Are we Gods?

[woodchip]

We have discussed a number of times how the Big Bang was a God activated event. So does the following mean we are becoming God-like?:

\"The Large Hadron Collider has successfully created a \"mini-Big Bang\" by smashing together lead ions instead of protons.\"

\"This process took place in a safe, controlled environment, generating incredibly hot and dense sub-atomic fireballs with temperatures of over ten trillion degrees, a million times hotter than the centre of the Sun.\"

\"At these temperatures even protons and neutrons, which make up the nuclei of atoms, melt resulting in a hot dense soup of quarks and gluons known as a quark-gluon plasma\"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11711228

Lets try and keep the bible quotes out of here.

[CDN_Merlin]

If \"god\" means being able to create life or anything similar to what the biblical version is, then Women have been God since the dawn of time.

Yes, I do believe we are \"God\" to a certain degree. Wether we believe in the bible or not, playing with the building blocks of life is a scary dangerous thing.

We don't know the remifications of what we are doing for long term.

My 2 cents

[CUDA]

are we god's?? No. do we play god??? every day.

but I'll echo what Merlin said

[Foil]

Of course humanity tries to play God in various ways.

...But what does that have to do with high-energy physics experiments?

They're colliding particles and taking measurements, not genetic manipulation or anything involving ethical issues.

Personally, I think it's awesome that they can measure the subatomic energy and output of these tiny collisions.

[CDN_Merlin]

Foil, what would happen if by chance something goes wrong with there little bang and it causes a massive bang instead and takes out 1/2 the country side?

There are things we should be wary about when playing with science.

[null0010]

I do hope they blow up the world, then I won't have to worry about next year's college tuition.

[Foil]

Foil, what would happen if by chance something goes wrong with there little bang and it causes a massive bang instead and takes out 1/2 the country side?

Huh? How could that possibly happen, except in cheesy science-fiction?

We're not talking about toying with critical masses or reactions with high potential energy here. Those "little bangs" are throwing out as much energy as they possibly can.

Sure, the article makes it sound like these experiments are massive "fireballs of energy", but if you look, you'll see that this is happening at a very very very tiny scale, and the resultant high energy only lasts the tiniest fraction of a second.

Unless one subscribes to wacky paranoia ("Agh! It's gonna be a black hole!", which is literally impossible with these experiments), there is zero chance of "taking out half the countryside".

[null0010]

I'm more concerned that Gordon Freeman and the G Man seem to be on staff:

[CDN_Merlin]

Foil, I understand the power generated is little, but with something the size of that machine, requires lots of power. I trust it but I'm playing devil advocate.

We can never fully understand the impact something like this would cause if it went out of control.

[Krom]

The amount of energy in a full power collision from the LHC is about 14 trillion electron volts, which sounds like a lot at first but to give some perspective according to wikipedia it requires roughly 624 quintillion (624 million trillion) electron volts to power a single 100 watt incandescent light bulb. In other words a 100 watt incandescent light bulb requires roughly 44.5 million times as much energy as the LHC is able to generate in a collision.

Every time you strike a key on your keyboard you are probably generating an impact thousands if not tens of thousands of times more powerful than a collision in the LHC.

[CDN_Merlin]

The amount of energy in a full power collision from the LHC is about 14 trillion electron volts, which sounds like a lot at first but to give some perspective according to wikipedia it requires roughly 624 quintillion (624 million trillion) electron volts to power a single 100 watt incandescent light bulb. In other words a 100 watt incandescent light bulb requires roughly 44.5 million times as much energy as the LHC is able to generate in a collision.

Every time you strike a key on your keyboard you are probably generating an impact thousands if not tens of thousands of times more powerful than a collision in the LHC.

Ok, sounds more safe but how much voltage is running in your house compared to the voltage in the LHC?

[Xamindar]

Foil, what would happen if by chance something goes wrong with there little bang and it causes a massive bang instead and takes out 1/2 the country side?

There are things we should be wary about when playing with science.

Serious? Sound's like you have been watching too many science fiction movies and games. I find it hard to believe people can be this ignorant.

There was even a guy who accidentally put his head in the beam of one of these things and survived. Though, he took some brain damage from it.

[Krom]

The LHC uses about 1000 Gigawatt hours of electricity per year to operate and the majority of that is spent on cooling its superconducting magnets down to operating temperature. The actual accelerator part uses about 390 gigawatt hours per year.

The average US household uses 11.04 megawatt hours of electricity per year.

[Blaze]

playing with the building blocks of life

This means that women (and their partners) are playing God, not that they are god-like.

[Blaze]

DOUBLE RAINBOW OMG

[Isaac]

This means that women (and their partners) are playing God, not that they are god-like.

Yes, women are god-like and so is their anger. We must all obey them!

[Avder]

Feel like some thought experiments?

Your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and nerves are not directly incorporated into your brain, therefore you, personally, receive no direct stimulation. It's all indirect stimuli through your various sensory organs.

Therefore, does anything you perceive actually exist, or is it all in your head? What happens to the rest of the world when you are not looking at it?

Start thinking about stuff like that in a serious manner and you will be lost in your own head for days.

[Xamindar]

Weed and shrooms will help a lot with that.

[Heretic]

you will be lost in your own head for days.

That may not be a good place to get lost

[Tunnelcat]

Yes, women are god-like and so is their anger. We must all obey them!

Bwaaaaaahaahaahaa!

[Spidey]

“Are we gods”

No, but we play one on TV.

In a word…no.

Colliders can’t create something out of nothing, colliders can only destroy. (something humans are very good at)

And JFTR the magnets are far more dangerous then the collisions.

[dissent]

There was even a guy who accidentally put his head in the beam of one of these things and survived. Though, he took some brain damage from it.

That sound odd. I thought these things were under a high vacuum while they were operating.

[Xamindar]

Maybe they are now. But apparently not when he stuck his head in one.

[dissent]

That's wild.

Russia.


It figures.

[Avder]

I dunno, maybe were reaching the point where soon we will be able to create something out of nothing.

[Foil]

...create something out of nothing.

If that is true (and that's a very big "if"), it's not creating mass out of nothing, it's creating mass from energy.

[Tunnelcat]

You mean we'll finally get replicators, like in Star Trek? That's essentially what replicators are, energy to mass converters.

[null0010]

I'm pretty sure replicators are just mass-to-mass converters.

[Neo]

Colliders can’t create something out of nothing, colliders can only destroy. (something humans are very good at)

Word to ya m0mz, I've come to drop b0mbz....

God doesn't necessarily create something out of nothing as such ...but you didn't hear that from me. :P

I don't buy that "subjective universe" stuff. If everything I see is in my head, why did it exist before I thought of it? Where did my 'head' come from and why does it exist?

[Isaac]

I'm pretty sure replicators are just mass-to-mass converters.

They are in SG1. :p

[null0010]

I'm pretty sure replicators are just mass-to-mass converters.

They are in SG1. :p

And in Star Trek. Check the link; they are essentially an application of transporter technology.

[Neo]

This means that women (and their partners) are playing God, not that they are god-like.

Yes, women are god-like and so is their anger. We must all obey them!

Sorry, m8, but I'd take the wrath of a w0man over the wrath of God any day (especially since I can beat 'em down :P)

[null0010]

Just when I thought the DBB Ethics & Commentary section couldn't sink any lower...

[Stroodles]

Just when I thought the DBB Ethics & Commentary section couldn't sink any lower...

As someone who reads this occasionally, I'm vaguely curious as to whether I should be insulted.

Honestly, this thread is far more entertaining than all the political posts that changes the minds of no one. It's a nice break.

[null0010]

Just when I thought the DBB Ethics & Commentary section couldn't sink any lower...

As someone who reads this occasionally, I'm vaguely curious as to whether I should be insulted.

Honestly, this thread is far more entertaining than all the political posts that changes the minds of no one. It's a nice break.

I was talking about Neo up there.

[Stroodles]

Just when I thought the DBB Ethics & Commentary section couldn't sink any lower...

As someone who reads this occasionally, I'm vaguely curious as to whether I should be insulted.

Honestly, this thread is far more entertaining than all the political posts that changes the minds of no one. It's a nice break.

I was talking about Neo up there.

Oh I see.

[Mjolnir]

I've always found something silly to the notion of \"if you aren't looking at/sensing the world around you is it really there?\". I always found a strange form of almost narcissistic thought in that, as I always come to the same conclusion that it was obviously here before you came to be and will trudge on without you just fine while you contemplate your own importance/existance/etc in your own mind fruitlessly.

On a lighter note... OMGZ WE'RE GUNNA BLACKHOLEZ TEH EARTHZ. *facepalm*

[Neo]

Yeah, that only happens in video games (i.e., culling) ^_~

Just when I thought the DBB Ethics & Commentary section couldn't sink any lower...

As someone who reads this occasionally, I'm vaguely curious as to whether I should be insulted.

Honestly, this thread is far more entertaining than all the political posts that changes the minds of no one. It's a nice break.

I was talking about Neo up there.

Oh I see.

I don't know how things are in China, but in America, if a girl's kicking your @$$, you don't have to be a gentleman. ^_~

[Tunnelcat]

And in Star Trek. Check the link; they are essentially an application of transporter technology.

Yep, you're right, mass to mass. Just a way to rearrange subatomic particles into new atoms and new molecules, at least in the sci-fi world.

Replicators

[null0010]

I've always found something silly to the notion of "if you aren't looking at/sensing the world around you is it really there?". I always found a strange form of almost narcissistic thought in that, as I always come to the same conclusion that it was obviously here before you came to be and will trudge on without you just fine while you contemplate your own importance/existance/etc in your own mind fruitlessly.

It's a heavy philosophical idea called solipsism.