What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. There is, John says, a point to the universe. That is a debatable conclusion these days. Theories about the beginning of the cosmos, evidence of an expanding universe, the discovery of dark matter, and so on...
Big History
posted by DJL
I love David Christian’s concept of teaching “big history.” And by big, he means, really, really big. In this TED Talk, he narrates the history of the universe in 18 minutes. Why? To invite us to place our lives, dreams, hopes, setbacks, and struggles into the largest...
Why Does the Universe Exist?
posted by DJL
I love big questions. Questions about meaning, existence, purpose. I love big questions. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I believe I can answer them, just that I love struggling with them. 🙂 That wasn’t always the case, though. When I was a freshman in college and looking at required courses, I shied away from the intro. to philosophy course because I couldn’t imagine spending all my time trying to answer questions to which there are no answers. As a tribute – or, I suppose, a critique, depending on your point of view (though I mean it as a tribute 🙂 ) – to my liberal arts education at Franklin & Marshall College,...
Psalm 8 and Cosmic Awe
posted by DJL
It’s Monday, the start of a new week, and I can’t think of a better way to begin than with a moment or two of awe regarding this amazing world and universe we have been given to live in and care for. With that in mind, two videos about the majesty of the universe to start your week. The first displays the relative smallness of our world in relation to the cosmos and is a little mind blowing. The second is a marvelous short film by NASA. Both brought to mind for me verses from Psalm 8: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of...