Even The Absurd Is True Somewhere - Parallel Universes And The Soul-Body Dichotomy
The question of the existence of God hasn't been settled yet, as far as I know. Neither has the question of the soul--whether it's something separate from our bodies, something that may be able to survive bodily death and install itself someplace else (reincarnating into another body, rising to heaven, dropping to hell), or whether the soul, and our consciousness, are simply artifacts of our vastly complicated but purely material minds. People have been arguing circles around this for years. Penrose and Dennett are still at it, if you can believe it.
But if, as some scientists and philosophers assert, there exist an infinite number of parallel universes, and if everything conceivable must be happening in one or another of those, well then, there have got to be some universes where these questions have already been settled. There's got to be a couple where the answers are so obvious that you don't even have to wonder.
There has got to be a universe where there's only one planet, and it's Earth. The Sun circles around it on a rusty but serviceable track, and a radiant, bearded God floats across the sky on a throne of semi-sweet whipped-cream clouds and tosses gifts down to the surface when he's happy and thunderbolts when he's mad. There has got to be a universe where our souls are encapsulated in animals that follow us around throughout our lives, a la The Golden Compass. And there has got to be a universe where we tow our souls around in tin wagons, and our souls are the size of a football and the consistency of jell-o, and if you lose your wagon you die, and if you leave it out in the sun too long your soul gets bitter and leathery, but if you mist it with a water-bottle you'll fell better. If you're clever and you find someone who leads a happier life than you do, maybe you can trick them into trading, and then you'll be happier for a while too, but you'll be someone different from before, and it'll probably only last a while because inevitably someone will con you out of your satisfaction in turn, and then you'll be clever and unhappy again. And life won't be a matter of who has the most money, but a matter of who can be clever enough to protect and preserve their souls and remain happy at the same time, too.
It's as absurd as Tralfamadorians, but those have to be real someplace, too. In fact, there has to be a universe to accurately reflect every novel ever written, and one where we age backwards, and one where we all live forever and never get sick.
And a lot more, besides.
Excellent post.
That would me amazing. Since you've made a reference to Vonnegut maybe I could retire on Galapagos. But, much as I love him, I'd still like to live in Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
Thank you!
I'm with you on either of those!
Although Discworld makes me nervous. I might fall over the edge!
God exists...if not,u won't be alive
Great read. I often feel overwhelmed with the question of it all. I hope that there is indeed there are
At least I hope there are, and that I can slip through. :)
Be well,
Lane
Thou art god. May you never thirst.
Whoa, man - that's high praise!
For the sake of conversation assume that there ARE multiple universes. Assume that there is a metaverse.
Why does it follow that any of them are anything like us? It would seem to me that each and everyone of them would be unique.
Sure - but if there are an infinite number of them, then there has to be lots that are just like ours but with a tiny difference, too! Lots more that are completely alien and impossible for us to understand too, but the mathematics of infinity get pretty weird.
There's a universe just like this one, but where I prefer rap music to classical. And one where I'm left handed. Actually there are an infinity of those universes...
There'd even have to be a universe where your name was Everitt M Dickey! We could call that "the typo universe."
I don't think so.
I prefer to think that there are an infinite number of unique universes.
every one is different for all the others.