Who likes science?

[Beetzart]

I am currently reading a book called The Universe Next Door by Marcus Chown.  It describes a situation where there are an infinite amount of parallel universes, or multiworlds.  So if you make a decision in one all the other possible options are carried out in other realities.  He loosely concludes that this could lead to immortality.  He is a cosmologist and quotes other physicists so it isn't a hocus pocus book, but it has certainly 'done my head in' so to speak!

Love all that type of stuff.

[mrmoody]

yeah have read a little bit and heard about this theory before and I think I will give that a read. It does my head in too! Its like fractals, they seem to go on forever,so that must be the closest thing I know of to infinity

[Zaf]

I'm fascinated by such theories and quantum physics, its mind blowing at times

[Beetzart]

It certainly is.  I maybe way out but I think, because of the complexities of nature/reality, the human brain is conditioned (by natural selection) to be shall we say 'dumbed down'.  Smart enough to reproduce, find food, and drive a car, etc but if everyone had an IQ over 160 we would soon go mad when we reached a point at which the human brain is incapable of computing anymore.  Perhaps to progress humans will have to evolve into a new species at some point, with a more efficient brain (not necessarily bigger) that can understand more complex problems. 

This is where mental illness may intercept.  It seems that people who suffer with MI are fairly smart people and who think too much.  You only have to look at all the greats over the centuries to realise they lived horrific lives clouded by depression or bipolar or schizophrenia, or even autism. 

[mrmoody]

that makes alot of sense. I think we are so focused on survival and reproducing yes, thats how our brains evolved. Have you ever read The Doors Of Perception by Aldous Huxley? He talks about how we experience the world and how we have shut down certain ways of experiencing the world because it was neccesary in evolutionary terms to not focus on survival. He says by taking halluciogenics(not reccomending! dont take them if depressed!) that we open up a valve as such that has been shut off and we experience and sense the world in a whole new way, almost like opening up a new dimension to perception.

[Beetzart]

I haven't read that book, Alex, although I have read Brave New World.  Mental illness could, in essence, be a function whereby the mind/brain gets overwhelmed and closes down, simply because it is not efficient enough to cope with what our perceived consciousness is trying to compute.  The brain has billions if not trillions of neural pathways and connections, and I assume most are to do with keeping the body alive (thus to reproduce and pass on genetic infomation).  I can give a weak example from my own experiences, which may have led to mental closedown:

I love music, mainly 'classical', and especially Beethoven, Mozart and JS Bach.  When I was about 23 I was adamant that there should be some kind of mathematical equation that would provide computations that would lead me to being able to write the 'most tuneful melody ever'.  Yet, my maths was only at GCSE level so I enrolled in a Open University maths course, level 1.  But because I was impatient and got fed up with learning about how to calculate VAT on a packet of sausages I got depressed and my GP had to write to the OU to excuse me from the course.  The thing was I was not bright enough (or patient) to correlate something that was ultimately non-linear and also subjective, which continued towards the bleakness of depression.  You see I can compose music as well, so it seemed to me that there should be some rational way of producing music without waiting for my 'mind' to stumble across it.  It is as if there is a block on my brain, ie it is not as efficient as Mozart's ,etc which I assume led to an increase in serotonin uptake.

Depression can also be founded by those around you. When you feel you have something amazing to tell someone, in my case my mum, and all they do is smile and humour you it just compounds the feelings of hopelessness.  I am just a human being, a Homosapien.  Only a tiny percentage of our species can tackle the myriad of quantum mechanics and chaos theory constructively without feeling suicidal.  I had ideas above my station, but at least I tried, while all others where more worried about Man Utd or the Spice Girls.

[mrmoody]

I am trying to grasp what your saying, maybe I am not as bright as you. Personally speaking my depression at the moment is very circumstanctial as in I have gone through some painful and traumatic experiences lately. As for music,art etc I dont think there is a mathmetical formula as such, as you say its a very subjective matter. I am not particuarly great at maths or science although I do like art and I can draw quite well and take a good photograph. There can be a precision to both but...and your gonna hate what I say as its very un-scientific...sometimes its just about being in the right place,in the right mood, having a feeling for something. I can understand your frustration and impatience with the OU course though. I can understand your frustration with your mum. I am glad there are people like you who dont give a damn about football or whats on the telly!

[mrmoody]

I grasp what your saying abit more, have patience with me I am not as bright as you. One thing I have never seen in this life is something that people say often and thats 'the was a reason it happened' or 'there was a reason for this in your life'. I see no path, no fate I just see choice and random events happening. I am here today where I am through a mixture of my own choices and choices that were beyond my control. There seems a quite big element of chaos in life

[Zaf]

When I'm not tired I'll give all that some thought and reply

Z x

[Beetzart]

You are smart, Alex.  People with mental health issues generally are, a lot of it stems from frustration.  We can envisage the solutions, of what we would like to happen yet we are always grasping at it, therefore leading to frustration, and ultimately depression.

I always thought I was bipolar because there have been episodes duting my tenure on Earth where I felt I was exaggerating my natural state of homoestasis.  Even though Pdocs, who only see me when I'm depressed, say I'm not bipolar I do wonder at there insistance to prescribe me lithium.  I used to think, and sometimes still do, that I am a great pianist and composer (which I am not) it does feel like bipolar.  Mental health experts seem to only be able to operate on what they witness.  But I suppose if I am on lithium then I won't go manic again, if I ever did.  Yet, funnily enough the depression keeps returning.

[Micky]

'I had ideas above my station, but at least I tried, while all others where more worried about Man Utd or the Spice Girls'. haha! I like this.

I've struggled with attempts to understand the Universe through books or TV and I know I never will. I once watched an hour long programme about string theory and although I had a tenuous grasp on the concept, I really didn't understand any of it. I keep trying though in the vain attempt I'll learn something one day.

[Beetzart]

You are in an exclusive crowd, Micky.  From my experience people are just not interested in how the Universe functions.  I find it mind blowing, for want of a better expression.  If you take empircal science literally then everything seems wonderful.  Whereas if you want to believe in UFOs or Reptillians (ala Icke) then you are opting for an easy option.  I started a physics course with the OU last year and had to drop out becuase I didn't understand the maths behind it, ie calculus.  If I had carried on with it I would have gained poor results which would have done my self esteem no good whatsoever.  But I still love science.

[mrmoody]

I love programmes on astronomy, well I did until Professor bloody Brian Cox had to go an make it all trendy for everyone! Should have stuck to making songs with D:Ream! I too watch some science programmes Micky and go 'ahh yes' but then at the end wonder what the hell it was all about lol.

[Micky]

In another life, had I been clever, then I would have been an astrologer or astrophysicist etc  I used to watch the sky at night programme as a teenager even though I couldn't understand any of it. Sir Patrick Moore always made it seem so exciting when he talked about it.

Ah but D:ream told us things can only get better. Surely our song Mr Moody  

[mrmoody]

haha indeed Micky! but also that song reminds me of when Labour won in 97! oh that was cringeworthy eh! Hey I still love Sky at Night. And dont put yourself down Micky, you seem quite clever to me