Who Made All of This?

Originally posted by Shackleford
I often find myself pondering this at night. Who made life, the universe, and everything (quote the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy)?

For example here are a few questions I have:

- Who decided that nothing would look black? Why doesn't nothing appear to us as white or green or purple? Why is it that when a space in the universe is completly devoid of anyting it is it black?

The eye and brain percieve and absense of light as "black." Keep in mind that it's possible that different brains and eyes percieve "black" as different things, but we are all taught what "black" is, so when we see the absense of light, we call it "black."

- Who decided that light would give us warmth? Why doens't darkness give us warmth? Why do we sleep when it is dark and are awake when it is light?

Light doesn't give us very much warmth, however most sources of light are also sources of heat because light and heat are actually different wavelengths of the same energy. Darkness doesn't usually give us warmth because most sources of heat would also be sources of light. Notice that a black painted radiator gives off no light but is a source of heat. :-) We sleep when it's dark because our bodies and senses just happen to be more suited to daylight activity. It was basically a 50/50 chance and we evolved towards daylight.

- Why is it that those certain elements you mix together make cement? Why is it that other things do not make cement. Who decided that when you mix together all the ingredients it becomes cement and not something else?

Different elements and molecules adhere to each other differently, for a various reasons. So different mixes of multiple ingredients produce different results. In the case of cement, everything adheres very strongly so that when mixed together they form a cohesive substance.

- Why is Hydrogen the lightest element?

Because hydrogen, by definition, is the element containing just one proton. Protons have weight, just like any other mass. If you took a proton away, you would no longer have an atom. If you added a proton, you would have helium instead of hydrogen. Some atoms are isotopes, meaning they have more or fewer neutrons than they are supposed to - a heavy isotope of hydrogen would actually be heavier than a light isotope of helium.

- Why do we prefer to sleep on a soft pillow than maybe a hard rock. Who decided that we like a soft feeling more?

When we lay our heads on something, it creates force on that object. A pillow conforms to the shape of your head. With a pillow, the weight is distributed over a large area so less force is applied to any given bit of nerve endings in our head. When we lay on a hard object it does not conform to the shape of our head. So our head focuses all of its weight onto a small area of your head, causing discomfort.

-***And the big one. Who decided that the universe would look the way it does?

In a sense, you did. Your eyes take in information and your brain creates a picture out of it. This determines what the universe looks like to you.

So who decided all of this? Was it god? Or was it just a coincidence that eveything we know is as it is and not as something else? How did this all come to be?

It sounds like your question is basically "who wrote the laws of physics?" The only possible answer I could suggest is that if any of the laws (the true laws, not whatever we've 'discovered') were any different, nothing would have ever existed because one law being different affects every other. Maybe there's an infinit number of parallel existances, in which the laws of physics are different and therefor the universe exists in a completely different way or does not exist at all. The answer, basically, is out of reach for now

[edit on 7-10-2007 by mattifikation]

Originally posted by mattifikation
The eye and brain percieve and absense of light as "black." Keep in mind that it's possible that different brains and eyes percieve "black" as different things, but we are all taught what "black" is, so when we see the absense of light, we call it "black."

Ha, you hit on something that I've always wondered...

Does everyone see colors exactly the same. What I mean is could people's brains interpret colors on a shifted color scale, like different people's perceptions could be skewed? For instance, what I see as red, could it be that someone else may see as more of what I would say is purple? It would be hard to know, because no matter how differently hues might appear to two different people, they both call it the same thing, and they'd never know the difference.

I hope that makes sense.

- Who decided that nothing would look black? Why doesn't nothing appear to us as white or green or purple? Why is it that when a space in the universe is completly devoid of anyting it is it black?

If nothing appear to you white and your told its called black .Youll see this as black and still ask : why is it black and not white?

- Who decided that light would give us warmth? Why doens't darkness give us warmth? Why do we sleep when it is dark and are awake when it is light?

Light give warmth because light is energy and warmth is energy. Think about a light bulb, the more power pass through it the more bright it become the more hot it become
Darkness is the absence of energy so the absence of light also

- Why is it that those certain elements you mix together make cement? Why is it that other things do not make cement. Who decided that when you mix together all the ingredients it becomes cement and not something else?

I learn everything in my chemistery class but its long to tell
If you like science you should follow this class also

- Why is Hydrogen the lightest element?

It only have one proton, one electron and one neutron (im not talking about deuterium or any isotope here)
If you take a much heavier element like Iron
Iron have 26 proton, 26 electron and 30 neutron so its much heavier

- Why do we prefer to sleep on a soft pillow than maybe a hard rock. Who decided that we like a soft feeling more?

Well I decided that...


-***And the big one. Who decided that the universe would look the way it does?

Mathematics, Physic etc

Originally posted by Shackleford
- Who decided that nothing would look black? Why doesn't nothing appear to us as white or green or purple? Why is it that when a space in the universe is completly devoid of anyting it is it black?

The darkest possible shade is black, which is the total absence of transmitted or reflected light. As it seems this shade scale made the most sense.

- Who decided that light would give us warmth? Why doens't darkness give us warmth? Why do we sleep when it is dark and are awake when it is light?

Sleeping during light makes it harder for the brain/eyes to relax.
The total transmission or reflection of light at all visible wavelengths opposed to absence of light is less calming.

- Why do we prefer to sleep on a soft pillow than maybe a hard rock. Who decided that we like a soft feeling more?

Human nature, it's painful stimulation occur when a hard surface is pressed into your body.

-***And the big one. Who decided that the universe would look the way it does?

So who decided all of this? Was it god? Or was it just a coincidence that eveything we know is as it is and not as something else? How did this all come to be?

God's grand design of it all, human counciousness molding things to what we want, nature, evolution.
On a spiritual sense out higher selves are the creators as well. Through experimentations in time we found the best ways to adapt mentally and physically and are still working on it.

Through study and spiritual epiphanies you will find the best answers to these questions.

I've often though of this.

What if say what I see and recognize as the color blue. Is maybe 'my' red to someone or everyone else. But when they see it they call it blue.

Who knows what the world looks like through other peoples eyes.

I often think the wat atoms look under microscopes and all, look like tiny solar systems. We really have no concept of size either. I mean out who universe could just be an atom or electron or what have you in a larget being, or even some as mundance as an atom in a blade of grass on some enourmous world out there.

Thinking of an infinite universe is just beyond (human) comprehension, for now at least. Plus if it isnt infinite, what do you run into a wall of some sorts? and if so, whats on the other side of that?

I know theories of the universe could be expanding, some say otherwise, but even an expanding universe has the same problem, where it ends (hasn't expanded to yet), what is there, nothing? That's impossible.

I guess philosophers think about stuff like this alot. To me, it freaks me out. I'm diagnosed with severe anxiety to begin with when I start thinking about stuff like a never ending universe, I get a bit freaked out.

Originally posted by Nola213
Thinking of an infinite universe is just beyond (human) comprehension, for now at least. Plus if it isnt infinite, what do you run into a wall of some sorts? and if so, whats on the other side of that?

Think of it like this...

A two dimensional being living on a sheet of paper could spend eternity walking around a circle that was drawn on the paper. Since he doesn't understand, or can't observe, a third dimensional perspective, he thinks he is making a lot of ground, when in reality he will only keep winding up right where he started. No matter which direction he goes (forward or backward), from the time he begins his journey, he is heading towards where he began.

Now, apply that to our universe, where we can only perceive three dimensions. Think of a finite universe as an enormous sphere in which you may navigate any direction on the face of the sphere. (Remember, the 2-D man can only go forward or backward around a circle.) See, it's not that you'd ever reach "the end" or a magical wall where you may not proceed any further, you'd simply, at some point, end up back where you began. You could theoretically cover every bit of ground around the sphere, but you'd never see an "end". (Think of the game Asteroids, lol.) It's kinda hard to imagine, simply because we aren't capable of visualizing a fourth dimension. But we can learn from our two dimensional friend, and know that it is possible, and it can make perfect sense to have a closed universe.

Again, I hope this makes at least a little bit of sense to someone.

edit: grammar

[edit on 2007/10/8 by evilod]

answer is simple god
now i no some people are gunna be like who is god

god is everthing......he started it and he can finish it

Belive!