Our Cosmic Insignificance.
The universe that surrounds us is vast, and we are so very small. When we reflect on the vastness of the universe, our humdrum cosmic location, and the inevitable future demise of humanity, our lives can seem utterly insignificant. Many philosophers assume that such worries about our significance re...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2014
|
| _version_ | 1797057232182968320 |
|---|---|
| author | Kahane, G |
| author_facet | Kahane, G |
| author_sort | Kahane, G |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The universe that surrounds us is vast, and we are so very small. When we reflect on the vastness of the universe, our humdrum cosmic location, and the inevitable future demise of humanity, our lives can seem utterly insignificant. Many philosophers assume that such worries about our significance reflect a banal metaethical confusion. They dismiss the very idea of cosmic significance. This, I argue, is a mistake. Worries about cosmic insignificance do not express metaethical worries about objectivity or nihilism, and we can make good sense of the idea of cosmic significance and its absence. It is also possible to explain why the vastness of the universe can make us feel insignificant. This impression does turn out to be mistaken, but not for the reasons typically assumed. In fact, we might be of immense cosmic significance-though we cannot, at this point, tell whether this is the case. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:33:21Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:1e358803-563c-4e65-a653-9c844c8a55a2 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:33:21Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:1e358803-563c-4e65-a653-9c844c8a55a22022-03-26T11:15:04ZOur Cosmic Insignificance.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:1e358803-563c-4e65-a653-9c844c8a55a2EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2014Kahane, GThe universe that surrounds us is vast, and we are so very small. When we reflect on the vastness of the universe, our humdrum cosmic location, and the inevitable future demise of humanity, our lives can seem utterly insignificant. Many philosophers assume that such worries about our significance reflect a banal metaethical confusion. They dismiss the very idea of cosmic significance. This, I argue, is a mistake. Worries about cosmic insignificance do not express metaethical worries about objectivity or nihilism, and we can make good sense of the idea of cosmic significance and its absence. It is also possible to explain why the vastness of the universe can make us feel insignificant. This impression does turn out to be mistaken, but not for the reasons typically assumed. In fact, we might be of immense cosmic significance-though we cannot, at this point, tell whether this is the case. |
| spellingShingle | Kahane, G Our Cosmic Insignificance. |
| title | Our Cosmic Insignificance. |
| title_full | Our Cosmic Insignificance. |
| title_fullStr | Our Cosmic Insignificance. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Our Cosmic Insignificance. |
| title_short | Our Cosmic Insignificance. |
| title_sort | our cosmic insignificance |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kahaneg ourcosmicinsignificance |