7 Comments
author

"Before you invest yourself into this or that activist mindset, keep in mind that we don’t know the total population of the set of things that are knowable. The set is finite—there’s no such thing as infinite knowledge—so it could be measured. We know what we do know, in narrow and fractured fields of study that expand exponentially in many directions. But with each exponential expansion of knowledge, we find out a little more of exactly how much we don’t know. And that also grows exponentially."

I think that Kurt Gödel would disagree with you (that the set of things that are knowable is finite). :-)

"Mathematicians of the era [1930s] sought a solid foundation for mathematics: a set of basic mathematical facts, or axioms, that was both consistent — never leading to contradictions — and complete, serving as the building blocks of all mathematical truths."

"But Gödel’s shocking incompleteness theorems, published when he was just 25, crushed that dream. He proved that any set of axioms you could posit as a possible foundation for math will inevitably be incomplete; there will always be true facts about numbers that cannot be proved by those axioms. He also showed that no candidate set of axioms can ever prove its own consistency."[1]

That said, I guess you could say that since the universe consists of finite matter with a likely finite lifespan, there are a finite number of knowable things that are recordable (or even discoverable, as something as basic as calculating the furthest digit of pi would consume some of that finite time), so maybe the size of the set of knowable things is physically bounded, if not fundamentally bounded.

"The planet holds our lives in its hand, and it’s almost like the place was designed to protect us from our own stupidity (which is a major reason why my faith in God is not scientifically insane)."

Alternatively, it is one of the places in the vast universe that is compatible with the consciousnesses that live there that can marvel how compatible their home is with them. We may or may not be unique in that respect (something that is knowable, but not yet known). That said, I was thinking about this yesterday, and I'm glad to have another member of the Magnetosphere Fan Club here! (Currently reading Roger Penrose's "Cycles of Time"[2], which has my brain wrapped around a cosmic stick at the moment.)

I do appreciate and agree with your admonition to not let "making a difference" get in the way of leading a happy life. If you find meaning in using paper straws and driving electric vehicles as a way to be nicer to the planet, please continue doing so. If you're a person concerned about science, just remember that the scientific method is predicated on falsifiability[3]: science cannot show you what is True, but it does an effective job of demonstrating what is False, allowing ourselves to focus on the Things Not Yet Shown to Be False, while we narrow our search for what is Real.

And keep in mind that if we do happen to screw something up - even at the level of planetary disaster - on the cosmic scale, we are never as significant as we believe we are[4].

[1] https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-godels-incompleteness-theorems-work-20200714/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycles_of_Time

[3] https://explorable.com/falsifiability

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD4izuDMUQA

Expand full comment
Aug 21, 2022Liked by Steve Berman, Chris J. Karr

Great essay. The earth has been through a number of climate changes and there will be more. You touched on one of the things that concerns me most. I believe the earth can more easily heal itself if there is an abundance of forest but it is disappearing rapidly. I also believe the lack of arable farm land will eventually endanger the food supply. I'm not an expert but it seems there is a natural progression of arable areas that takes centuries to play out. Sooner or later the progression will result in climates suitable for farming to reach highly populated areas.

Expand full comment
Aug 21, 2022Liked by Steve Berman, Chris J. Karr

Really liked this one. I think this is my favorite article you've ever posted.

Expand full comment