As the Dream of Human Space Travel Fades

I was in Barnes & Noble a few days ago, and noticed something odd about the Sci-Fi book section.  More than half the titles were about warlocks, dragons and trolls, witches and magical wardrobe closets.  And maybe that's not so bad.  For as much as I love exploring issues within Astronomy and Astrophysics, I no longer believe that humans have a future beyond our tiny planet earth.  The universe is far more complex and inhospitable than early fantasizers of space travel could ever have imagined.  Besides, there's no one else out there.  It is not merely that we haven't met up with the space aliens yet, my premise goes deeper.  It is a biocentric one, based on the work of Dr. Robert Lanza, who writes:  "We have yet to learn that physical existence cannot be divorced from the animal life and structures that coordinate sense perception and experience."

So, what does the universe look like without the pattern-making sensory processes of living organisms -- nothing or perhaps little flashes of light-energy.  As for what the tree sounds like falling in the woods with nobody there, let's not forget that the portions of a fallen tree are also alive.


I'll have more to say on this later.