We must seek to know about the unobserved universe
A genuine question that frequently bugs my mind is where would we be if everyone believed in the supernatural as a society? I think the answer is not far-fetched. We were once there where you can’t question phenomena that are attributed to the supernatural. And while those times lasted we lived in a subsistence world.
Until some people (then called Philosophers) decided against all odds to look beyond (often in the sky) and seek answers to worldly phenomena. Their curiosity has made the world a better place but far too often it tends to draw them farther away from the supernatural.
It seems as I once noted that a precondition to dominate the earth is the lack of belief in the supernatural and a strong belief that all phenomena are connected and given enough time and motivation, they can be explained with science.
On this, I’m still thinking.
I started pursuing knowledge of the universe out of genuine curiosity. Broadly I am attracted to cosmology. I am like other cosmologists bugged by the question about the origin of the universe. The interconnectedness of phenomena. The beginning of time and the journey that got us here.
All was sparked by a simple belief that God is a scientist. He does all things with order and that order is searchable under science. But why must we search for the origin of the universe, why would anyone look beyond the earth to search for other lives or even contemplate imagining they can search to know how we got here?
There are micro answers to that and macro answers.
Micro: If we didn’t search, we would today not be able to perform brain surgery nor are we going to be able to install satellites in space. And definitely, we will not walk on the moon.
Macro: Our understanding of gravity and its law gave us some of the most important things in life including the ability to fly. E=mc² revolutionises energy. Relativity and quantum mechanics theories have given us both nuclear energy and the microelectronics revolution. Microelectronics is the reason you own an iPhone.
Scientific knowledge has advanced a lot though and we now know a lot. From the origin of the universe to the beginning of time. In fact, we now know as well that the concept of time had a beginning. Much is yet to be known and although what’s left to be known may not materially impact the quality of your life and mine, we still have to search.
Right from the beginning of history man has always been curious. Looking up and asking questions, and more questions and more questions.
Man can’t stop because why should we? When we find answers to some, they shine a light on unknown unknowns which sparks even more questions. A good example is the new James Webb Telescope that we have spent the last 20 years developing and are now giving us new questions to ask.
Our mind is the most powerful element of creation.
I will also like to quote Stephen Hawking here on the question of why we must continue to search.
“Why go to this extent to know MORE about the unobserved universe?”
It is worth noting, though, that similar arguments could have been used against both relativity and quantum mechanics, and these theories have given us both nuclear energy and the microelectronics revolution!
The discovery of a complete unified theory, therefore, may not aid the survival of our species. It may not even affect our lifestyle. But ever since the dawn of civilisation, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. Today we still yearn to know why we are here and where we came from.
Humanity’s deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in.”
Stephen Hawking