Yes Virginia, There Is a Universe. (Part Seven--The Universe You Cannot Leave Behind)
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Originally Posted by Richard J. Hanak
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Originally Posted by Celestial Mechanic
Here's a definition of universe that even Forrest Gump could understand: "The universe is that which you cannot leave."
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So the universe is that which I cannot leave is it? Let's see, what is it that I cannot leave? I cannot leave myself. I cannot leave my true love. I cannot leave well enough alone. I'll bet if CM asked Forrest Gump what he cannot leave, Forrest would answer "Well, Mama said I cannot leave without saying goodbye." |
"More dictionary games. The particular meaning of 'leave' that was meant was 'to exit'."
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Originally Posted by Richard J. Hanak
Of course I know that was not what CM meant. CM must have meant that which I myself cannot leave. If I were a felon in a prison, had never heard of the word 'universe' and looked it up in CM's dictionary, I would think that the universe was the prison. But what about my trying to leave something on a cosmological scale? It would take so long for me to leavethe local galaxy that I would be dead long before that. My dead body could conceivably make it out of the local galaxy, but my dead body is not the same as myself. So I myself could not leave the local galaxy. Does that make the local galaxy the universe?
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"Still more dictionary games. Virginia, have you read any of Douglas Adams's
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"
"Yes, they're hilarious!"
"Do you remember Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, the being accidentally given immortality who sets out to insult every creature in the universe in alphabetical order?"
"Yes."
"Well, let's imagine that we could arrange for
RJH to have an 'unfortunate accident with an irrational particle accelerator, a liquid lunch and a pair of rubber bands' similar to Wowbagger's. After suffering his 'long dark teatime of the soul' he departs in a starship capable of lasting practically forever. So
RJH the Infinitely Prolonged and the self that belongs to himself are able to leave the galaxy, the local cluster of galaxies, the supercluster of galaxies, the supercluster of superclusters, the supercluster of superclusters of superclusters, the n-th iteration of that and then what?"
Virginia was lost in thought.
"If
RJH is right he exits from one level of structure only to find himself in a larger structure. If there is a largest structure he emerges into the space between these largest structures and has only the choice of entering one of these structures or staying outside of all of them."
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Originally Posted by Richard J. Hanak
If Forrest Gump understood the intent of CM's definition and were to ask CM why he couldn't leave the universe, I think CM couldn't answer him without redefining the universe.
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"Can you answer it for me? Why can't Forrest Gump leave the universe?"
Virginia needed only a moment, "Because there's nowhere else to go?"
"That's it. Poor
RJH the Infinitely Prolonged. Aboard a mighty starship and nowhere to go!"
To be continued...