Cosmos (Neil deGrasse Tyson)

[CopperTom]

If you were a door, what kind of door would you be?

That one?

I don't get it.

[Jorge]

I'm not religious, or supporting that theory either.

The proof seems so loosely tied to the theory. I can't get past step 1 - infinite expansion in an infinitesimal amount of time. Doesn't that contradict physics in every way imaginable?

It wasn't an infinite expansion--if it were, then the universe wouldn't still be expanding today, when, in fact, it is. And, for sure, the reason we can only go back so far is because during the plank epoch the laws of physics as we know them hadn't developed yet, so relativity doesn't work; no one really believes they know what happened back then, but they've come up with theories and are currently testing them. How is that arrogant again?

I think it did infinitely expand and it it still expanding. It's infinite - it could infinitely expand forever and still be able to infinitely expand. There is no end of space.
I find it arrogant that people try to prove this. It's the single most unprovable fact of our existence. These great minds can be spent trying to solve something more useful, no?

Imagine you woke up naked in a field, in the middle of nowhere. You have no idea where you are, or how you got there. What do you do? First, you'd probably go into survival mode; you'd look for the basic necessities to sustain life: water, food, and shelter from the elements.
Once you had everything you needed to stay alive, and you knew that, if nothing else, you could at least remain in your current location indefinitely, you might start to wonder what in the hell happened: one minute you're bouncing around Reddit, the next you're bare-ass in the middle of nowhere.
After you come to grips with the reality of the situation, you'd probably want to try and figure out where in the hell you are. You might try and look for clues from your environment or maybe a constellation you recognize, or perhaps you decide to do a little exploring around the immediate area, to see if there's anything around that could give you some clue as to where in the hell you are.
Let's say that your efforts reveal that you're in the middle of Africa. Once you've figured out where you are, you only have two choices left: stay there and simply exist as long as you can, or attempt to get back to civilization; either option has it's own risks.
If you chose to stay where you are, then that's essentially it for you, you now know how your future will play out: you'll remain at your current location until you either die of old age, or your area becomes unable to sustain life. Either way, the game is over for you; your entire existence becomes about survival, and you're just running out the clock until, at some point in the future, you cease to exist.
Maybe you decide to try and leave a message for someone to find in the future, maybe you're content to simply fade off into oblivion, either way, your fate is sealed.
Now let's say you decided to try and get back to civilization. Since you know where you are, your logical next step is going to be to try and figure out someplace to go, and then of course, how to get there. Now you have a goal, something you're striving towards. Life ceases to be about mere survival and becomes an epic journey to get you where you want to go.
This is the timeline of humanity. We woke up with nothing, on a little rock, in the middle of nowhere. We figured out how to survive, and we struggled to come to grips with our own reality. Then we started exploring, trying to find out just exactly where we were in the Universe. Now we're faced with the same choice: exist, or move on.
You ask if it's something that a "regular guy REALLY needs to know", to me it's the most important thing he/she needs to know: that humanity chooses more than an existence of mere survival. That humanity chooses to move forward and keep exploring and expanding. To know that, even though we might never make it, at least we're making the effort. That we have hope.
The alternative is to simply run out the clock and wait to fade off into oblivion.

[malice]

I'm not religious, or supporting that theory either.

The proof seems so loosely tied to the theory. I can't get past step 1 - infinite expansion in an infinitesimal amount of time. Doesn't that contradict physics in every way imaginable?

It wasn't an infinite expansion--if it were, then the universe wouldn't still be expanding today, when, in fact, it is. And, for sure, the reason we can only go back so far is because during the plank epoch the laws of physics as we know them hadn't developed yet, so relativity doesn't work; no one really believes they know what happened back then, but they've come up with theories and are currently testing them. How is that arrogant again?

I think it did infinitely expand and it it still expanding. It's infinite - it could infinitely expand forever and still be able to infinitely expand. There is no end of space.
I find it arrogant that people try to prove this. It's the single most unprovable fact of our existence. These great minds can be spent trying to solve something more useful, no?

Imagine you woke up naked in a field, in the middle of nowhere. You have no idea where you are, or how you got there. What do you do? First, you'd probably go into survival mode; you'd look for the basic necessities to sustain life: water, food, and shelter from the elements.
Once you had everything you needed to stay alive, and you knew that, if nothing else, you could at least remain in your current location indefinitely, you might start to wonder what in the hell happened: one minute you're bouncing around Reddit, the next you're bare-ass in the middle of nowhere.
After you come to grips with the reality of the situation, you'd probably want to try and figure out where in the hell you are. You might try and look for clues from your environment or maybe a constellation you recognize, or perhaps you decide to do a little exploring around the immediate area, to see if there's anything around that could give you some clue as to where in the hell you are.
Let's say that your efforts reveal that you're in the middle of Africa. Once you've figured out where you are, you only have two choices left: stay there and simply exist as long as you can, or attempt to get back to civilization; either option has it's own risks.
If you chose to stay where you are, then that's essentially it for you, you now know how your future will play out: you'll remain at your current location until you either die of old age, or your area becomes unable to sustain life. Either way, the game is over for you; your entire existence becomes about survival, and you're just running out the clock until, at some point in the future, you cease to exist.
Maybe you decide to try and leave a message for someone to find in the future, maybe you're content to simply fade off into oblivion, either way, your fate is sealed.
Now let's say you decided to try and get back to civilization. Since you know where you are, your logical next step is going to be to try and figure out someplace to go, and then of course, how to get there. Now you have a goal, something you're striving towards. Life ceases to be about mere survival and becomes an epic journey to get you where you want to go.
This is the timeline of humanity. We woke up with nothing, on a little rock, in the middle of nowhere. We figured out how to survive, and we struggled to come to grips with our own reality. Then we started exploring, trying to find out just exactly where we were in the Universe. Now we're faced with the same choice: exist, or move on.
You ask if it's something that a "regular guy REALLY needs to know", to me it's the most important thing he/she needs to know: that humanity chooses more than an existence of mere survival. That humanity chooses to move forward and keep exploring and expanding. To know that, even though we might never make it, at least we're making the effort. That we have hope.
The alternative is to simply run out the clock and wait to fade off into oblivion.

don't turn this into an issues thing

[dimejinky99]

The first episode had a moment I'm curious about. Talking about the formation of the earth and had this one big mass of rock missed by an inch, earth wouldn't have formed as it is, all down to chance etc

How did they get around that with the religious audience?
As it is, the Vatican are getting bashed but that bit I mentioned above is a bigger statement about our planets origins than any of the god stuff. It's almost stealth the way it's slyly put in there

[EJ]

Tonight's episode was my favorite so far. I really hope this isn't just a one season show.

[nyquillyn]

Tonight's episode was my favorite so far.

[lowlight79]

Watched it last night, I think I watched episode 2. Plan on watching another tonight.

[Washed Away]

This is a great program and it held my interest. The special effects and animation are great, interesting and unexpected group of people working on it but it works. This is a great program for school kids but I'm expecting a great deal of protest from certain demographics since the show doesn't skirt around what those people make issues out of.

[Simple Torture]

This past Sunday's episode on light:

[Kaius]

Yeah, it was pretty amazing

[Alex]

This is a great program and it held my interest. The special effects and animation are great, interesting and unexpected group of people working on it but it works. This is a great program for school kids but I'm expecting a great deal of protest from certain demographics since the show doesn't skirt around what those people make issues out of.

this is great for the people of programs

[nyquillyn]

So much for my concern about this show taking it easy on religion because it's on Fox. God is taking an ass beating.

[nyquillyn]

Best show on TV.

[Kaius]

The only show on TV I'll waste time to watch.

[Biff Pocoroba]

I like what I've seen but it's been a time slot casuality for me. I'd watch it On Demand but there's no Fox shows on my carrier's OD menu. But this will be DVD viewing down the road.

[bada]

Really enjoyed the last episode. Sisters Of The Sun or whatever. Good stuff.

[darth_vedder]

I need to get with the program, I'm 3 episodes behind.

[Biff Pocoroba]

Turns out since this is also a National Geographic show it's available On Demand so I have been been able to watch this. Love it so far & it gives me brain boners. The story behind the switch to unleaded gasoline and its ties to finding out the age of the Earth was fantastic & one I had never heard before.

[nyquillyn]

Episode 9 was excellent. I'm a bit of a doomsday-ist, so I love the time we get to spend in the Halls of Extinction.

[Alex]

I'm a bit of a doomsday-ist