THE BEGINNING AND THE END e Meaning of Life in a Cosmological Perspective CLÉMENT VIDAL 2 Dedication To every human, artificial or extraterrestrial intelligence in this universe. 3 Contents Dedication..................................................................................................3 Contents.....................................................................................................4 Preface - Psychiatry and Cosmological Speculation ............................8 Acknowledgements.................................................................................10 Abstract...................................................................................................13 Introduction............................................................................................14 Part I -Overview of Worldviews............................................................19 CHAPTER 1 - The Six Dimensions of Philosophy.............................................21 1.1 First-Order Questions....................................................................................21 1.2 Second-Order Questions...............................................................................23 1.3 Necessity to Have a Worldview....................................................................25 1.4 Implicit and Explicit Worldviews.................................................................26 1.5 A Cybernetic Model of a Worldview ...........................................................27 CHAPTER 2 - Criteria for Worldview Comparison..........................................29 2.1 A Quest for Criteria .....................................................................................30 2.1.1 The Philosophy of “Meta-” ............................................................................................................ 30 2.1.2 The Big Three................................................................................................................................. 30 2.1.3 Bootstrapping the Criteria.............................................................................................................. 32 2.1.4 Relativity, not Relativism............................................................................................................... 33 2.2 Criteria for Worldview Comparison.............................................................34 2.2.1 Objective Consistency.................................................................................................................... 35 2.2.2 Scientificity..................................................................................................................................... 35 2.2.3 Scope.............................................................................................................................................. 36 2.2.4 Subjective Consistency................................................................................................................... 39 2.2.5 Personal Utility............................................................................................................................... 39 2.2.6 Emotionality................................................................................................................................... 40 2.2.7 Intersubjective Consistency............................................................................................................ 43 2.2.8 Collective Utility............................................................................................................................ 43 2.2.9 Narrativity....................................................................................................................................... 44 2.3 Assessment Tests..........................................................................................45 2.3.1 Testing the Components................................................................................................................. 46 2.3.2 Testing the Dimensions................................................................................................................... 46 2.3.3 Testing the Big Three...................................................................................................................... 49 2.3.4 Summary......................................................................................................................................... 51 CHAPTER 3 - Religious, Scientific and Philosophical Worldviews.................53 3.1 Religious Worldviews...................................................................................53 3.1.1 Intelligent Design Versus Flying Spaghetti Monsterism................................................................ 53 3.1.2 Psychological and Societal Strengths of Religions........................................................................ 55 3.1.3 Failures of Tradition....................................................................................................................... 56 3.2 Scientific Worldviews...................................................................................57 3.2.1 Systems Theory as a Universal Language for Science................................................................... 57 3.2.2 Problem-Solving Approach............................................................................................................ 58 3.2.3 Universal Darwinism...................................................................................................................... 59 3.2.4 Limitations of Scientific Worldviews............................................................................................. 59 3.3 Philosophical Worldviews.............................................................................60 3.3.1 The Way to Philosophical Worldviews........................................................................................... 60 3.3.2 One or Several Worldviews?.......................................................................................................... 61 3.3.3 Analogies for Philosophical Worldviews....................................................................................... 62 3.3.4 Nonviolent Worldview Communication......................................................................................... 65 3.3.5 The Extreme Worldview Agenda................................................................................................... 67 Open Questions......................................................................................................69 4 Part II -The Beginning of the Universe................................................71 CHAPTER 4 - Origins of the Origin...................................................................73 4.1 Five Challenges for Ultimate Explanations..................................................74 4.1.1 Epistemological.............................................................................................................................. 74 4.1.2 Metaphysical................................................................................................................................... 76 4.1.3 Thermodynamical........................................................................................................................... 76 4.1.4 Causal............................................................................................................................................. 77 4.1.5 Infinity............................................................................................................................................ 77 4.2 The Point as a Cognitive Attractor................................................................77 4.2.1 Origin with Foundation.................................................................................................................. 78 4.2.2 Points in Everyday Life.................................................................................................................. 78 4.2.3 God's Point...................................................................................................................................... 79 4.2.4 Big Bang's Point............................................................................................................................. 79 4.3 The Cycle as a Cognitive Attractor...............................................................79 4.3.1 Origin without Foundation............................................................................................................. 80 4.3.2 Cycles in Everyday Life................................................................................................................. 80 4.3.3 Big Bang(s) Cycles ........................................................................................................................ 80 4.3.4 Objections against Cycles............................................................................................................... 81 4.4 Points, Cycles and Beyond...........................................................................84 4.4.1 More Attractors............................................................................................................................... 84 4.4.2 Line and Combinations................................................................................................................... 84 4.4.3 Cosmological Models....................................................................................................................