One can imagine that if Man can reach such heights on Earth merely in a matter of years, his capabilities of understanding the universe can clearly not be undermined in any way. This is not to say that discoveries in the past few years have only been limited to those on Earth – Man has been busy instigating his onslaught of discovery in the rest of the galaxy. Countless projects and missions have been launched in recent times to gain a wider knowledge of the cosmos beyond our secure world. I will give examples of some of these endeavours that underline Man’s eagerness to attain a greater awareness of the universe.
Astronomers Geoffrey Marcy and Paul Butler a few years ago had detected 21 planets the size of Jupiter, 300 times the mass of Earth, or larger. Other researchers have found another dozen such celestial heavyweights. In addition, the scientists' data contain a growing number of indications that "there are going to be many more small planets"1 discovered in coming years. The first planet outside our solar system was not detected until 1994 and in the few years since, 34 have already been found. Is this just the tip of an iceberg? “There is an incredible number of other planets we'll be finding as our search techniques improve, and as scientists continue their quest ‘to try to find a habitable Earth’ elsewhere in the galaxy.”2
Alongside these scientific breakthroughs, commercialisation is also taking place allowing ordinary people to experience the universe of beyond. Such ventures include the ‘Artemis Project’ claiming to “engage in space flight as a commercial enterprise and establish a permanent, self-supporting community on the Moon.”3 The Lunar Resources Company, responsible for this project has placed this advertisement on the Internet:
“Our goal is to establish an enduring private space program that opens the path for you to travel in space. Within fifteen years, you will be able to take a two-week trip to the moon at a price you would expect to pay for the luxury-class European capital tour.”4
Even Russia’s famous 14-year old Mir, the first orbital laboratory that was before long going to be put out of use, was given a new objective. The Russian government in collaboration with a private investor have decided to turn it into he first space hotel.
These are only a few of the projects being planned to discover the galaxy, and already the future seems a rather overwhelming prospect. The consequences of this knowledge that is being so frantically pursued could be both positive and negative. The discovery of an alternate habitat with conditions suitable for human survival may in the long term solve problems of overpopulation. The strength of humans both physically and mentally will increase, reinforcing their position as the dominant species, perhaps in the whole universe. However, genetic engineering may lead to the creation of such a perfect species that there may be no room for the weaker, more ordinary humans in the ‘super-fit race’ of the future.
Ultimately one has to ask, when will it all end? Perhaps Man feels that by attaining knowledge of the universe, his relative individual insignificance can be diminished. The certainty of this seemingly undoubtable scientific knowledge may increase his feeling of power and resolve all the unexplained phenomena that have been haunting our species since our existence. Yet I believe that this extent of knowledge is impossible to achieve. Scientists normally take it for granted that we live in a rational, ordered cosmos subject to precise laws that can be uncovered by Man’s ability to reason. It seems that any attempt to understand the nature of reality and place of human beings in the universe must proceed from a sound scientific base. Each advance in technology brings new and unexpected discoveries challenging our minds with unusual and difficult concepts. But it all runs the familiar thread of rationality and order. It is probable that there may be facets of reality that lie beyond the power of human reasoning. This does not mean that these facets are irrational in any way, but simply by the nature of our brains we may not be able to understand them.
Knowledge can be very uncertain and unpredictable yet it has been a trend over centuries where humans have felt they are on the brink of understanding, complete, sound understanding of the universe: The final pieces in the cosmic jigsaw puzzle are about to take their place, the end of the search for knowledge is in sight. One or two subatomic particles remain to be tracked down, a few items remain to be developed and then everything fundamental, genuinely worth knowing, will be revealed for us to see. At last, after groping our way in the darkness for millennia, we see light at the end of the tunnel. This all sounds so familiar- the pages of history are covered with equivalent certainties and crystalline clarities. Human beings of all societies in all periods of history believe their ideas on the nature of the universe and their means of discovery are the most secure. The end to the search for true knowledge always looms in sight, simply as is stated in the question, decades away.
However, I believe that secure knowledge can never be found, even with seemingly foolproof theoretical advances and scientific discoveries. Each discovery actually, in the long term, creates more mysteries than it solves. There is an overwhelming belief that every little detail on the huge canvas of the universe is being rapidly filled. Yet what is not realised is that this canvas is always changing. The picture being painted may be more detailed yet the gaps on the canvas are spreading just as fast, if not faster than the paintwork. Knowledge is transient, and it needs to be so otherwise it withers. The search for true knowledge is endless and always will be, but humans will always try to shape the scheme of things to fit their ideas and philosophies. There will always be more to know, more to understand, more to seek. ‘We represent reality seeking to understand itself’. 5
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1. http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/Science/New_Planet_Discovery/
Anne Kinney, science program director of NASA's Astronomical Search for Origins program.
2.
Planet-formation expert Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
3.
4.
5. Edward Harrison, ‘New Scientist’ 24 September 1987
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Paul Davies, ‘The Mind of God’ Penguin (1993)
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Edward Harrison, article in ‘New Scientist’ (24 September, 1987)