The Galactic Question Center

What role do you feel consciousness plays in the cosmos?

We all know so much about New York City. Many of us have been to the main part. We've walked down Fifth Avenue, seen Central Park, Trump Tower, the Empire State Building. We've seen Soho and Greenwich Village. We've been to the famous museums and wandered through Grand Central Station and Times Square. Yet Brooklyn, a term which we hear so often, remains a mystery. Few of us have ever been there, seen its buildings, or even know what is there. It remains an archetype of something that has meaning and supposed importance but can't quite be imagined in a concrete fashion. We think of it as a breeding ground of so many famous science writers like Asimov, Sagan, Gould and countless others -- but few of us can say where it is or point to in on a map, or articulate how Brooklyn has changed over the years and why someone would want to visit it today. Why did Brooklyn breed some of the most famous science popularizers of recent times? Brooklyn is a true mystery.

What's your favorite website? Why?

What skills do today's children need to learn to do well in life and in their future jobs? Here's one idea:

"What are the [future office-place] skills that are going to be the most important for those kids? Is it going to be mastering new interfaces and keeping complex virtual relationships alive and multitasking and managing to think about new technologies in interesting ways? Or is it going to be algebra skills? I think you’d have to make the case that it’s probably the former, not the latter." -- Steve Johnson, "Around the Corner," Interview in March 20, 2006 TIME

What is your favorite word?

What's your favorite science-fiction novel of all time? Which science-fiction novel would you recommend that we read if we want to stretch our minds or ignite our souls?

Two people just had a big discussion about monogamy. Their respective positions are outlined below:

A: Monogamy is an unnatural state. Primates aren't monogamous. We wouldn't be here now if our ancestors were monogamous. People get married out of fear. Limiting yourself to one person puts you at a disadvantage.

B: Monogamy can be a symbiotic commitment that transcends the mundane. Complacency is not the effect of monogamy...on the contrary, it is often the cause for infidelity. Human consciousness enables people to rise above the level of primates and attain great spiritual depth by choosing monogamy.

What do you think?

Posthuman Blues has a question about when physicists will arrive at the theory of everything. If a TOE is accomplished, he wants to know, do you think it will have any unexpected effects on human consciousness? If so, of what kind?

Which is more important to you: to live true to your idea of who you think you are, or to behave in a way that is consistent with the idea other people have of who they think you are?

Here is a CARTOON at excitementmachine.org. Can anyone explain what it means?

What do you think about Schrodinger's Cat?