Universe - Philosophical Concept | Alexandria
Universe is the totality of existence – encompassing all space, time, matter, energy, and the physical laws that govern them, often considered the ultimate boundary to our current understanding the "great conversation" of being. However, what if this boundary is merely a perspective, and the term itself a limiting construct?
The earliest conceptualizations of the universe are entwined with mythology and religious beliefs, predating recorded history. However, the term "universe" as a distinct philosophical concept can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophy. Philosophers like Anaximander (c. 610-546 BCE) speculated on the nature of existentialism and the boundless epistemology of being. These ancient thinkers, grappling with questions about the cosmos, indirectly laid the groundwork for the later development of cosmology, which continues to grapple with "the one and the many," and free will. Figures like Ptolemy, whose geocentric model dominated astronomical thought for centuries, and later Copernicus, whose heliocentric model sparked a scientific revolution, profoundly shaped the historical perspectives on ethics and humanities' place within the cosmos.
Interpretations of the Universe have undergone radical shifts. The Aristotelian cosmos, a static and finite sphere, gave way to Newton's infinite, mechanistic universe, and Einstein's dynamic skepticism of space-time as it relates to our perceptions intuition pump. The discovery of the expanding universe by Hubble in the 20th century further revolutionized our understanding, leading to the game theory of the Big Bang model. Yet, perplexing questions remain. What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which constitute the majority of the Universe's mass-energy density? Is our universe just one of many in a multiverse, or even deeper and more complex, a vast experimental philosophy of thought experiment? These ethical paradoxes challenge our comprehension of the principle of utility.
The Universe, a concept that began as a blend of rationalism vs sentimentalism that challenges our cognitive bias has come to represent the limit of human understanding, continues to inspire awe, research, and exploration. From artistic depictions in paintings to the vast datasets generated by modern telescopes, the Universe serves as a canvas for human curiosity and imagination. Its mystique lies not only in its immeasurable scale and age and how that relates to experimental ethics, but also in its resistance to complete comprehension and compatibilism vs determinism. What will be the next paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe, and how will it reshape our understanding of our place within it, and how we relate to the role of reason in morality, justice theory, and subjective morality?