I've been thinking a lot about existentialism lately and the purpose of human life. Particularly after I listened to Sam Harris' recent podcast episode about free will, which is definitely worth checking out. I started thinking about the vastness of the universe and though I don't believe it's likely we are the only intelligent life in existence; if we were, what would it say about the human species? It has to mean that if true, it makes us all the more special, right? I think the answer depends on how you look at things.
You can make the case that if us humans on earth are the only forms of advanced life in an entire universe that has trillions of galaxies and trillions of planets within each galaxy, that it would make us so incredibly rare, that it would be impossible to argue that we weren't special. And that is a very valid point, where if someone believed that I couldn't possibly say they were wrong. In fact, I might believe it myself. However, let's view things from a different perspective and see if I can maybe provide an alternative take on just how extraordinary human life is.
Yes, human beings are unique. We are capable of incredible things. The pyramids, skyscrapers, governments, currencies, nuclear weapons, vaccines, leaving our own planet and landing our own on the moon, landing rovers on Mars. Throughout our history, humans have achieved unbelievable things. Yet, we aren't alone in this when it comes to the extraordinary. Supergiant stars, black holes, quesars, magnetars are all capable of insane things. The fact that the gravitational pull of a black hole is so powerful that not even light itself can escape. Light. The thing we take for granted every single day, so much so, we don't take the time to stop and think of what it actually is. In the vast star ocean we call space, something so infinitely big will always have something discovered that is unique and amazing. Scientists discover them all the time. Just because they may not have a mechanism called a brain, doesn't make them any less incredible.
Some might argue that one day, if our species lives long enough, humans might change the universe as we know it. Turn it into an intergalactic haven for life. Travel between galaxies, establish trade not between countries, but between planets. The ability to extend life to virtually endless horizons. And yet, the universe is changing all the time even without us. Galaxies collide and destroy one another. Stars explode and wipe out everything remotely close to them when they supernova. A giant meteor could take earth out tomorrow and every human along with it. And the universe would continue along without batting an eye like we never existed.
Everything we know of in the universe is matter: made up of atoms, and quantum particles. We all have that in common. After all, atoms in our bodies came from exploding stars at one part in our universe's history. All matter, whether it's protons, electrons, photons, hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, planets, stars, or anything in between all exist to perform a certain task. The universe exists unto itself, it doesn't care what those tasks are, but we all have our own role to play nonetheless. What we accomplish as humans is meaningless to the universe. We can't stop the universe or destroy it. We can't grow it our shrink it. We exist within it like all other matter. What makes us more special in our role than the role of a star or a black hole or a comet?
Our roles as human beings comes almost entirely from an evolutionary and biological nature. We need to think highly of our capabilities and our accomplishments, otherwise we'd never have the motivation to advance as a species. We need to feel like our advancements are contributing and mean something in the grand scale of the universe. But are our accomplishments any more important or significant than say that of quantum particles? Particles are performing tasks every fraction of a second 24 hours a day all around us and within us. We wouldn't exist without these particles. Nothing would. They're performing a task they are designed to do, making up everything that we observe in the universe. Just because we can't see it happening with our naked eye, doesn't mean it isn't important. When we achieve something considered groundbreaking, like landing on the moon, we all applaud ourselves and high five each other. As we should. Accomplishments like that are objectively impressive. However, we do this in the context of ourselves. We find what we do important. No one else does. No animal or insect cares about these things. They don't even know they're happening. There are no stars or planets or comets out there applauding us. They don't care. Nor does the universe. It exists irrespective of how we act or live our lives.
So in the end, just how special or unique is the human species? Are we possibly one form of intelligent life in an unfathomably massive space? Or are we one entity among an infinitely large number of entities that all perform specific tasks within a universe, that couldn't care one bit about who we are and what we've done? I think you can make the case for either. I'm not sure what I believe, but I wanted to share both perspectives to give you something to think about.
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