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...
| المؤلف الرئيسي: | |
|---|---|
| التنسيق: | Journal article |
| اللغة: | English |
| منشور في: |
Wiley
2014
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| الموضوعات: |
| _version_ | 1826274544895131648 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 2024-03-06T22:45:03Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:5cdfd3ef-2bc1-42a3-8c3f-ac2e3d12b76b |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:45:03Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:5cdfd3ef-2bc1-42a3-8c3f-ac2e3d12b76b2022-03-26T17:30:56ZOur cosmic insignificanceJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:5cdfd3ef-2bc1-42a3-8c3f-ac2e3d12b76bEthics (Moral philosophy)Practical ethicsEthics of the biosciencesPhilosophyEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetWiley2014Kahane, 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 | Ethics (Moral philosophy) Practical ethics Ethics of the biosciences Philosophy 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 |
| topic | Ethics (Moral philosophy) Practical ethics Ethics of the biosciences Philosophy |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kahaneg ourcosmicinsignificance |