It seems unfair to claim a human monopoly on granting significance. An ant will never care more about our culture than it does about the continuation of the hive (ignoring slight overlap there).
i think your wrong. value doesn't need to be measured to be recognized as existing. I guess we differ in that you believe only we grant ideas of "value." I believe that God has granted us on our pale blue dot with more value than the rest of the uninhabited universe.
Despite Tom's initial mistake, uh, I'd agree with him. Life itself is spectacular, it's out of the ordinary. The Universe might not take exception to life and might not care, but it doesn't exactly have the sentience to do so. We have that sentience to perceive. It's like the argument 'if the tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?'
I like the idea that it translates to the universe is generally insignificant if there is no life to perceive it.
@FindGin I agree with you my fellow hitchhiker lover(stop reading if you havn't read life the universe and everything spoilers) too bad Melvin was stranded there with no leg
Something to ponder: You're making the quite rational argument that the universe does not care about us. While true, phrasing it that way makes it sound like the universe cares about something else, and that something else is more important than us. But I think the crux of Tom's point (which you sort of eventually got to at the end, but not really) is that we are the only beings capable of caring about anything in a way that makes sense to us. All other ways, to quote the Borg, are irrelevant.
This video inspired an element in the novel I'm writing about alien life in which most extra-terrestials feel really sorry for humans becuase we think we're insignificant when in reality, people from other planets really like us because of YouTube broadcasts.
I think the difference is more a matter of point of view. Hank, you're a scientist. Tom seems to be more of a philosopher, or something, exaggerated or not as those terms may apply to you, but my point is just, you see it differently, and that's where you differ in opinion.
Could "interestingness" be quantified by average brain stimulation? It would still be an "inside" perspective rather than a more objective "outside" perspective, but it might be a place to start. Thoughts?
I tend to agree with your argument more than Frezned. In my opinion, his argument places more value on the sentimentality of the issue, rather than evaluating what gives us that value and that sentiment, which I feel is your whole point.
the universe doesn't care about us....the universe (AS FAR AS WE KNOW) doesn't care about...anything. the universe (AS FAR AS WE KNOW) cannot care. conscious/living beings make significance and (AS FAR AS WE KNOW) we are the only conscious beings in the universe
On a cosmic scale,we may be totally insignificant, but the only perspective we can really understand is our own. From our point of view on Earth, all that other stuff out in the universe is amazing, but its still just "all that other stuff". Significance is assinged by sentient organisms, and if we can't even consider ourselves the most significant part of our own existance, we may need to re-evaluate our priorities.
Nothing has significance without observation by some form of sentient thought, meaning that if we are the only sentient beings in the universe, then this speck of dust we are on is the only one that matters, because this speck of dust thinks and observes and gives meaning to every other speck of dust in the universe.
You sound like me when I am trying to make a very simple point, but begin rambling. Every comment on here is essentially restating what you said. I'll stop myself from rambling and just say, I agree with you sir, but prefer to think of the Earth as significant to me rather than insignificant to the cosmos. Glass half full.
I think that the universe would be for nothing if life didn't exist on this planet. Considering that life may not exist anywhere else in this universe, why would the universe be, but for the observation of it by us?
I think that if we didn't have life on this planet, the universe would be for nothing. If there is no life out there, which there may or may not be, then what was this universe created for, but for our observation of it.
I'm not sure who I agree on, but both sides have great ideas and there should just be a channel where Hank and Tom just talk about all this deep stuff and debate each other.
Hank you and ur vids are amazing, but it's 3:30 in the morning and this is way too deep for right now.
Ps I'm typing this on my iPhone and it auto corrected vids to visa so if I hadnt proofread this comment it would have said that you and your visa are amazing
Importance is a human perspective, hence I believe you are wrong. The fact that we cannot compare in physical significance does not degrade our importance. If you look at it in a different perspective, the Vatican City is physically small in land mass but does that make it unimportant in comparison to the rest of the world? Equality, a human perspective. Importance is created by society, yet you argue it is somehow relevant to what may or may not exist and hence what may or may not warrant note.
@TheOtherAmandas I am sorry to say this but you have been taught delusions your entire life. I was one of those people being born in an Orthodox Jewish home, never using electricity on Sabbath, being kosher, etc. We have been raised to follow in the same beliefs as our parents. If you were born in Iraq, you'd be a Muslim, not a Christian. Look up evolution on Wikipedia. There's no scientific way to prove there's a creator of the universe, just as I can't disprove it with science
@TheOtherAmandas About the universe? About life? It's all opinionated. If I was depressed at the time, I'd say we have no point of living, but if I'm partying with my friends drunk off my ass, I'm having the time of my life. Life is about living. I just have as much fun as possible without hurting other people emotionally and physically, and I'm perfectly fine. I don't have any religious path, just a path of life, because face it, we're all animals, we've just been domesticated.
Edward Lorenz once suggested that a butterfly flapping it's wings could create a hurricane halfway across the world. This wasn't just to illustrate why nothing can be exactly predicted in meteorology, but also how tiny, seemly insignificant things are actually significant. Even if a contributing factor/cause is so small you cannot trace it back from the effect, it doesn't mean it wasn't one.
Just because something is constructed, does not mean it's insignificant. Everything in human perception of reality is in some way constructed by people. It's all we know and all we are - and that's what makes it important.
I love all Hanks videos. But something that irritates me is I subscribe, and try to add him -.- But he doesn't add or respond. But Liked this video anyways.
in·sig·nif·i·cant [in-sig-nif-i-kuhnt] Show IPA adjective 1. unimportant, trifling, or petty: Omit the insignificant details. 2. too small to be important: an insignificant sum. 3. of no consequence, influence, or distinction: a minor, insignificant bureaucrat. 4. without weight of character; contemptible: an insignificant fellow. 5. without meaning; meaningless: insignificant sounds. noun 6. a word, thing, or person without significance.
But the main thing i want to bring up is human conciousness, from the point of view of the picture you posted, we're just little robots who come into the world then die a bit later. But what shocks me is how different we are from what we see in robots. we have 'ourselves'! Think about what it is to be you. Not your body, because that is constantly changing, but your mind. I find it hard to believe that simple machines have a self. eg. I find it hard to think a thermostat thinks 'its too hot!'
Importance, value and goodness are emotivist concepts, meaning we see an object and apply our own feelings about it, to it. Significance however is measurable in a way, because if we were to change the state of play, if we took the universe and shaped it, we would be seen as the changers, the significant part of the universe. The pale blue dot is a good example of how we are not significant, but if you look at having objects on the moon, we seem like we're making a difference to our universe.
Care as a verb is defined as, "to be concerned or solicitous; have thought or regard." The universe if indifferent in the truest sense of the word. Therefore, the universe is incapable of caring. An inanimate object which lacks the ability to care cannot in any way be used to measure the significance of anything, let alone the significance of us.
I wish cynicism wasn't deemed so edgy and meta. It is far too easy to break us down.
I can see both sides of this but I still feel Frezned is -more- right. The very fact we can have this instant debate. Thousands of people all around one planet. Talking about a picture taken by -us-. The human freaking brain...I find it far more compelling and worthy of my attention than sheer volume. Which, after all, is the definition of significance.
you don't think the universe cares about us? That's an unusual way to say it. The only thing that we know of in this universe capable of caring is us.
So no, the universe doesn't care about us, but then it doesn't care about anything else either, because it is incapable of caring, or thinking at all for that matter.
On a cosmic scale - yeah, nobody cares about us. We are insignificant in comparison to everything else that exists. We are tiny. But we are still significant to us. And not just to us, but the fact of our existence, and the way we are structured, and just life and people themselves, those things are just so complex and amazing that, even though there may not be other beings that care, our existence is still, well, a miracle.
Hank, I don't think I have ever loved a person that I do not know personally, more than I love you. I seriously can't wait to meet you at vidcon. And if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a big hug to thank you for all you have taught me. :)
Hank, I don't think I have ever loved a person that I do not know personally, more than I love you. I seriously can't wait to meet you at vidcon. And if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a big hug to thank you for all you have taught me. :)
Hank, I don't think I have ever loved a person that I do not know personally, more than I love you. I seriously can't wait to meet you at vidcon. And if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a big hug to thank you for all you have taught me. :)
I feel like there's no "Sorry, Hank, I still agree with Tom."
There is no certain answer. Tom argues that yes, we are significant because, as far as we know, we are the only planet that holds the existence of humanity, or life at all for that matter.
Hank never really says this is wrong, in fact, he says that it is right, from my understanding. We are significant, but only to ourselves. To the rest of the universe, we are just that small blue dot. We only affect our small part of space.
Hank, just as much as Tom is wrong in saying we are significant or important, you are are wrong in saying we're insignificant or unimportant. The problem with trying to be objective about nature is that adjectives can't be used to describe them since adjectives are inherently subjective. So it just comes down to whether we like to feel significant or insignificant.
@alifarzanehfar objectivity isn't meant to be comforting though. Hank is trying to achieve a viewpoint of logic and detached reason, so feeling unsettled may very well be a possible reaction. While Hank may not be able to achieve meta understanding, he is at least trying to be as objective as we can with our inherently subjective minds. and that's as good as we can do
Does the universe not care about us? If the universe cares about anything, why not us?
Except if your point is that the universe doesn't care about anything. But then, why does the fact that it cares equally little about us as everything else make you feel insignificant? It's not as it cares more about the Hubble deep field, and surely that's significant to us.
You know what I appreciate about you, Hank? The fact that whenever you talk about Science-y stuff, it makes this literature major want to know more about science--and trust me, that's a feat. So, thank you for that. And that's for always being awsome.
What you said pretty much sums it up: arguing about semantics. You said that significance for us comes from human constructs, and not from place or size or objective interestingness. However, in your picture you make human interaction (talking to each other) insignificant by placing yourself in the universe. It implies that being small makes human interaction less significant. This was just being denied because of the inability of acquiring significance
Of course the universe doesn't consider us significant. It doesn't CONSIDER at all, it's just the universe. It's just an unlimited sea of light and darkness, stars and planets, galaxies and dust. It's breathtaking, but without life to appreciate it, it might as well be nothing. "if a tree falls in a forest" you get the concept. You know, the interesting thing, complex life is what does the considering in this universe. And we only know of one place where it exists. This pale blue dot.
Significance is a relative term. Of course the universe doesn't care, it's not conscious, animism/pantheism aside. Equally unsurprising, the ant I see doesn't care about me. Caring implies awareness which entails consciousness. Our significance is relative, but so is our space. If space-time is relative, then our position (signficance) in the universe is equally relative. Science can't give an objective significance, only philosophy or religion can, and then it is much more open to being wrong.
It could be argued that a way to measure how significant something is would be to measure the entropy of the system it inhabits. The general characteristic of life is that it reduces entropy locally; we organise our world.
Then again, that particular system of measuring significance is biased towards our own significance. There are, of course, infinitely many ways to measure significance which conclude the opposite.
Is there an objective way to say that because we are "small" we are insignificant, IMO there isnt a clear link between the two. If the universe was much smaller then it is npw, how would that in turn make it more significant? To simply say we are insignificant because we are small needs more explanation.
So, I'm significant because I say I'm significant, I say I'm significant because that's what maintains my life (keeps me going, gives me a reason to live, etc.), and I want to maintain my life because I'm significant. There was more to the explanation, but does that kind of cover it? And if it does, is it okay that the argument is circular? All arguments are circular, I think, at least in some way, but not always viciously so. I'm okay with, I tihink...
I think Hank's view more closely matches what Carl Sagan was originally trying to express in Pale Blue Dot. To quote Sagan:
" The significance of our lives, and our fragile planet, is then determined by our own wisdom, and courage. -We- are the custodians of life's meaning. "
(watch?v=e8P1Y1a7-L4)
IMO, the feeling of insignificance doesn't come from us being physically tiny; its more like... an expression of the knowledge that the universe doesn't care, or intrinsically value us. I guess.
I zoned out for a little bit then came back while he was talking about matress harvesting... I'll just chalk this up to being too much for me to handle until I've finished my pie.
I think something that you fail to recognize is that you are a part of the universe. All the matter in the universe include you me and everything on Earth was once an infinitesimal particle. 13.7 billion years later, a piece of that universe is able to reflect on the awe of the universe. That is significant. It is a testimony to the awesomeness of the universe that it was able to develop a life form capable of doing such a task, and is testimony of the significance of humanity to be this meta.
@JPerry2006 But I think his point was that because there is no method for measuring awesome, or interesting, or significance, then how we value significance in the universe is a moot point. I don't think that he is trying to strip away any significance from the world...I mean his motto is DFTBA! But I do understand what you are getting at as well.
@hankschannel I think that we do create our own significance and as a fellow human being I would like to demonstrate my significance, and your significance to me by offering my sympathy and condolences on the end of your grandfather's understood existence.
The universe is not conscious, so whether or not it cares about us is a non-issue, like asking if a lamppost likes the taste of apples. But you bring up the point of WHO we are significant to, which is a good one. We can't go by how significant we are to ourselves, because, as you say, that is subjective. The real question here, is whether or not there is a God?
I think we decide whether we are going to be significant or insignificant. I think of significance as something that has had an affect. We can choose whether we want to have an effect or not. If our world can do something and if we can do something then we have significance. Though it is all a matter of perspective. That's what it all boils down to. Perspective. (May have had a misuse of effect/affect in there and I apologize)
I think Frezned's argument depends on the idea that humans are the only perceiving beings. But the problem is that this isn't completely true. While we empirically know that humans are perceiving beings, how do we know that other things outside of ourselves and earth are not perceiving beings? Knowing that X exists doesn't mean that only X exists and that Y and Z does not exist.
from our perspective were the most significant aspect of the cosmos for obvious reasons, but in the pale blue dot aren't we objectively the most significant aspect to the image? Even from a cosmological standpoint being the only confirmed life-sustaining planet makes us one of the most significant entities in the cosmos. Viewing the Hubble Deep field would only really exemplify this in showing how many other stellar bodies fail to meet the "special-ness" of residing in the habitable zone..
I think that everything exists for a purpose, because otherwise there would be no life, and there would be no universe; no existence. Just because we aren't noticed or remarkable doesn't mean we aren't important. The unnoticed, in fact, are just as important as the noticed - similar to the saying "without pain there would be no joy," without many, many uninteresting ideas, beings, planets, etc. there would be nothing truly interesting at all.
Lol Both you and John love to puff up your hair. XD I too would like to figure out the formula for interesting..probably will have to include cats or something. :p
Hank; can you make a tour of your book shelf?
Ratoscruvy 11 hours ago
you kept playing with your hair... it was very distracting! you've always done it in videos, but it was excessive in this particular video
TheRowaboat 6 days ago
So its Tom...Tom From Australia?
stude444 1 week ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I think that it would be great to have the IHC: Interesting Hadron Collider.
fuzzheadwriter 1 week ago in playlist Uploaded videos
did you just say it's not infinite out there? DUDE, hank. NO EDGE.
inkruin 2 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos 15
thankyou
for giving me something to think abought
TheFilesProduction 2 weeks ago
We care, therefore we are.
n4m4w45 2 weeks ago
It seems unfair to claim a human monopoly on granting significance. An ant will never care more about our culture than it does about the continuation of the hive (ignoring slight overlap there).
martinlevine91 2 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
My dentist, while alive, is not more interesting than black holes. IMO.
MrWhonut 3 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
All I can think of is "It's a great big universe" from Animaniacs...
1islessthan3 3 weeks ago
i think your wrong. value doesn't need to be measured to be recognized as existing. I guess we differ in that you believe only we grant ideas of "value." I believe that God has granted us on our pale blue dot with more value than the rest of the uninhabited universe.
Joehickam1 4 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
apparently Hank inherited the puff as well.
Thelizzardcat 4 weeks ago
sad*
natida9 1 month ago
why does he sound so slow and so sasd??
natida9 1 month ago
Knew I missed one... I love HankGames too... Swindon Town Swoodilypoopers FTW!
Otherwisedull 1 month ago
Despite Tom's initial mistake, uh, I'd agree with him. Life itself is spectacular, it's out of the ordinary. The Universe might not take exception to life and might not care, but it doesn't exactly have the sentience to do so. We have that sentience to perceive. It's like the argument 'if the tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?'
I like the idea that it translates to the universe is generally insignificant if there is no life to perceive it.
GnashMash 1 month ago 2
@randomgal1332 *counts*
vlogbrothers
hankschannel
scishow
crashcourse
truthorfail
truthorfailnosub
Six, but four of them are shared. You're welcome for answering your rhetorical question.
Otherwisedull 1 month ago
@Otherwisedull
You forgot hankgames, which he shares with John and Katherine
oldwhatshisface 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
hank looks so flustered.
urfaceisausername 1 month ago
hank looks like hes going to cry...
urfaceisausername 1 month ago
He's boss!
AshleyTisdaleFan2145 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
you make me want to push up the glasses i don't have!!
crazycookie76 1 month ago
H2G2 reference xD the mattress planet ftw!
FindGin 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@FindGin I agree with you my fellow hitchhiker lover(stop reading if you havn't read life the universe and everything spoilers) too bad Melvin was stranded there with no leg
usingtocommentonvids 1 month ago in playlist More videos from hankschannel
How many channels does this guy have...
randomgal1322 1 month ago
@randomgal1322 3
MrPerson54645 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Something to ponder: You're making the quite rational argument that the universe does not care about us. While true, phrasing it that way makes it sound like the universe cares about something else, and that something else is more important than us. But I think the crux of Tom's point (which you sort of eventually got to at the end, but not really) is that we are the only beings capable of caring about anything in a way that makes sense to us. All other ways, to quote the Borg, are irrelevant.
lettersfromkobol 1 month ago
This video inspired an element in the novel I'm writing about alien life in which most extra-terrestials feel really sorry for humans becuase we think we're insignificant when in reality, people from other planets really like us because of YouTube broadcasts.
hayhay509 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I think the difference is more a matter of point of view. Hank, you're a scientist. Tom seems to be more of a philosopher, or something, exaggerated or not as those terms may apply to you, but my point is just, you see it differently, and that's where you differ in opinion.
vintagekittencircus 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
watch?v=8kBbEQvgJec
Speck on a speck orbiting a speck in the middle of specklessness
ridintheroflcopter 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Could "interestingness" be quantified by average brain stimulation? It would still be an "inside" perspective rather than a more objective "outside" perspective, but it might be a place to start. Thoughts?
Indie7373 1 month ago in playlist More videos from hankschannel
I tend to agree with your argument more than Frezned. In my opinion, his argument places more value on the sentimentality of the issue, rather than evaluating what gives us that value and that sentiment, which I feel is your whole point.
dantesblackrose13 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
the universe doesn't care about us....the universe (AS FAR AS WE KNOW) doesn't care about...anything. the universe (AS FAR AS WE KNOW) cannot care. conscious/living beings make significance and (AS FAR AS WE KNOW) we are the only conscious beings in the universe
imrorykelly 1 month ago 13
On a cosmic scale,we may be totally insignificant, but the only perspective we can really understand is our own. From our point of view on Earth, all that other stuff out in the universe is amazing, but its still just "all that other stuff". Significance is assinged by sentient organisms, and if we can't even consider ourselves the most significant part of our own existance, we may need to re-evaluate our priorities.
Mrpapayaheadrulesall 1 month ago 4
Clearly the cosmos doesn't think highly of life, in therms of significance.. it keeps destroying it!
FutureAbe 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Nothing has significance without observation by some form of sentient thought, meaning that if we are the only sentient beings in the universe, then this speck of dust we are on is the only one that matters, because this speck of dust thinks and observes and gives meaning to every other speck of dust in the universe.
MrOliver250 1 month ago
You sound like me when I am trying to make a very simple point, but begin rambling. Every comment on here is essentially restating what you said. I'll stop myself from rambling and just say, I agree with you sir, but prefer to think of the Earth as significant to me rather than insignificant to the cosmos. Glass half full.
LemonadeH 1 month ago
I'M SIGNIFICANT screamed the dust speck.
stephmufffin 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I'M SIGNIFICANT screamed the dust speck.
stephmufffin 1 month ago
I'M SIGNIFICANT screamed the dust speck.
stephmufffin 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I'M SIGNIFICANT screamed the dust speck.
stephmufffin 1 month ago
I'M SIGNIFICANT screamed the dust speck.
stephmufffin 1 month ago
Quantify interesting by measuring the amount of time a five year old will listen to something. Pretty sure that's not what you meant but still.
standingstare 1 month ago in playlist More videos from hankschannel
Comment removed
nothingcleverful 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I like being insignificant, makes me feel special.
rabbitwho 1 month ago
......I'm not that smart......cheese!!!!
Music4ever248 1 month ago
I think that the universe would be for nothing if life didn't exist on this planet. Considering that life may not exist anywhere else in this universe, why would the universe be, but for the observation of it by us?
shabalab98 1 month ago
I think that if we didn't have life on this planet, the universe would be for nothing. If there is no life out there, which there may or may not be, then what was this universe created for, but for our observation of it.
shabalab98 1 month ago
I'm not sure who I agree on, but both sides have great ideas and there should just be a channel where Hank and Tom just talk about all this deep stuff and debate each other.
Silverballoons 1 month ago
Was that a bobblehead of yourself in the backround on the left?...
oooney 1 month ago
@oooney Nope, it's Obi-Wan Kenobi. But now I really want a Hank bobblehead.
Silverballoons 1 month ago
Hank you and ur vids are amazing, but it's 3:30 in the morning and this is way too deep for right now.
Ps I'm typing this on my iPhone and it auto corrected vids to visa so if I hadnt proofread this comment it would have said that you and your visa are amazing
DEllamalover 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Significance and insignificance can never be anything but subjective.
keerak 2 months ago
Ttrouble is, I agree with Frezned.
oddrey52 2 months ago
Importance is a human perspective, hence I believe you are wrong. The fact that we cannot compare in physical significance does not degrade our importance. If you look at it in a different perspective, the Vatican City is physically small in land mass but does that make it unimportant in comparison to the rest of the world? Equality, a human perspective. Importance is created by society, yet you argue it is somehow relevant to what may or may not exist and hence what may or may not warrant note.
ImperialisVideos 2 months ago
Ok, but the Creator of the Universe does
TheOtherAmandas 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@TheOtherAmandas I am sorry to say this but you have been taught delusions your entire life. I was one of those people being born in an Orthodox Jewish home, never using electricity on Sabbath, being kosher, etc. We have been raised to follow in the same beliefs as our parents. If you were born in Iraq, you'd be a Muslim, not a Christian. Look up evolution on Wikipedia. There's no scientific way to prove there's a creator of the universe, just as I can't disprove it with science
Alytoner 2 months ago
@Alytoner Ok, then why do you care?
TheOtherAmandas 2 months ago
@TheOtherAmandas About the universe? About life? It's all opinionated. If I was depressed at the time, I'd say we have no point of living, but if I'm partying with my friends drunk off my ass, I'm having the time of my life. Life is about living. I just have as much fun as possible without hurting other people emotionally and physically, and I'm perfectly fine. I don't have any religious path, just a path of life, because face it, we're all animals, we've just been domesticated.
Alytoner 2 months ago
Edward Lorenz once suggested that a butterfly flapping it's wings could create a hurricane halfway across the world. This wasn't just to illustrate why nothing can be exactly predicted in meteorology, but also how tiny, seemly insignificant things are actually significant. Even if a contributing factor/cause is so small you cannot trace it back from the effect, it doesn't mean it wasn't one.
JennyTwoJackets 2 months ago
this reminds my of Horton hears a who
contentwatcher101 2 months ago
Just because something is constructed, does not mean it's insignificant. Everything in human perception of reality is in some way constructed by people. It's all we know and all we are - and that's what makes it important.
heranje 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
You can make a matress out of plants now on earth....
sciencenerd111 2 months ago
i feel like I'm having a lecture by the scientist guy from the Simpsons
candocando 2 months ago
A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!"
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
“A sense of obligation.”
--Stephen Crane
VeIocityRaptor 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy matresses actually is living creatures =) Just saying.
MelissaDandel 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Puff levels are rising with Hank as well.
Briellesabop 2 months ago
Wash: "This is gonna get pretty interesting."
Mal: "Define interesting."
Wash: "Oh, God, oh, God, we're all gonna die?"
clemmaclaire 2 months ago 2
I love all Hanks videos. But something that irritates me is I subscribe, and try to add him -.- But he doesn't add or respond. But Liked this video anyways.
dimnot2000 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I liked this quite a lot.
GillianIsLegit 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I agree with Hank. Mostly because the universe isn't something with feelings.
Dragthesewaters 2 months ago
Interestonomy? would that include complex numbers?
chikentori 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Hank, please stop blowing my mind O_O
Auremin 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
thereversepolarbear 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
When your saying about humans being unimportant to the universe isn't that giving the universe human emotions
Shelleystarkid 2 months ago
I like these philosophical discussions. (:
noorgansjustawesome 2 months ago
But the main thing i want to bring up is human conciousness, from the point of view of the picture you posted, we're just little robots who come into the world then die a bit later. But what shocks me is how different we are from what we see in robots. we have 'ourselves'! Think about what it is to be you. Not your body, because that is constantly changing, but your mind. I find it hard to believe that simple machines have a self. eg. I find it hard to think a thermostat thinks 'its too hot!'
jamestehaley0 2 months ago
Importance, value and goodness are emotivist concepts, meaning we see an object and apply our own feelings about it, to it. Significance however is measurable in a way, because if we were to change the state of play, if we took the universe and shaped it, we would be seen as the changers, the significant part of the universe. The pale blue dot is a good example of how we are not significant, but if you look at having objects on the moon, we seem like we're making a difference to our universe.
jamestehaley0 2 months ago
this video is a perfect example of why nerds are hot
aFriendlyArab 2 months ago
Oh God. What if, to some alien race, WE ARE THE MATRESSES AND THEY WILL HARVEST US FOR COMFORTABLE NAPS.
FallingSkywards 2 months ago
@FallingSkywards OMG NOOOOOO
aFriendlyArab 2 months ago
You and frezned are really well thought out and articulate.
I think that's all I have to say...
Praptolium 2 months ago
I uploaded a video response to this. Hopefully Hank gets around to accepting it as a video response to his video. I put a lot of effort into it :P
If anyone's interested, give me your thoughts!
/watch?v=ppqUMrHglWo
pkConda 2 months ago
Care as a verb is defined as, "to be concerned or solicitous; have thought or regard." The universe if indifferent in the truest sense of the word. Therefore, the universe is incapable of caring. An inanimate object which lacks the ability to care cannot in any way be used to measure the significance of anything, let alone the significance of us.
STILLiAmOne 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I'm loving this discussion!
wytherwings 2 months ago
I'm not sure what you said either, but the more I smoked the more I enjoyed whatever you said.
tghtbottom 2 months ago
I wish cynicism wasn't deemed so edgy and meta. It is far too easy to break us down.
I can see both sides of this but I still feel Frezned is -more- right. The very fact we can have this instant debate. Thousands of people all around one planet. Talking about a picture taken by -us-. The human freaking brain...I find it far more compelling and worthy of my attention than sheer volume. Which, after all, is the definition of significance.
Bammarjackass 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos 2
you don't think the universe cares about us? That's an unusual way to say it. The only thing that we know of in this universe capable of caring is us.
So no, the universe doesn't care about us, but then it doesn't care about anything else either, because it is incapable of caring, or thinking at all for that matter.
spiderplant3 2 months ago
7:14 FTW
chromedy 2 months ago
On a cosmic scale - yeah, nobody cares about us. We are insignificant in comparison to everything else that exists. We are tiny. But we are still significant to us. And not just to us, but the fact of our existence, and the way we are structured, and just life and people themselves, those things are just so complex and amazing that, even though there may not be other beings that care, our existence is still, well, a miracle.
TheAfr97 2 months ago 14
Both great arguments i must say.
thenofxer 2 months ago 12
GPOY >:I
Not even kidding.
J0yisaL0s3r 2 months ago
ill be posting a response. after i edit my rambling session :P
pkConda 2 months ago
want to quantify intrest?
measure neurological activity.
Simple
kennytehnerdfigther 2 months ago
your imagination is so huge. it's always amazing to find out about the way you look at things like the world.
ishvampire 2 months ago
This all seems a little elaborate.
You put your foot down, with good humor, on something you sincerely believe.
Tom's toes got caught under your footfall. He said, "Hey!"
You said, "Sorry, I didn't mean it—I mean, I meant what I did. But I didn't mean to step on your toes."
And he said, "Just watch it, buddy. Other people's feet are down here too."
And you went back to being friends. The end.
Missingenaction 2 months ago 2
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Hank, I don't think I have ever loved a person that I do not know personally, more than I love you. I seriously can't wait to meet you at vidcon. And if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a big hug to thank you for all you have taught me. :)
tinabeaner004 2 months ago
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Hank, I don't think I have ever loved a person that I do not know personally, more than I love you. I seriously can't wait to meet you at vidcon. And if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a big hug to thank you for all you have taught me. :)
tinabeaner004 2 months ago
Hank, I don't think I have ever loved a person that I do not know personally, more than I love you. I seriously can't wait to meet you at vidcon. And if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a big hug to thank you for all you have taught me. :)
tinabeaner004 2 months ago
I feel like there's no "Sorry, Hank, I still agree with Tom."
There is no certain answer. Tom argues that yes, we are significant because, as far as we know, we are the only planet that holds the existence of humanity, or life at all for that matter.
Hank never really says this is wrong, in fact, he says that it is right, from my understanding. We are significant, but only to ourselves. To the rest of the universe, we are just that small blue dot. We only affect our small part of space.
AlCat42 2 months ago 2
Tom spoke with much more conviction, and while I still enjoyed listening to you babble, I still agree with him.
4evaGTB 2 months ago 2
Yep, still agree with Tom. Still love you, though, Hank!
dearest27helpless 2 months ago 17
Hank, just as much as Tom is wrong in saying we are significant or important, you are are wrong in saying we're insignificant or unimportant. The problem with trying to be objective about nature is that adjectives can't be used to describe them since adjectives are inherently subjective. So it just comes down to whether we like to feel significant or insignificant.
alifarzanehfar 2 months ago 84
@alifarzanehfar objectivity isn't meant to be comforting though. Hank is trying to achieve a viewpoint of logic and detached reason, so feeling unsettled may very well be a possible reaction. While Hank may not be able to achieve meta understanding, he is at least trying to be as objective as we can with our inherently subjective minds. and that's as good as we can do
pkConda 2 months ago
@alifarzanehfar I agree! very well said. (:
busybeingbla 2 months ago
Damn it, Hank. Look at the camera more!
rrlloo1 2 months ago
I love the spring mattress gathering! Best part of the year!
DecidedlyAbnormal 2 months ago
*Cough* No new poster...
paintedragons 2 months ago
I still agree with Tom : )
sillysillyface 2 months ago
A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!"
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
“A sense of obligation.”
-Stephen Crane
halamaker 2 months ago 4
This has been flagged as spam show
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MultiAhka 2 months ago
Does the universe not care about us? If the universe cares about anything, why not us?
Except if your point is that the universe doesn't care about anything. But then, why does the fact that it cares equally little about us as everything else make you feel insignificant? It's not as it cares more about the Hubble deep field, and surely that's significant to us.
rifsberjasulta 2 months ago 2
I wish Hank was my Science teacher :D
AThousandSummers 2 months ago
You know what I appreciate about you, Hank? The fact that whenever you talk about Science-y stuff, it makes this literature major want to know more about science--and trust me, that's a feat. So, thank you for that. And that's for always being awsome.
ShalomDove 2 months ago
I like that your philosophical/intellectual rant ended with "And that's how I feel" like you were in a group therapy session or something.
bdubbayou 2 months ago 3
Hank's New York Times bestseller will be "The Interesting Particle Accelerator and How Cool The Results Are." Work in progress...
501SpaishImposters 2 months ago
"We would need a new fundamental particle of course."
Of course. I love how nonchalantly you say that.
KayleeCommons 2 months ago 3
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What you said pretty much sums it up: arguing about semantics. You said that significance for us comes from human constructs, and not from place or size or objective interestingness. However, in your picture you make human interaction (talking to each other) insignificant by placing yourself in the universe. It implies that being small makes human interaction less significant. This was just being denied because of the inability of acquiring significance
barendbos 2 months ago
Of course the universe doesn't consider us significant. It doesn't CONSIDER at all, it's just the universe. It's just an unlimited sea of light and darkness, stars and planets, galaxies and dust. It's breathtaking, but without life to appreciate it, it might as well be nothing. "if a tree falls in a forest" you get the concept. You know, the interesting thing, complex life is what does the considering in this universe. And we only know of one place where it exists. This pale blue dot.
MATTierial 2 months ago 2
I agree with Hank, we are utterly insignificant in comparison to the universe, but we matter to each other and we have things which matter to us.
Also, I spent the whole video wondering what was different about it. There was no poster. I was throwm :P
yourshowercap 2 months ago
Poster? POSTER!?! WHERE ARE YOU POSTER!?! *cries*
PossumCuber 2 months ago
Have to say, I agreed much more with frezned here
niamhdowling 2 months ago
Significance is a relative term. Of course the universe doesn't care, it's not conscious, animism/pantheism aside. Equally unsurprising, the ant I see doesn't care about me. Caring implies awareness which entails consciousness. Our significance is relative, but so is our space. If space-time is relative, then our position (signficance) in the universe is equally relative. Science can't give an objective significance, only philosophy or religion can, and then it is much more open to being wrong.
treymedley 2 months ago
@Yuka236 well dont i look stupid now haha. my bad
killerhunter2008 2 months ago
The Fundamental Particle of Interestingness, theorized by Hank Green. This needs to be on a shirt.
EriksWanderingChild 2 months ago
I suppose one needs to define significance.
jofasis 2 months ago
So essentially, size and significance are both relative. On another note, normal Hank acts a lot like my nine year old cousin.
Chocohall 2 months ago
3:57, Hank, I love it when you talk nerdy to me.
Rayne0804 2 months ago
It could be argued that a way to measure how significant something is would be to measure the entropy of the system it inhabits. The general characteristic of life is that it reduces entropy locally; we organise our world.
Then again, that particular system of measuring significance is biased towards our own significance. There are, of course, infinitely many ways to measure significance which conclude the opposite.
azyclar 2 months ago
Is there an objective way to say that because we are "small" we are insignificant, IMO there isnt a clear link between the two. If the universe was much smaller then it is npw, how would that in turn make it more significant? To simply say we are insignificant because we are small needs more explanation.
daviesman1 2 months ago
my brain hurts
NicolasP200 2 months ago
Thank you Hank. You just motivated me to refocus myself to study for my Ethics Exam that's today.
Litameena4chan 2 months ago
So, I'm significant because I say I'm significant, I say I'm significant because that's what maintains my life (keeps me going, gives me a reason to live, etc.), and I want to maintain my life because I'm significant. There was more to the explanation, but does that kind of cover it? And if it does, is it okay that the argument is circular? All arguments are circular, I think, at least in some way, but not always viciously so. I'm okay with, I tihink...
TheFanwindow 2 months ago
I think Hank's view more closely matches what Carl Sagan was originally trying to express in Pale Blue Dot. To quote Sagan:
" The significance of our lives, and our fragile planet, is then determined by our own wisdom, and courage. -We- are the custodians of life's meaning. "
(watch?v=e8P1Y1a7-L4)
IMO, the feeling of insignificance doesn't come from us being physically tiny; its more like... an expression of the knowledge that the universe doesn't care, or intrinsically value us. I guess.
Skrimyt 2 months ago
His calmness... it's unsettling.
dannerzme 2 months ago 57
planet that grows mattresses? reference to hitchhikers guide to the galaxy? yes, i think so.
volubleperspicacious 2 months ago
naah, i liked frezned's way more
kassikangas 2 months ago
who exactly are you looking at there, off to the right of your camera?
fecklessman 2 months ago
So profound.
TARDIS43 2 months ago
how can we, as a human race, understand the universe when we have only just begun to understand oiurselves?
Allegrajell0 2 months ago
OBSCURE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE REFERENCE MAKES MY LIFE WORTH LIVING
bexxieflower 2 months ago 4
Dude, just face it. Frezned owned you.
chalupahoopla 2 months ago
Well, in regard to quantifying interest, there's always the like/dislike bar...
timothy22597 2 months ago 4
quantify interestingness... hmmm. something with the diameter of one's pupils...
natchi212 2 months ago
Nice discussion video!
As a sidenote, you should make a video showing all the stuff on that shelf behind you!
PostManUpsideDown 2 months ago
I zoned out for a little bit then came back while he was talking about matress harvesting... I'll just chalk this up to being too much for me to handle until I've finished my pie.
TheBoringLifeOfBeth 2 months ago
@TheBoringLifeOfBeth Almost the exact same thing just happened to me with candy corn. Sweets and Hank Green to not seem to agree this evening.
GluedWallflower 2 months ago
I think something that you fail to recognize is that you are a part of the universe. All the matter in the universe include you me and everything on Earth was once an infinitesimal particle. 13.7 billion years later, a piece of that universe is able to reflect on the awe of the universe. That is significant. It is a testimony to the awesomeness of the universe that it was able to develop a life form capable of doing such a task, and is testimony of the significance of humanity to be this meta.
JPerry2006 2 months ago
@JPerry2006 But I think his point was that because there is no method for measuring awesome, or interesting, or significance, then how we value significance in the universe is a moot point. I don't think that he is trying to strip away any significance from the world...I mean his motto is DFTBA! But I do understand what you are getting at as well.
blyndeye3 2 months ago
@hankschannel I think that we do create our own significance and as a fellow human being I would like to demonstrate my significance, and your significance to me by offering my sympathy and condolences on the end of your grandfather's understood existence.
AKlshulman 2 months ago
The universe is not conscious, so whether or not it cares about us is a non-issue, like asking if a lamppost likes the taste of apples. But you bring up the point of WHO we are significant to, which is a good one. We can't go by how significant we are to ourselves, because, as you say, that is subjective. The real question here, is whether or not there is a God?
silkenleather 2 months ago
What's interesting about earth? Systematic decrease of entropy.
thisiswater314 2 months ago
He pushed up his glasses so many times!
inheritancelover 2 months ago
A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!"
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
“A sense of obligation.”
--Stephen Crane
featheredskyblue 2 months ago
I love Frezned, I really do. But I think that his argument is more or less complete crap.
clandestine919 2 months ago
I think we decide whether we are going to be significant or insignificant. I think of significance as something that has had an affect. We can choose whether we want to have an effect or not. If our world can do something and if we can do something then we have significance. Though it is all a matter of perspective. That's what it all boils down to. Perspective. (May have had a misuse of effect/affect in there and I apologize)
KiKianaKi 2 months ago
I think Frezned's argument depends on the idea that humans are the only perceiving beings. But the problem is that this isn't completely true. While we empirically know that humans are perceiving beings, how do we know that other things outside of ourselves and earth are not perceiving beings? Knowing that X exists doesn't mean that only X exists and that Y and Z does not exist.
MultiRationale 2 months ago
Interestingness formula would be interesting to people I find interesting
MusicMeg2012 2 months ago
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference = win
soooglow32 2 months ago
And they say the internet is just porn and cats. Yay for intellectual discourse!
smallstegosaurus 2 months ago 92
from our perspective were the most significant aspect of the cosmos for obvious reasons, but in the pale blue dot aren't we objectively the most significant aspect to the image? Even from a cosmological standpoint being the only confirmed life-sustaining planet makes us one of the most significant entities in the cosmos. Viewing the Hubble Deep field would only really exemplify this in showing how many other stellar bodies fail to meet the "special-ness" of residing in the habitable zone..
specialtuber 2 months ago
Well shit, I agree with both of you...
whathehammer 2 months ago 3
@whathehammer I'm glad I'm not the only one!
shoelace07 2 months ago
I think that everything exists for a purpose, because otherwise there would be no life, and there would be no universe; no existence. Just because we aren't noticed or remarkable doesn't mean we aren't important. The unnoticed, in fact, are just as important as the noticed - similar to the saying "without pain there would be no joy," without many, many uninteresting ideas, beings, planets, etc. there would be nothing truly interesting at all.
On a lighter note: no poster today?
kralbertson 2 months ago
Hank reminds me of a monk when he wears the brown hoodie
sgtfwoods 2 months ago
You should quantify the interestingness of the idea of trying to quantify interestingness. That would be intersting.
PJSproductions97 2 months ago
Lol Both you and John love to puff up your hair. XD I too would like to figure out the formula for interesting..probably will have to include cats or something. :p
soultaker30 2 months ago
We care about and/or define insignificance? That sounds self-evident.
faeryfiction 2 months ago
I'm positive this wasn't your intentio