The voice of space

1. There is a principle which describes how we perceive the world, and it is called the anthropic principle. This is a couple of definitions:
- It is the cosmological principle that theories of the universe are constrained by the necessity to allow human existence. [1]
- It is the philosophical consideration that observations of the universe must be compatible with the conscious and sapient life that observes it. [2]
2. The basic difference between these two definitions is that the anthropic principle does not necessarily imply that the appearance of intelligent life in the universe is an inescapable process. Instead we may suggest that if intelligent life appears in the universe then this life will be compatible with the laws of nature. For example if two intelligent civilizations meet or come in contact with each other then they should be able to recognize each other as alive and intelligent.
3. A consequence of the anthropic principle is that since we have never met or come in contact with an extraterrestrial civilization yet, we will perceive and interpret whatever unidentified flying object (UFO) we may see or imagine that we saw according to our own image. For example all UFOs are supposed to have the shape of a saucer (or something similar) and to fly.
4. In fact the previous assumption raises two questions. Firstly, does intelligence presupposes material shape (a saucer)? Secondly, does space travel implies continuous motion (flying)? The reason why we take for granted that all aliens should visit us with flying saucers (or any kind of spaceship) and that they would need to cover all the inbetween distance (instead for example of teleporting themselves from place to place) is because this is the only knowledge we have about space travel or about how an intelligent lifeform (us) should look like.
5. So let’s imagine that when the day comes and we are visited by another advanced lifeform, which by the way does not even need to be advanced (it could have reached us by accident) or to form a ‘civilization’ (it could be a solitary species), we see some spheres (UFOs) appear in the sky.
6. Let’s suppose that we took a picture of those spheres, and that they appear to be like those in the painting. Their color seems to be metallic, but this does not imply that they are made of metal or of any other material substance (this would just be the way we interpret them).
7. Across their perimeter there seems to be an opening, suggesting perhaps that inside the spheres there are some living creatures who use the opening as a window to look outside.
8. Here however we could have made another mistake. The interpretation of the opening as a window implies that those beings have eyes to perceive the environment. But what if they are so advanced (or so different) that they perceive everything in the form of oscillations (fields) which are somehow absorbed by the surface of the sphere? What if the opening is for example the exhaustion of some propulsion system?
9. Is this the reason why as the spheres are floating in the air they make a sound similar to that of a jingle bell? Is this what is left in the atmosphere of the vibrations of some kind of field yet unknown to us which they use to levitate?
10. Perhaps this is the reason why they seem to be so large compared to the background (the meadows below). If they are able to manipulate gravity then their comparatively disproportionate size could be the result of the distortion of spacetime around them. But this again would be an explanation according to our present scientific knowledge about spacetime.
11. So let’s take our eyes away from the picture for a moment. Let’s remember what we said before about the anthropic principle. Even though we may see something in the sky (or anywhere else) that we don’t understand, it will have some recognizable aspects common to all lifeforms in the universe. For example a bell, an opening, and a bell-like sound…
12.  Is that sound the way that intelligence is trying to communicate with us? Is the spherical shape just the way our mind visualizes how that intelligence might look like? Is the opening a representation of something to talk with, similar to our own mouth?
13. Does our own mind has a spherical shape, with some bright color, metallic or white, and some openings to interact with the environment and with other minds?
14. Is moreover the interaction between the alien intelligence represented in the picture and our own intelligence what gives that alien intelligence the shape and aspects it appears to have?
15. Is it finally the manifestation of intelligence in the universe in some of its living forms, as they emerge from empty space and begin to communicate? Is the voices we sometimes hear the noise those forms make in space and time?
16. Here is a more official interpretation in the painter’s own words: “I caused the iron bells hanging from the necks of our admirable horses to sprout like dangerous plants at the edge of an abyss.” [3]

[1]: [https://www.google.gr/search?q=anthropic+principle]

[2]: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle]

[3]: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Space]

 

  8/9/2018

Painting: Voice of Space (La voix des airs), Rene Magritte