Home > Work > The Greatest Story Ever Told—So Far: Why Are We Here?
1 " To argue that, in a universe in which there seems to be no purpose, our existence is without meaning or value is unparalleled solipsism, as it suggests that without us the universe is worthless. The greatest gift that science can give us is to allow us to overcome our need to be the center of existence even as we learn to appreciate the wonder of the accident we are privileged to witness. "
― Lawrence M. Krauss , The Greatest Story Ever Told—So Far: Why Are We Here?
2 " For most people, the central questions of existence ultimately come down to transcendental ones: Why is there a universe at all? Why are we here?Whatever presumptions one might bring to the question "Why?," if we understand the "how" better, "why" will come into sharper focus. "
3 " The most remarkable leaps into the unknown are often not fully appreciated, "
4 " But common sense is deceptive precisely because it is based on common experience. "
5 " Curiosity-driven research may seem self-indulgent and far from the immediate public good. However, essentially all of our current quality of life, for people living in the first world, has arisen from the fruits of such research, including all the electric power that drives almost every device we use. Two "
6 " Why is there a universe at all? Why are we here? "
7 " one of the dumbest academic decisions ever made (and that is a tough list to top), Maxwell was unceremoniously laid off. "
8 " Five hundred years of science have liberated humanity from the shackles of enforced ignorance. "
9 " Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away. "
10 " escape the shackles of our prior experience to uncover profound and beautiful simplifications and predictions "
11 " But being uncomfortable is a virtue, not a hindrance. "
12 " The forces that govern our experience, electromagnetism and gravity, are blind to the distinction between left and right. No process moderated by either force can turn something such as your right hand into its mirror image. I cannot "
13 " children will be able to tell than the story we have told? Surely that is the greatest contribution of science to civilization: to ensure that the greatest books are not those of the past, but of the future. "
14 " The Higgs is like a toilet. It hides all the messy details "
15 " For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. —JAMES 4:14 "
16 " Light travels faster in warmer, less dense air than it does in colder air. "
17 " measurement of a system can alter its behavior "
18 " light is an electromagnetic wave. "
19 " Light is an electromagnetic disturbance propagated through the field according to electromagnetic laws.” With "
20 " (For those who like to quote Aristotle’s wisdom when appealing to his “Prime Mover” argument for the existence of God, let us remember that he also claimed that women had a different number of teeth than men, presumably without bothering to check.) Everything "
