what would be the point of almost everything?

[flobadob]

We are pretty sure that there is no intelligent, if any, life in our solar system.
I'm not saying that there is or isn't other life out there, but what I am
wondering is what would be the point of our solar system and everything
in it if we weren't here to realise it?

[birdie1971]

Keyplus - “... At last I do know now the difference between theory and a fact...”

I doubt that very much. If you will recall, many members of AB including myself, have on many previous occasions, carefully explained to you what is meant by a scientific theory and a scientific fact, how they are arrived at (ie. the compiling of voluminous amounts of independently verified, mutually supportive, observed evidence) and the difference between scientific facts/theories and unsubstantiated hypotheses.

The fact that you are still making comments such as the one I responded to earlier demonstrates that you simply don't get it. You also still seem to think that the non-religious place scientists on some sort of pedestal and that their pronouncements are treated with unquestioning reverence. No one scientist is an island. His/her work must be verified and replicated by others. If that work cannot be verified and replicated by the scientific community then their work is rejected as false or at best, unproven. There have been numerous examples of scientists claiming amazing things to be true and yet when those claims are scrutinised, they turn out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Unfortunately, being a scientist does not necessarily make you an honest person – more's the pity. Luckily, the fakers and fraudsters are more often than not exposed by their more honourable colleagues.

I can only conclude that you are being wilfully ignorant on this issue. However, I live in hope that the penny may drop one day.

[birdie1971]

Seadragon - “... For example take the bee, what is the point of that? The point of the bee is...”.

As you rightly say, the reason we're here is because of the countless interactions over hundreds of millions of years that have culminated in our existence and every other species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, etc. due to evolutionary processes.

However, the OP's question isn't really about the point of an individual entity in our global ecosystem. The question is broader than that. The OP is asking – what's the point of life?

[birdie1971]

Flobadob - “...IF no other self aware life was out there, it would be pretty strange having loads of planets, galaxies and the like just floating around space...”

I don't find the idea strange at all. I fail to understand the concept of why the universe requires an observer in order to validate its existence.

[mibn2cweus]

Just look at us, winners all in a super lottery of cosmic proportions.

Now if only we can learn to invest our astonishing good fortune wisely.

[naomi24]

Flob, //I'm not liking all this creationism insinuation.//

With a question such as the one you’ve asked, it’s impossible to avoid the concept of creation arising. As has been said, for there to be a point, there has to be a plan. Look at it this way. If no plan exists, what determines the ‘point’?

[jomifl]

^ Flob, Why? there is lots of stuff both here on Earth and in other parts of the universe which nothing and nobody is aware of, yet it presumably exists. If things didn't exist before we became aware of them how could we become aware of them? They obviously must have existed because they have been interacting with things that we know existed whist we were unaware of their existence. It is possible for things to exist without being appreciated.

[Seadragon]

I think there are too many questions here.
The main question used the word 'realise'...that is defined as 'becoming fully aware of something as a fact, to understand clearly.'....It is being conscious and relates to living things.

So I don't understand then, Flobadob when you state the tree falling in the type scenario? If Earth just fell out of our solar system, I'm no scientist but I would guess it would not affect the gravitational fields of the other planets (or not?) but I would imagine they would continue their circulations around the Sun??

We 'realise' the countless number of galaxies outside our own and we don't 'realise' the countless others....yet there is nothing strange about those 'galaxies, planets and the like just floating around space.'

[birdie1971]

If the Earth suddenly popped out of existence it is more than likely there would be perturbations in the orbits of other local planets but nothing more dramatic than that. However, the fate of the moon might prove to be an interesting watch (if anyone was around to observe it) as its orbit inevitably degraded and it spun inexorably towards the sun. It is conceivable that Venus and Mercury could be impacted by the rouge ex-satellite causing some spectacular fireworks but that's by the by.

Flob's argument seems to rest upon the assumption that there is no point to anything if there is no one around to observe it. There is a problem with this. Countless things happen every single femtosecond of every day without ever being observed by anyone or by anyone fully realising that they have occurred. As I've already stated, the universe does not require an observer to validate its existence.

[flobadob]

Does it need its existence validated?

[naomi24]

Flob, I think that's what most people have been saying.