Would the absence of earth and humans change the universe?

Originally posted by Atlantis001
It seems that the universe is defined by our observations of it, so if we were not here we can´t talk about it. But maybe our consciousness is more complex than we imagine. Our consciousness could be like a whole interconected thing, instead of something just ours, in a way that "our absence" mean that just a part of this whole consciousness(that part which correspond to us) will not be here to observe the universe. So even without us the universe will still be, in fact I think that "without us" means just that our ego, and individuality will not be present, but "we"(or something else, since there is no individuality anymore) will still exist in another form even if this another form is not who we are here today anymore.

See, I didn´t even need LSD. 😄

Oh, but I do....
So that means that the universe will be different but we will still be there...or so you think. 😘

Hmmm. If we were to go by post-modern theories, something only exists when it is observable by something sentient - now assuming we are the only life in the universe, if we weren't here to see the universe it might as well not exist...

Still I think it's a load of cobblers, humans trying to make themselves feel important. We orbit a sun that is average, one of a hundred million or more. There lots of planets. If earth wasn't here the universe would go on spinning and expanding or contracting. It doesn't care about us, and there's not the slightest way we influence it. It doesn't exist because of us, we exist because of it.

Originally posted by Imperial_Samura
Hmmm. If we were to go by post-modern theories, something only exists when it is observable by something sentient - now assuming we are the only life in the universe, if we weren't here to see the universe it might as well not exist...

Still I think it's a load of cobblers, humans trying to make themselves feel important. We orbit a sun that is average, one of a hundred million or more. There lots of planets. If earth wasn't here the universe would go on spinning and expanding or contracting. It doesn't care about us, and there's not the slightest way we influence it. It doesn't exist because of us, we exist because of it.

Well, in physics there is the anthropic principle that says that the universe wouldn´t exist without us to observe it, but its still a principle its not a proved thing. This principle came from quantum mechanics, cause in it.. things just exist when they are observed, when they are not being observed they are wavefunctions, and the majority of physicists believe that wavefunctions are not real, just a mathematical tool.

Yeah, it the ol look away, and everything is wave forms thingie....I've read that too.. 😎

i wonder this myself sometimes. if we are the only life in the universe, what is the point of the universe. if life is a random fluke that has appeared on earth and nowhere else in existence, then why is the universe there. i understand how suns are made and planets are formed, but has everything always been just barron rock, ice and burning hydrogen then earth doesnt have any great importance at all and our absence would only mean the universe is lifeless again, how it always was.

if there is other life then we could be of great importance at some point to the galactic community, or even universal. it sounds very sci fi and stuff but we could have a large effect on other life. if in thousands of years we discover a planet with intelligent life below our level of technology we could help them. we could colonise alot of other planets and spread life out and come in contact to numerous other intelligent beings. we could end up being the aliens that arrive in ships on some backwards planet thats barely developed the technology to reach their moon.

im speaking in terms of how we could effect the material non spiritual universe, not religious or supernatural terms. its interesting to think of the universe as a large lifeless void with the occasional gas and solid matter and earth as a strange abboration. from our point of view and a scientific standing life might be the most unique thing that has ever existed. but at the same time its absence would mean as little as its existance. even if it colonised every planet in the universe it would only matter to itself and have little effect on anything apart from the fact that it moved gasses and material around to suit its own needs. the importance of the material being moved would be nothing so it would be just another change in the constantly changing universe. pointless, meaningless and unknown to everything but itself. i am religious though so i think we are of importance, but i like thinking about this sometimes.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Everything we even think effects the whole of what the universe becomes....Thoughts are not empty, they are filled with the same energy of sub atomic particles and are alive always effecting the outcome here on earth and universally....Negative thought equals negative physical reality...

Well said.

I believe we influence universe, because we are part of it. We are not center of it, thus we don't rule and shape it, but we deffinitivly influence it.

What do you mean by saying that we explicitly influence the universe?

-AC

Hardly.