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Without scientific intuition, without the belief that “it should be this way, “there would be no crazy theories, no great discoveries. Therefore, scientists often have to take on faith many hypotheses.
For twenty years since 1991, the founder of the Edge Foundation Foundation John Brockman Research Support fields of science and technology, asked the world’s leading intellectuals such a question: “Great minds sometimes guess the truth before there will be facts or arguments in her favor. Great philosopher Denis Diderot called this ability “the spirit of divination.”
What do you believe in, although you cannot prove it? ” shared their hypotheses on various topics – from the secret of love to another life in the universe. It turned out that the authorities did not it’s shameful to even believe that it looks like sheer absurdity. We are in our all asked the same question to our experts.
INTELLECTUAL EVOLUTION SPILLS SOLARIS
Director of the Scientific Research Institute of Gerontology, Academician of RAMS Vladimir Shabalin:
– Today, biological has been replaced by intellectual evolution. The brain is what Nature is interested in today. She interested in its development and improvement. In order to we developed the brain, evolution gave us even a unique opportunity grow old later: according to the age classification of WHO, the current 44-year-old the man is young, and before he was considered an old man. And the strength older age group from 60 to 90 years increases by 4 – 5 times faster than the total population. After all, it’s they – the owners of a developed brain, intelligence, experience, finally!
So evolution shows its interest in quality the development of the intellectual properties of mankind. And in the future, I I think the brain will merge with the computer, and we will become biorobots. So one way or another, but as a result of intellectual evolution will be created not really humans or not humans at all – creatures very far from now known biological forms. And in the future, maybe Solaris will appear – the thinking planet of the planet, like a science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem. Intellectual matter will merge into a single governing body of the biosphere. I believe in it, but I cannot prove it.
THIS LOVE IS
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Specialist in evolutionary psychology of human marriage strategies David Bass:
“I believe in true love.” For 20 years of my scientific career, I explored a variety of phenomena – from the most inventive the ways in which men and women manipulate each other friend, to the most diabolical forms of sexual adultery. But all these the dark sides of human nature did not crush my faith in true love. She is rare – very few lucky her live through. The roads of “ordinary” love are beaten, and its signs are good studied: hypnotic attraction, obsession with the image of a loved one, sexual heat. But true love goes its own way. Its hard determine whether it eludes scientific measurements, avoids any standards.
GOD PLAYING DICE
Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University, author of the book “Introduction to Black Hole Theory” Leonard Susskind:
– If I flip a coin a million times, then, absolutely, the eagle will NOT drop a million times. I’m not passionate, but I’m so at it I’m sure that, without hesitation, I would put my salary on it for whole year or your soul. I am absolutely convinced that the laws of large numbers – that is, probability theory – will work and will not let me in insult. All laws are built on these laws. But I can’t do it to prove and really have no idea why they work. Maybe that’s why Einstein said that God does not play bones. Probably still playing.
FREEZING YOUR BODY, BECOME IMMORTAL
Biophysicist, director of Russia’s first cryogenic storage Igor Artyukhov:
– One of the ways to gain immortality will be cryonics – freezing the remains of the deceased. Today in cryogenic storages contains about 200 bodies, including twenty in Russia. the main thing – wait for the correct defrosting technology so that they return to living healthy people. Here we hope for nanomedicine: microrobots launched into the body can fully restore body and brain cells.
FAITH IS HIDDEN AT US IN THE BRAIN
Ph.D. at Stanford University and Ph.D. University of California Neurobiology, author of The End Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason “Sam Harris:
– 44 percent of Americans believe that in the next 50 years, Jesus will return to Earth to judge the living and the dead. But what does it mean believe? I think faith is a content-independent process. of what we believe in. I think that our ideas about God are nothing no different from ideas about numbers, penguins or tofu cheese. However, I believe that the nervous processes that result in either another statement is true, based on more fundamental reward related activity of the frontal lobes of the brain – perhaps the same areas that are responsible for how pleasant or unpleasant tastes and smells are. For example, perhaps that truth is beauty, and beauty is truth, and not only in metaphorical sense. And false statements cause us disgust in the truest sense of the word. And so in beautiful we we believe, but in the ugly no.
A genius clone will never appear
Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of Department Medical Genetics of the First Moscow State Medical University. I.M.Sechenova Aliy Asanov:
“We will never create clones of ourselves.” The reason is that a person is a result of the interaction between its genetics and many environmental factors. For example, we can reproduce an exact gene copy of Mozart if we find his bone remains. But to repeat his life’s journey – from transferred to infancy pneumonia until the first love – will fail. Namely, various little things become the contents of the piggy bank of genius. Also, it will not be possible to create a one hundred percent double and any other person. Therefore, mankind will abandon the idea of cloning. Only animals will be cloned – for the sake of meat, milk.
IT IS NECESSARY TO LIVE NOT IN PRESENT, BUT FUTURE AND PAST
Doctor of Psychology, Winner of the Royal Royal Award Photographic Society of Great Britain Kai Krause:
– I always thought, but I can not prove that the slogans are in the spirit “here and now”, “live in the present” is a delusion. Just the opposite: I believe that the most important thing is what was BEFORE and what will be AFTER. It is important to foresee the moment and remember it, but not by itself instant.
In German there is a beautiful word Vorfreude. It is not simple “pleasure” or even “anticipation.” This is “pre-delight,” a moment of “joy”, so to speak, “pre-happiness.” This word describes the relationship with time, the joy of waiting for the next moment, impatience. And when the moment passes, you do not have time and eye blink, as only a memory remains of him. Therefore live in the eternal blessing of anticipation, cherish hope, dream of that which is not yet. And at the same time revive the memories, appreciate them, share them.
ALSO: OPINIONS OF OPPONENTS
ABOUT THE UNIVERSE
Professor at Tufts University (Medford, USA), physicist, cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin:
– There are many reasons to believe in infinity of the universe. And if so, then it consists of an infinite number of regions like ours. Such a picture deprives our civilization of the opportunity to claim uniqueness: like us, scattered throughout the cosmos carry numbers.
Ph.D. Physics at Princeton University Steinhardt:
– I am convinced that our Universe did not arise by chance. Her life the unchanging laws of physics govern, and these laws are particular cases of a certain unified theory. Thus, the universe is utterly just arranged. And there’s no reason to invent an infinite number universes of all sorts in order to explain the device one single universe.
ABOUT THE TIME
Professor of Physics, University of Marseille, author of the book “Quantum Gravity” Carlo Rovelli:
– I am absolutely sure: time does not exist. Humanity is his invented as comfortable but shaky, misleading the limitations our mind uses to sort things out reality.
Physicist, author of Lee’s Three Paths to Quantum Gravity Smolin:
– I believe in the existence of time, I believe in causality. I also I doubt that before the Big Bang there was no time. By In my opinion, our story began long before him.
ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS
Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies of Tufts University, author of the books “Interpretation of Consciousness”, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea and The Evolution of Freedom by Daniel Dennett:
– I believe, but so far I can not prove that the possession of human language (oral or written) – a necessary prerequisite for consciousness. Consequently, animals and children who still cannot speak are not possess consciousness. In other words, they are not capable of suffering or have fun, not able to experience the experience and its intellectually comprehend.
Former New Scientist Editor, Alan Andersen:
– I believe that bees, butterflies and cockroaches are conscious, able to survive stress and may even die from it. Of course, their consciousness is not the same as human. Rather, the world is full many different types of consciousness. I call consciousness a feeling like we see the world and its interconnections.
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