Big Talk Chats: Our Origins - The Cosmic Debate
About the event
When you look up at the stars, what is the first thought or instinct that goes through your mind? Do you ever ponder: Did a Creator set our world in motion, or is the universe a random cosmic event?
Time is precious. Here we cherish non-boring big picture chats and interactions with interesting people that are fully engaging, soulfully enriching, inspiring, and leave you a bit wiser than when you arrived. In that spirit today’s fully hosted laid back social coffee chat will offer a perfect haven for naturally inquisitive and curious independent big picture thinkers drawn to the mysteries of life, the universe and the unknown.
An adrenaline caffeine infused fun afternoon of thought-provoking causal chats exploring interconnected topics spanning the epistemology aspects of philosophy, neuroscience, physics, cosmology and theology over a mug of sweet coffee or Chardonnay if that's what brings out your sharp debating skills
Whether you've studied physics, identify as an atheist, or simply feel a deep sense of wonder about existence, you are welcome. You don't need an indepth background in science or philosophy - just an open mind, your own stories, and a willingness to explore life's biggest questions.
Chaired by me - a former Reuters journalist & published empirical researcher - while recognising that mere statistical causality and significance don't make something true - exploring topics in pursuant of the "truth" since a teenager, there'll be no strict structure - a relaxed friendly space to openly chat, exchange ideas without judgement, but I'll preside to promote inclusivity and zone in on specifics to avoid people digressing onto unrelated tangents to ensure like all of our events - particpants derive maximum utlity and engagement from attending.
==== Sample of conversational threads === might include:
1. Many profess that god is an invisible force that can't be seen yet we can't directly see quarks, black holes, or dark matter but we know they exist in reality via inference through quantum mathematics, particle accelerators, and gravitational lensing and waves. None of that can be said about God - there is zero empirical evidence, just blind faith. So is anyone who declares there is proof of god delusional or just stupid? 2. Despite the fossil records, the detection of cosmic microwave background radiation from over 13.8 billion years ago and radiometric isotope dating with half-lives exceeding the biblical timeline, many religions refuse to answer questions on dinosaurs, evolution, space and the age of the universe. When the first physical evidence of exoplanets was confirmed, the Vatican - realising that other life in the galaxy was highly likely — issued statements proclaiming if we found aliens that would not contradict the existence of god. Was this because the foundation of their belief system was threatened? 3. The fundamental numbers that govern our universe such as gravity, the cosmological constant and the ratio of gravity to electromagnetism - seem to sit within an impossibly narrow margin for life as we know it. The odds of this happening by pure chance are estimated at less than 1 in 10^120. Such extreme precision could suggest these constants were deliberately tuned for life. But what if an infinite number of universes exist with different laws? Then it becomes a 100% mathematical certainty that at least one would accidentally have the right conditions for life and we simply happen to live in that one? Does the discovery of *quantum superposition /* disappearing neutrons imply these parallel universes exist? 4. If Elon Musk is right and that we live in a simulation created by an alien civilization or runs as a computer software, who created our creators? At what point does the chain of causes have to stop at an uncaused "base reality"? 5. Similarly if God created the universe then as my philosophy professor once rightly postulated: "If God created Adam, who created God Lucas?" Yep - that inconvenient…
