Roads
The M6 toll road has been in the news recently. It has been criticised because it seems that toll roads don't solve congestion. It was opened nearly seven years ago and I have travelled on it a couple of times. Generally I stick to the M6 and there has only been one occasion when I regretted my choice of route. However I don't usually drive at rush hour and I can understand that many regular drivers would prefer to avoid the jams.
There have been many times when I have been told that there was congestion on the M6 and the toll road was clear. Mostly I have been told that the toll was clear regardless of congestion on the M6. It seemed to me like a big advert for the toll company, but in spite of these adverts they are still making a loss. There are suggestions that the government may be looking for more private initiatives but I don't think that there will be a great rush to join this initiative.
As for the answer to M6 congestion, drivers do have the opportunity of missing the jam and joining the toll road. So do toll roads solve congestion. The answer has to be yes.
Change the world
There have been many times when I have been told that there was congestion on the M6 and the toll road was clear. Mostly I have been told that the toll was clear regardless of congestion on the M6. It seemed to me like a big advert for the toll company, but in spite of these adverts they are still making a loss. There are suggestions that the government may be looking for more private initiatives but I don't think that there will be a great rush to join this initiative.
As for the answer to M6 congestion, drivers do have the opportunity of missing the jam and joining the toll road. So do toll roads solve congestion. The answer has to be yes.
Change the world
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