Life, the Universe, and Everything

[Buych778]

No, this topic is not about the book by Douglas Adams.

I would like your opinions on whether it should be important that we search for answers to all of our questions about life, the universe, and everything else. Is it worth all of the money it costs to do this? Should this research be costing us great amounts of money? Is it worth finding the answers that just makes us ask more questions? When should this cycle end of creating and answering questions? What would be the benefits of exploring the universe?

 

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To answer the first questions, you must answer the last question. What are the benefits of exploring the universe? I have found many benefits such as searching for a planet that could sustain life that may help us to have a place to move in times of crisis. Another one includes allowing us to create more energy efficiently for our planet, which would in turn help save it by reducing the amount of pollution we are creating, and reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used up. We can also find more efficient ways of transportation through the universe by exploring the field of wormholes. This would allow us to travel long distances quickly without using lots of energy to do so. Is it worth the money we pump into it? I would say yes, because the amount of money we put into this will eventually pay itself off, and we are also helping to satisfy human curiosity. I think that we should start expanding the research that Nikola Tesla and create much cheaper energy costs, which we would not use for large companies that would use the free energy to make trillions of dollars more, but rather for scientific research so that we can find the answers to our questions quicker and cheaper. I would think that by the time that we get all of our questions about the universe answered the human race will be dead, and if we stop researching the universe now, that end to the human race will be a lot quicker than we think.

To summarize this, it is important that we continue to research to find solutions to expanding the life of the human race by finding solutions to large problems that may or may not occur over the time of the next few years.

To summarize the summary, science is essential for the human race to survive.

To summarize the summary of the summary, science is important.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Buych778

[Ophiolite]

Whether it is important or not is likely irrelevant. We are genetically inclined to be curious. And so we are. The result, as they say, is history.

[Ten oz]

Is it worth all of the money it costs to do this?

 

It creates more money than it cost. New technology create new markets. What dollar figure would you put on GPS, Satelite TV, home computers, cell phones, the Internet, and etc when calculating their potential value vs research and development costs?

 

Should this research be costing us great amounts of money?

 

The costs are paid back 10 times over. The algorithms used to solve complex problems in space end up also solving problems on earth.

 

Is it worth finding the answers that just makes us ask more questions?

 

Questions lead to answers. They are necessary. Learning that fire could keep humans warm made us ask more questions about what it could do for us. The answer to those question resulted in fire protecting us, feeding us, distilling our water, hardening our tools, etc, etc, etc.

 

When should this cycle end of creating and answering questions?

 

Never!

 

What would be the benefits of exploring the universe?

 

Penicillin was discovered by mistake. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin

 

The posibilities of exploration are limitless. There is no way to handicap the benifits of exploration the way one would the odds of a sporting match.

[zapatos]

The costs are paid back 10 times over. The algorithms used to solve complex problems in space end up also solving problems on earth.

 

Has someone ever actually calculated that sort of ROI? I see similar claims but I've never actually seen any evidence.

[Ten oz]

Has someone ever actually calculated that sort of ROI? I see similar claims but I've never actually seen any evidence.

Has someone ever actually calculated that sort of ROI? I see similar claims but I've never actually seen any evidence.

I meant that as a general statement and not an empirical one. Admittedly it was poorly made.

 

Attempts the calculate NASA's value over the years using many different methods have been made and all reflect positive econimic gain. http://spinoff.nasa.gov/pdf/AIAA%202011%20Quantifying%20Spinoff%20Benefits.pdf

 

How valuable are satellites? Would we have them without federal money invested in research and development? They allow for a great number of other industries to thrive. What about nuclear power? Without the physics developed looking at the stars coupled with federal dollars would we have nuclear power today in your opinion?

[Ophiolite]

Since the exploration of space and - one may hope - eventual colonisation of some form are long term processes we should not expect the major returns to be in yet. Give it three or four hundred years.

[Skeptic134]

Whether it is important or not is likely irrelevant. We are genetically inclined to be curious. And so we are. The result, as they say, is history.

 

This.

[Buych778]

Whether it is important or not is likely irrelevant. We are genetically inclined to be curious. And so we are. The result, as they say, is history.

 

I do understand this, and would like to add the fact that it is unknown whether this research will be important or not, as we do not know the exact results this all will yield us in the future.

[/backslash/]

All research is important to some degree. If we did not pursue an idea just because we did not think it was important enough, we would not make nearly as much scientific progress.

Edited October 5, 2014 by /backslash/

[s1eep]

All research is important to some degree. If we did not pursue an idea just because we did not think it was important enough, not much would get done.

What's the epitome of 'doing', used by you as 'not much would get done'?

Edited October 5, 2014 by s1eep

[Avalanche2001]

doing

ˈduːɪŋ/

noun

1.

the activities in which a particular person engages.

"the latest doings of television stars"

synonyms: performance, performing, carrying out, effecting, execution, implementation, implementing, bringing off, discharge, discharging, achievement, accomplishment, realization, completion, completing; More

informal

excrement, especially that of a domestic animal.

"it is my duty to clear up the guard dog's doings"

informal

a beating or scolding.

"someone had given her a doing"

2.

informal

used to refer to things when one has forgotten their name or when no one word easily covers them.

"the drawer where he kept the doin