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Old March 21st 17, 12:24 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Chris L Peterson
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Posts: 10,007
Default So, what's on the Moon?

On Mon, 20 Mar 2017 19:20:20 -0400, Davoud wrote:

Chris L Peterson:
Yes. I think it's likely we will kill most of ourselves off and
destroy our current civilization within the next century. It's
probably inevitable.


Davoud:
Well, happy springtime to you, too!


I am neither happy nor sad at the prospect. Nature takes its course as
nature takes its course. The Universe is beautiful to me now, and it
really doesn't matter if anyone or anything is here to make that
observation.


Not even a tiny bit melancholy? da Vinci, da Shakespeare, da
Michelangelo, all lost along with everyone who could appreciate them?


And the likely millions of other fascinating and brilliant intelligent
beings that we'll never know? The countless examples of art and music
and literature and who knows what things we haven't even imagined, or
can't imagine, that have been lost to the Universe?

That these things were, and then weren't, is perhaps better described
as a bittersweet recognition.

I think that the notion that the Universe is beautiful is purely
sentiocentric; it wouldn't be beautiful if if no one were in it to say
that it is beautiful.


That's true. But it's beautiful while there's something sentient to
make that observation, and it's all meaningless when there isn't.