Delightful! As a physicist, historiography lover, sci-fi nerd, cinephile, and dabbler in a wide array of art forms, I vibe with many of these sentiments. I think my favorite is this: "A computer may be able to understand the magnitude of a star, but it can never marvel at it. Only we can do both."
Can we really understand the magnitude of a star? We can certainly estimate but can we truly understand and grasp it, and without precise information to feed it can a computer? I'm sincerely asking, as you're a physicist. One thing is clear though, we can certainly still marvel at it.
Your statement about HISTORY from 3:25 - 3:49 is a PoV I wish *everyone* could understand and appreciate. I've watched like four dozen / 50 of your videos without ever commenting, but (there are other reasons for that, as well) this one hit home and resonated much deeper than most. I, too, was an English major who loved History - however, that was over 30 years ago. Anyway, *THIS* was a great video and I'd love to see more in this style. You're an exceptionally enjoyable voice. Rock On!
Aye, it really holds the door open for the mind to cross between this world and that. Another favorite of mine is when Terry Pratchett said, "There are no inconsistencies in the Discworld books; ocassionally, however, there are alternate pasts." A cosmological axiom which I find applies satisfactorily to our universe's even most commonplace affairs... for instance, this morning when my wife and I could not agree on how much coffee was purported to exist in our cupboard the night prior 🤷♀️🤷♀️
H.P. Lovecraft did the same thing. His stories *kind of* take place in a shared universe, but it’s very vague and the details don’t quite match. A lot of the more systematic “canon” comes from later authors and the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
I have The Sandman to thank for showing me, as a teen, that reality and fiction are actually so beautifully and symbiotically intertwined that each are enriched by the other.
Your intro resonates with me a lot. I was someone who originally thought I would study English or maybe film in college, but switched to physics rather at the last minute. I've always been an avid sci-fi fan and inherited a love of Tolkien from my sister. Like you, I found history to be entirely comprised of drudgery as a student: just learning lists of facts and dates and great men. For a long time, I disliked non-fiction in general, considering the real world to be miles less interesting than fantastical realms or the far future. But when I learned about the existence of the field of historiography, how history research actually works and discovered how engaging in human reading primary accounts can be a completely changed my outlook on the world. History was no longer a thing that happened. It's a thing that we're constantly constructing, interpreting, and trying to find evidence for. I'm particularly partial to firsthand accounts from times of great social upheaval, revolutionary history, and just regular people living under different social conditions than I do. I thought the real world was less interesting than fiction, but that's only true if you imagine both the present and the past to be static. Non-dynamic. Reading history and anthropology have taught me this couldn't be further from the truth. Humans have always played and changed their social relations with each other and with the non-human world, and as someone who cares a lot about social change, reading history, expanding my realm of what's possible has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration.
"A computer may be able to understand the magnitude of a star but it can never marvel ati it. Only we can do both." Beautiful sentiment I feel similarly though I kinda came from the other side. When I was young I was really into "science" in general. I liked to marvel at phisics, astronomy, biology and so on. Math was never my forte but neither was I bad at it. So I kept that up until college where I studied engieneering to be a geologist. But by that point I had already realized that I was not so much of a science dude as I thought. Through out my school years I was always writing or drawing. Creating stories in general. As I grew older I got to understand that I just liked science because at some point someone might´ve mention I was good at it so I thought that was what I was supposed to be and never questioned it. I still liked art cause I´d get to draw but who doesnt Meanwhile history and language where my 2 worst subjects at school because I saw them as an antithesis to what I viewd myself as. While still on the other hand I would be writing stories in class or at home. I never was much of a reader either. It wasn´t until I quit college that I realized I loved being creative. I started reading (TWoK was actually the book that ignited the love of reading for me and it wasnt until I was like 20). Now I dig deep into history and the lost lectures of poetry from language classes I never payed attention to. In order to write the things I´d like to write. As humans we shouldn´t be just one thing or the other. Not only can we do both but, we should also strive to do both.
"As humans we shouldn't be just one thing or the other." Wonderfully put, and thanks for the comment! I think it's far too easy to over-define ourselves by forcing ourselves to conform to the behaviors of a certain personality type, either because of our own beliefs or to maintain a certain image of ourselves created by other people's impressions of us. But I also think almost anyone can be good at almost anything if they become interested in it!
excellent video! I'm a high school senior, and I have no clue what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I think that one of my greatest strengths is my ability to fall in love. I love stories, and puzzles, and I like trying to figure out why I love them-pulling them apart and putting them back together. For me, art and math have always been rather alike, and I think your video gets close to describing that. You seem like a really thoughtful person, thank you for making this and sharing it with the world!
This is an absolutely incredible video. I'm still stuck in using fantasy as escapism (though I think I'm justified in wanting to escape from our current political scene). I'll try my hardest to turn my love of other worlds into a love for the world in which I was born.
I'm pretty sure this is the best youtube video I've ever seen, and I've been watching many years, as I was born in the 1900s. You share important insights and inspire people to pursue new interests. You're awesome.
Just discovered your channel and already love it. A lot of what you say and film resonates with me, and seeing so many like-minded people with similar stories in the comment section is really heart-warming. You've gathered the nicest audience
Here's how kids could learn in a way that interests them. Wait till they ask a question, take it seriously, answer just a teeny smidge above their comprehension, check back soon for follow up questions, repeat ad infinitum
If you write a time travel story that would make some sort of logical sense, I would be thrilled! Time travel stories can be fun. But I'm also that person who thinks way too much about the specifics of how it all works.
This is the kind of discussion I love on the Booktubes! I love thinking and talking about these things. But good luck trying to find anyone that's interested. I appreciated your comment about the fantasy world leading you to the real world instead of being an escape from it. I was always that kid with my nose in a book and my "head in the clouds." Reading fiction was always thought of in my family as a waste of time. Oh, it wasn't straight out said to me. (I don't think.) But it came across. And, yes, the real world of atoms and stars and gas planets and trees and waterfalls and animals and human beings is just as beautiful as poems and songs and stories written about them. This is one of the reasons I love Arthur C. Clarke's writing. He captures that beauty and wonder so well! All of these things come from the hand and mind of the same glorious God who designed and created it all. The pinnacle being human beings who were stamped with and share His image and ability to create (sub-create) in order to enjoy, explore, and communicate His beauty and glory, through the things He has made.
A big goal for me, as a story-teller, is to show my audience how amazing the world is. In every story. All my metaphors and magic systems and characters lead back to reality and how fucking miraculous it is. It wasn't until about three years ago that I realized just how gosh darn fucking awesome nature, the universe, the human body, is but ever since, every time I think about it, which is multiple times a day now, I just get so excited. The metaphors in my stories are like labrinths because I don't have to just rely on the vubes, I get to use science, and character archs and plots, and the story's religion. Have you ever combined philosophy and science? It doesn't work if you're humancentric and then self centered on top of that, but when you realize that you really are just a fucking speck inside the whole universe and every molecule is complex and precious, and that every living thing is working with and against it's environment semultaneously - it really does feel like the galaxy brain meme. My parents raised me to think that the world was made by god and everything aligns with "his" divine plan but when I learned about the evolutionary theory and started to actually look at the world it's so obvious that that isn't true. The world wasn't made, the world has become and how isn' that so much more inspiring? (Nothing wrong with being religious, it's just not for me and evolution is fucking beautiful and evident but whatever floats your boat)
I enjoyed this 'ramble'. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Reality and Myth are not mutually exclusive, (as you've realized for yourself), as myths are the offspring of reality. There isn't contradiction between objects of thought, although these object can be contradictory. Myth interprets reality under the auspices of Personality, AKA, a conscious mind. Human intellect is as a kaleidoscope that, depending on how well it is made, mirrors the objects in the cell at different angles into related patterns of varying attractiveness, depending on the objects in the object cell being viewed. Tolkien's LotRs/Silmarillion 'myth' does this very well. Like a kaleidoscope, the objects Tolkien puts in the cell are philosophical/theological elements and influences of the real world to create a 'myth'. As JRR stated, myth is rooted in Truth, Reality. However, Unlike a material kaleidoscope that uses material objects in the cell, JRR uses spiritual, intellectual immaterial objects of thought, whereby his mythology transcends the material realm and becomes a truly Universal myth that applies directly to the our Primary/material world. Other authors are limited to the material realm, because they don't work in the immaterail medium of Ideas, they only work in the material realm of material objects of thought, although make believe, alternative/pretend material reality. JRR doesn't bother with these objects of thought in the Primary material world, he works with Principles, influences and Ideas in the Secondary world. JRR works with the Secondary Substances that 'cause' this Primary world. Few modern authors even understand what Substance is, beyond the obvious Primary realm of particular objects. Modern authors have been trained by the sophists of the Enlightenment, particularly Descartes. JRR was a true Scholastic Philosopher.
I’m once again impressed by and moved to contemplate on a deeper level one of your videos. I have recently (in the last few years) had similar realizations: one must learn to love life, and creativity and rationalism can exist at once in the same thought (putting it as briefly as I can for a comment). Great video, and it reminded me of “plagiarize reality!”
Came expecting an interesting video about the value of fantasy, left finally understanding why it so consistently rubs me the wrong way when people act like being a "creative" or "sensitive" and being a "scientist" or "logical" are the absolute opposites. In a world where there are so many incredible things worth adoring, it just seems a shame to separate out different ends of the spectra of beauty as though they're not supposed to interact with each other
Honestly, I think you've said it better than I did. Having immersed myself in a lot of different subcultures, it always feels kind of weird to me how people sometimes conflate interest in a subject or in a particular lifestyle with virtue. I think this tendency is a pretty fundamentally human defense mechanism, and it probably has a good psychological explanation, but I also think it's more fun to allow yourself to appreciate multiple different approaches to understanding the world and accept that your approach may not be inherently better. Anyway, thanks for watching and commenting!
I think 'purity' movements come from the Calvanist buying ( or bargaining ) our way into heaven. If we can only be enough, we'll be saved. Very human due to fear and insecurity.
Books are my escape. Fantasy becomes even more so. I loved this video. And i think i plan on making something similar. I will be sure to cite you as a motivation! Truly an amazing video essay
This is such an underviewed video, especially compared to the other videos on this channel. I love hearing this perspective, and I feel a very similar way; the world is much more complex than could ever be put into a novel.
Your last little bit about myth and science both being beautiful in their own way reminds me of the creation myth I wrote for my home D&D setting. In short, I attempted to do both at once. I decided that I should construct my setting's creation myth for something that FEELS TRUE to a modern audience, so I wrote basically an account of the Big Bang and the formation of the universe, but in language that was meant to sound like how Arda was created in the Silmarillion...well, to the best of my meager ability anyway. Stars ARE depicted as alien and beyond human comprehension, closer to something like a semi-benevolent elder god from Lovecraft than a person. Their children are gods of cosmic forces like gods of probability (the most-high of this tier of divine being in a universe governed by freaking dice) and inertia and so on and so forth. These gods are knowable, but so vast and far-reaching they basically don't recognize mortal beings even exist most of the time...and when they do, they often just obliterate them by accident. The children of THOSE gods are the gods of the earth that govern the phenomena of the natural world we see around us. And, as of when the campaign began, the first Gods of Men began to appear. They are mortals who have risen above the line between the rising ape and the falling angel to become themselves worthy of being described as divine. Essentially I tried to make Carl Sagan and JRR Tolkien do the fusion dance. And uh...I at least enjoy the results! How this feels for my players is that basically, the everyday understanding of the gods is accurate but simplistic in much the same way the average person today commonly understands other people and some of the observable natural phenomena, but it is only scholars who delve deep into the divine forces that underpin the universe who ACTUALLY understand the mechanics of the cosmos.
You and I are on similar world building journeys! I also try my best to infuse my cosmology with a logical, scientific inspired worldview framework. Your interpretation of it is super interesting! In my game, I focused on making the planar cosmology make sense as a system of flowing energy, from the Nexus, the source of all energy and matter to Entropy, the opposite force which restarts that cycle. Between them is energy traveling within the Void, which is where planes are formed, as sort of beads along conduits connecting the Nexus to Entropy. The most powerful groups of beings on a plane are, by definition gods, as they define that plane by their existence. Except for the material plane, where the influences of dieties clash. Instead of going for an origin story that resonates with modern world views, I chose to have a cataclysm that's a climate change allegory: planar destabilization. The players are part of a research organization and they go into places where planes are bleeding into the material world to get data and resources for their researchers. It's a pretty high magic steam punk setting for reference. (I may be inspired by eberron just a *bit* lol)
@@consensuslphisk Sounds like your cosmology has some features reminiscent of the kabbalic sephirot? At least that's what the described structure made me think of first. Maybe some Taoism in there too with the flow of energy in a great cycle deal. Neat!
This was a really good, thought-provoking video essay! I'll admit that I love the escape of fiction, especially of fantasy. I'm a wannabe wizard. The concept of magic, in all its forms, real-world and fictional worlds, is endlessly fascinating to me. But I am firmly rooted in the real world. I'll also admit that, at times, I find reality pretty mundane and prefer the realm of imagination. This is probably due to my life as a whole being very mundane. However, in my own worldbuilding, I've also discovered an interest in reality. I really love history. I can watch history documentaries all day. I'm also interested in science. I've discovered things I didn't know existed as I, too, got sucked down the Wikipedia rabbit hole. I can still dream of being a wizard, but I like the world I live in. It's pretty neat. 😊
the universe itself is a great unsolved mystery. and the question is what would we find or ask after solving it, so much to ask, so much to wonder about.
I've been watching through your videos and they make me feel so seen. Like, I'm more math-y than you, but I really appreciate the way you think and speak about these things. If often is playing with ideas that I'm continuously orbiting around about subjectivity and contingency and the Need to Know. Thank you
I think I had a similar experience. I became so ingrossed in Brandon Sanderson's works and magic systems that I slowly grew an obsession for biology and chemistry. Although I am studying to become a computer engineer, I will always have an interest in biology. Thanks to all that, my life's goal is to write a fantasy novel based in biology!
This video is manages to touch in a very specific interest of mine and I appreciate you discussing it. It was a lot of fun listening to your thoughts. 👀 (Hello cow!)
So if I combine this video with your previous video, we can safely conclude that your book will be about time traveling shrimp? Title suggestion: Shell shocked: Will the universe expand or shrimp?
its pretty crazy you haven't got more viewers (yet) for sketches but still wasn't expecting 20 min video to get my full attention. hope to read time travelling book one day.
I found your channel only recently, and was immediatly attracted by your smart way to talk. I read lots of books myself in my childhood ( in the former GDR aka East Germany) , loved fiction and scientific literature, wanted to study archeology, astronomy and psychology...but became a software-developer in the end. Would be very interested in your time travel novel! As I can see, you are already travelling a lot, as i can see those rice fields in the backround ( Vietnam?) and the towers of a city in Malaysia in one other video....
When I first got really interested in physics I would’ve been quite young like I think I was 9 or 10 and learning about black holes (not very efficiently but still). However, I would only ever look at things on the largest possible scales because I thought what interesting things could possibly happen on the small ones, and then I found quantum physics and that belief was completely flipped on its head. Whilst I still appreciate both scales as they can both be strange and wonderful now I’m more drawn to just looking at the smallest scales.
Writing 4-dimensional civilisation? Damn good luck x) However we are already 'living' in a sort of 4 dimensional reality, but we only travel through time in one direction. Now, about the physics, we can say we live in probabilitcis physics, so most probable things are like deterministic physics, then in a way one can make story about unprobable (anomalies of sorts). Anyway, again good luck with that! :D
To briefly touch him what you were saying about how to teach students in a non-boring way that will actually engage them, they've actually done a lot of research on this! A lot of it comes down to relating whatever you're going to talk about to your students experiences, opening yourself up to the possibility that they might have insights to share with you. This is in contrast to sticking to a pre-planned curriculum where the teacher *tells* the students something is important, deposits the information into them, and warns them they'll be punished if they don't remember it. Clearly, an education system which is so heavily skewed towards standardized testing and punitive measures for students completely reasonably acting out when their education is not serving them does not lend itself to the style of learning that education research tells us is actually best for the students.
If you want a story about time travel done right watch Dark, a netflix german show that is the best example of time travel done write. They deal with almost every paradox of time travel you can think of
I think one thing I hate about the rationalists is that they want to prove something, which is what I think Tolkien is arguing against as well. The rationalist view of the world is rarely ever presented as another tool in the epistemological toolkit but it's often presented as the most supreme one that has "rightfully" nullified all other ways of knowing.
There is a book by Greg Egan "Dichronauts" with the world where there're 2 spatial and 2 temporal dimensions. But I'm a little bit afraid to start reading it. I think it's hard to make it both accessible to lazy readers and rigorous in terms of math and science. In any case I hope you'll keep writing hard sci-fi.
If you like doing deep dives into myths you should check out Jon Solo. He breaks down myths but also does deep dives into different types of myths and fairytales.
I had a similar idea to your 4th dimensional society using the alternate universe concept of "time travel." Traveler from Universe A in the year 2000 goes to Universe B in the year 1700. From then on B is always 300 years behind A cosmologically speaking. The story was going to be about a man who discovers "time travel" only to get swept up in all these Machiavellian schemes played by the different travelers, each trying to play god with their future knowledge. I dropped the idea when it got into the main character trying to find the original universe. Couldn't figure out where to take the story.
I think one thing that gets lost about art and fiction sometimes is thay it's fundamentally undefinable and great art expresses something indirectly that hets reinterpreted hy different genwrations. Science instead and math even more so is built on definite understanding. So it can be less tineless. With philosophy somewhere in between. All different ways of exploring the world.
A soon as you add time-travel you basically through 99.999% of all existing physics knowledge and understanding out of the window. It is like introducing the 1+1=3 as a true equation to mathematics; it breaks nearly everything including the most basic axioms of which mathematics is built.
It's so bizarre to hear someone discover the way of thinking that you yourself have always had. It's weird to think that people would not be able to imagine that the rare insect you're reading about actually exists in the world and you have to force yourself to imagine seeing it in the world.
Can a mind understand the universe without understanding itself? Sounds like you're taking the more holistic route by following your curiosity-the virtue which best serves science, I believe. Our world has been deconstructed with such rigor. What happens when we put it all back together with our new understanding-math and language, physics and psychology, neuroscience and information?
Delightful! As a physicist, historiography lover, sci-fi nerd, cinephile, and dabbler in a wide array of art forms, I vibe with many of these sentiments.
I think my favorite is this:
"A computer may be able to understand the magnitude of a star, but it can never marvel at it. Only we can do both."
Can we really understand the magnitude of a star? We can certainly estimate but can we truly understand and grasp it, and without precise information to feed it can a computer? I'm sincerely asking, as you're a physicist. One thing is clear though, we can certainly still marvel at it.
Your statement about HISTORY from 3:25 - 3:49 is a PoV I wish *everyone* could understand and appreciate.
I've watched like four dozen / 50 of your videos without ever commenting, but (there are other reasons for that, as well) this one hit home and resonated much deeper than most. I, too, was an English major who loved History - however, that was over 30 years ago. Anyway, *THIS* was a great video and I'd love to see more in this style. You're an exceptionally enjoyable voice. Rock On!
In a way, Tolkien's contradictions within his universe make it more believable as a genuine mythology. Great video my dude!
Yes, I very much agree! Thanks for watching.
Aye, it really holds the door open for the mind to cross between this world and that.
Another favorite of mine is when Terry Pratchett said, "There are no inconsistencies in the Discworld books; ocassionally, however, there are alternate pasts." A cosmological axiom which I find applies satisfactorily to our universe's even most commonplace affairs... for instance, this morning when my wife and I could not agree on how much coffee was purported to exist in our cupboard the night prior 🤷♀️🤷♀️
H.P. Lovecraft did the same thing. His stories *kind of* take place in a shared universe, but it’s very vague and the details don’t quite match. A lot of the more systematic “canon” comes from later authors and the Call of Cthulhu RPG.
The interrupting cow was clearly Zeus come to give us a prime example of unreliable narration
MOOOOOOOOO
I have The Sandman to thank for showing me, as a teen, that reality and fiction are actually so beautifully and symbiotically intertwined that each are enriched by the other.
Your intro resonates with me a lot. I was someone who originally thought I would study English or maybe film in college, but switched to physics rather at the last minute. I've always been an avid sci-fi fan and inherited a love of Tolkien from my sister.
Like you, I found history to be entirely comprised of drudgery as a student: just learning lists of facts and dates and great men. For a long time, I disliked non-fiction in general, considering the real world to be miles less interesting than fantastical realms or the far future. But when I learned about the existence of the field of historiography, how history research actually works and discovered how engaging in human reading primary accounts can be a completely changed my outlook on the world.
History was no longer a thing that happened. It's a thing that we're constantly constructing, interpreting, and trying to find evidence for. I'm particularly partial to firsthand accounts from times of great social upheaval, revolutionary history, and just regular people living under different social conditions than I do.
I thought the real world was less interesting than fiction, but that's only true if you imagine both the present and the past to be static. Non-dynamic. Reading history and anthropology have taught me this couldn't be further from the truth. Humans have always played and changed their social relations with each other and with the non-human world, and as someone who cares a lot about social change, reading history, expanding my realm of what's possible has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration.
"A computer may be able to understand the magnitude of a star but it can never marvel ati it. Only we can do both." Beautiful sentiment
I feel similarly though I kinda came from the other side.
When I was young I was really into "science" in general. I liked to marvel at phisics, astronomy, biology and so on.
Math was never my forte but neither was I bad at it. So I kept that up until college where I studied engieneering to be a geologist.
But by that point I had already realized that I was not so much of a science dude as I thought. Through out my school years I was always writing or drawing. Creating stories in general.
As I grew older I got to understand that I just liked science because at some point someone might´ve mention I was good at it so I thought that was what I was supposed to be and never questioned it. I still liked art cause I´d get to draw but who doesnt
Meanwhile history and language where my 2 worst subjects at school because I saw them as an antithesis to what I viewd myself as. While still on the other hand I would be writing stories in class or at home. I never was much of a reader either. It wasn´t until I quit college that I realized I loved being creative. I started reading (TWoK was actually the book that ignited the love of reading for me and it wasnt until I was like 20).
Now I dig deep into history and the lost lectures of poetry from language classes I never payed attention to. In order to write the things I´d like to write.
As humans we shouldn´t be just one thing or the other.
Not only can we do both but, we should also strive to do both.
"As humans we shouldn't be just one thing or the other."
Wonderfully put, and thanks for the comment! I think it's far too easy to over-define ourselves by forcing ourselves to conform to the behaviors of a certain personality type, either because of our own beliefs or to maintain a certain image of ourselves created by other people's impressions of us. But I also think almost anyone can be good at almost anything if they become interested in it!
excellent video! I'm a high school senior, and I have no clue what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I think that one of my greatest strengths is my ability to fall in love. I love stories, and puzzles, and I like trying to figure out why I love them-pulling them apart and putting them back together. For me, art and math have always been rather alike, and I think your video gets close to describing that. You seem like a really thoughtful person, thank you for making this and sharing it with the world!
This is an absolutely incredible video. I'm still stuck in using fantasy as escapism (though I think I'm justified in wanting to escape from our current political scene). I'll try my hardest to turn my love of other worlds into a love for the world in which I was born.
I'm pretty sure this is the best youtube video I've ever seen, and I've been watching many years, as I was born in the 1900s. You share important insights and inspire people to pursue new interests. You're awesome.
Just discovered your channel and already love it. A lot of what you say and film resonates with me, and seeing so many like-minded people with similar stories in the comment section is really heart-warming. You've gathered the nicest audience
Thank you; it really means a lot to hear this! Glad it could resonate with you.
Here's how kids could learn in a way that interests them. Wait till they ask a question, take it seriously, answer just a teeny smidge above their comprehension, check back soon for follow up questions, repeat ad infinitum
Yes, this makes a lot of sense! I'm not a teacher, though, so I can only imagine how much patience this must take.
If you write a time travel story that would make some sort of logical sense, I would be thrilled! Time travel stories can be fun. But I'm also that person who thinks way too much about the specifics of how it all works.
This is the kind of discussion I love on the Booktubes! I love thinking and talking about these things. But good luck trying to find anyone that's interested.
I appreciated your comment about the fantasy world leading you to the real world instead of being an escape from it. I was always that kid with my nose in a book and my "head in the clouds." Reading fiction was always thought of in my family as a waste of time. Oh, it wasn't straight out said to me. (I don't think.) But it came across.
And, yes, the real world of atoms and stars and gas planets and trees and waterfalls and animals and human beings is just as beautiful as poems and songs and stories written about them. This is one of the reasons I love Arthur C. Clarke's writing. He captures that beauty and wonder so well!
All of these things come from the hand and mind of the same glorious God who designed and created it all. The pinnacle being human beings who were stamped with and share His image and ability to create (sub-create) in order to enjoy, explore, and communicate His beauty and glory, through the things He has made.
I like this new style of videos from you, hope for more
>Knock knock
Who's there
A big goal for me, as a story-teller, is to show my audience how amazing the world is. In every story. All my metaphors and magic systems and characters lead back to reality and how fucking miraculous it is. It wasn't until about three years ago that I realized just how gosh darn fucking awesome nature, the universe, the human body, is but ever since, every time I think about it, which is multiple times a day now, I just get so excited. The metaphors in my stories are like labrinths because I don't have to just rely on the vubes, I get to use science, and character archs and plots, and the story's religion. Have you ever combined philosophy and science? It doesn't work if you're humancentric and then self centered on top of that, but when you realize that you really are just a fucking speck inside the whole universe and every molecule is complex and precious, and that every living thing is working with and against it's environment semultaneously - it really does feel like the galaxy brain meme. My parents raised me to think that the world was made by god and everything aligns with "his" divine plan but when I learned about the evolutionary theory and started to actually look at the world it's so obvious that that isn't true. The world wasn't made, the world has become and how isn' that so much more inspiring? (Nothing wrong with being religious, it's just not for me and evolution is fucking beautiful and evident but whatever floats your boat)
I enjoyed this 'ramble'. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Reality and Myth are not mutually exclusive, (as you've realized for yourself), as myths are the offspring of reality. There isn't contradiction between objects of thought, although these object can be contradictory. Myth interprets reality under the auspices of Personality, AKA, a conscious mind. Human intellect is as a kaleidoscope that, depending on how well it is made, mirrors the objects in the cell at different angles into related patterns of varying attractiveness, depending on the objects in the object cell being viewed. Tolkien's LotRs/Silmarillion 'myth' does this very well. Like a kaleidoscope, the objects Tolkien puts in the cell are philosophical/theological elements and influences of the real world to create a 'myth'. As JRR stated, myth is rooted in Truth, Reality. However, Unlike a material kaleidoscope that uses material objects in the cell, JRR uses spiritual, intellectual immaterial objects of thought, whereby his mythology transcends the material realm and becomes a truly Universal myth that applies directly to the our Primary/material world. Other authors are limited to the material realm, because they don't work in the immaterail medium of Ideas, they only work in the material realm of material objects of thought, although make believe, alternative/pretend material reality. JRR doesn't bother with these objects of thought in the Primary material world, he works with Principles, influences and Ideas in the Secondary world. JRR works with the Secondary Substances that 'cause' this Primary world. Few modern authors even understand what Substance is, beyond the obvious Primary realm of particular objects. Modern authors have been trained by the sophists of the Enlightenment, particularly Descartes. JRR was a true Scholastic Philosopher.
This is very entertaining but filled with personal discussion. Not Generic at all!
I’m once again impressed by and moved to contemplate on a deeper level one of your videos. I have recently (in the last few years) had similar realizations: one must learn to love life, and creativity and rationalism can exist at once in the same thought (putting it as briefly as I can for a comment). Great video, and it reminded me of “plagiarize reality!”
Thanks for watching, Alex! I wasn't even thinking of "plagiarize reality," but now I think it was a similar sentiment I was talking about here.
Came expecting an interesting video about the value of fantasy, left finally understanding why it so consistently rubs me the wrong way when people act like being a "creative" or "sensitive" and being a "scientist" or "logical" are the absolute opposites.
In a world where there are so many incredible things worth adoring, it just seems a shame to separate out different ends of the spectra of beauty as though they're not supposed to interact with each other
Honestly, I think you've said it better than I did. Having immersed myself in a lot of different subcultures, it always feels kind of weird to me how people sometimes conflate interest in a subject or in a particular lifestyle with virtue. I think this tendency is a pretty fundamentally human defense mechanism, and it probably has a good psychological explanation, but I also think it's more fun to allow yourself to appreciate multiple different approaches to understanding the world and accept that your approach may not be inherently better.
Anyway, thanks for watching and commenting!
I think 'purity' movements come from the Calvanist buying ( or bargaining ) our way into heaven. If we can only be enough, we'll be saved. Very human due to fear and insecurity.
Books are my escape. Fantasy becomes even more so. I loved this video. And i think i plan on making something similar.
I will be sure to cite you as a motivation! Truly an amazing video essay
And ill pick up a few non fictions to expand my horizons.
This is such an underviewed video, especially compared to the other videos on this channel. I love hearing this perspective, and I feel a very similar way; the world is much more complex than could ever be put into a novel.
Your last little bit about myth and science both being beautiful in their own way reminds me of the creation myth I wrote for my home D&D setting. In short, I attempted to do both at once. I decided that I should construct my setting's creation myth for something that FEELS TRUE to a modern audience, so I wrote basically an account of the Big Bang and the formation of the universe, but in language that was meant to sound like how Arda was created in the Silmarillion...well, to the best of my meager ability anyway.
Stars ARE depicted as alien and beyond human comprehension, closer to something like a semi-benevolent elder god from Lovecraft than a person.
Their children are gods of cosmic forces like gods of probability (the most-high of this tier of divine being in a universe governed by freaking dice) and inertia and so on and so forth. These gods are knowable, but so vast and far-reaching they basically don't recognize mortal beings even exist most of the time...and when they do, they often just obliterate them by accident.
The children of THOSE gods are the gods of the earth that govern the phenomena of the natural world we see around us. And, as of when the campaign began, the first Gods of Men began to appear. They are mortals who have risen above the line between the rising ape and the falling angel to become themselves worthy of being described as divine.
Essentially I tried to make Carl Sagan and JRR Tolkien do the fusion dance. And uh...I at least enjoy the results! How this feels for my players is that basically, the everyday understanding of the gods is accurate but simplistic in much the same way the average person today commonly understands other people and some of the observable natural phenomena, but it is only scholars who delve deep into the divine forces that underpin the universe who ACTUALLY understand the mechanics of the cosmos.
You and I are on similar world building journeys! I also try my best to infuse my cosmology with a logical, scientific inspired worldview framework. Your interpretation of it is super interesting! In my game, I focused on making the planar cosmology make sense as a system of flowing energy, from the Nexus, the source of all energy and matter to Entropy, the opposite force which restarts that cycle. Between them is energy traveling within the Void, which is where planes are formed, as sort of beads along conduits connecting the Nexus to Entropy. The most powerful groups of beings on a plane are, by definition gods, as they define that plane by their existence. Except for the material plane, where the influences of dieties clash. Instead of going for an origin story that resonates with modern world views, I chose to have a cataclysm that's a climate change allegory: planar destabilization. The players are part of a research organization and they go into places where planes are bleeding into the material world to get data and resources for their researchers. It's a pretty high magic steam punk setting for reference. (I may be inspired by eberron just a *bit* lol)
@@consensuslphisk Sounds like your cosmology has some features reminiscent of the kabbalic sephirot? At least that's what the described structure made me think of first. Maybe some Taoism in there too with the flow of energy in a great cycle deal. Neat!
ooh new vid! Excited!
great perspective, very inspiring, thank you
This was a really good, thought-provoking video essay!
I'll admit that I love the escape of fiction, especially of fantasy. I'm a wannabe wizard. The concept of magic, in all its forms, real-world and fictional worlds, is endlessly fascinating to me. But I am firmly rooted in the real world.
I'll also admit that, at times, I find reality pretty mundane and prefer the realm of imagination. This is probably due to my life as a whole being very mundane.
However, in my own worldbuilding, I've also discovered an interest in reality. I really love history. I can watch history documentaries all day. I'm also interested in science. I've discovered things I didn't know existed as I, too, got sucked down the Wikipedia rabbit hole.
I can still dream of being a wizard, but I like the world I live in. It's pretty neat. 😊
the universe itself is a great unsolved mystery. and the question is what would we find or ask after solving it, so much to ask, so much to wonder about.
This video moved me profoundly and I'm grateful for it.
Perhaps more videos sharing your life and experiences with literature would be cool, thank you
I've been watching through your videos and they make me feel so seen. Like, I'm more math-y than you, but I really appreciate the way you think and speak about these things. If often is playing with ideas that I'm continuously orbiting around about subjectivity and contingency and the Need to Know. Thank you
I think I had a similar experience. I became so ingrossed in Brandon Sanderson's works and magic systems that I slowly grew an obsession for biology and chemistry. Although I am studying to become a computer engineer, I will always have an interest in biology. Thanks to all that, my life's goal is to write a fantasy novel based in biology!
This video is manages to touch in a very specific interest of mine and I appreciate you discussing it. It was a lot of fun listening to your thoughts. 👀
(Hello cow!)
Thanks so much for watching! I know this is quite different from my usual content, but I'm glad to hear it resonated with you.
This was a fantastic video! I've been hungry for something like this for a long time
So if I combine this video with your previous video, we can safely conclude that your book will be about time traveling shrimp?
Title suggestion: Shell shocked: Will the universe expand or shrimp?
Oh no, the secret is out. That's exactly what the book is about.
its pretty crazy you haven't got more viewers (yet) for sketches but still wasn't expecting 20 min video to get my full attention. hope to read time travelling book one day.
I found your channel only recently, and was immediatly attracted by your smart way to talk. I read lots of books myself in my childhood ( in the former GDR aka East Germany) , loved fiction and scientific literature, wanted to study archeology, astronomy and psychology...but became a software-developer in the end. Would be very interested in your time travel novel! As I can see, you are already travelling a lot, as i can see those rice fields in the backround ( Vietnam?) and the towers of a city in Malaysia in one other video....
This is a great video. Thanks for doing it.
It deserves a new video from Brandon Sanderson due to the absurd amount of new stories he announced for the next 6 years!!
If you ever finish working on that book I’d definitely buy it.
When I first got really interested in physics I would’ve been quite young like I think I was 9 or 10 and learning about black holes (not very efficiently but still). However, I would only ever look at things on the largest possible scales because I thought what interesting things could possibly happen on the small ones, and then I found quantum physics and that belief was completely flipped on its head. Whilst I still appreciate both scales as they can both be strange and wonderful now I’m more drawn to just looking at the smallest scales.
The hatred for fantasy is misguided and pretentious period.
Found you through the skits. This vid got me to subscribe.
Great video! Don’t give up on Invention! Everything is too complicated, until you figure it out.
10:37 Hi Cow!
This was fuckin fantastic and I appreciate you (and the stray 🐄)
Writing 4-dimensional civilisation? Damn good luck x) However we are already 'living' in a sort of 4 dimensional reality, but we only travel through time in one direction. Now, about the physics, we can say we live in probabilitcis physics, so most probable things are like deterministic physics, then in a way one can make story about unprobable (anomalies of sorts). Anyway, again good luck with that! :D
To briefly touch him what you were saying about how to teach students in a non-boring way that will actually engage them, they've actually done a lot of research on this! A lot of it comes down to relating whatever you're going to talk about to your students experiences, opening yourself up to the possibility that they might have insights to share with you.
This is in contrast to sticking to a pre-planned curriculum where the teacher *tells* the students something is important, deposits the information into them, and warns them they'll be punished if they don't remember it. Clearly, an education system which is so heavily skewed towards standardized testing and punitive measures for students completely reasonably acting out when their education is not serving them does not lend itself to the style of learning that education research tells us is actually best for the students.
Hi cow
Awesome video!
Goddamn this needs more views
If you want a story about time travel done right watch Dark, a netflix german show that is the best example of time travel done write. They deal with almost every paradox of time travel you can think of
I agree!
Kalevala on tosi hyvin harjoitellaan montaa koulukirjaa.
I think one thing I hate about the rationalists is that they want to prove something, which is what I think Tolkien is arguing against as well. The rationalist view of the world is rarely ever presented as another tool in the epistemological toolkit but it's often presented as the most supreme one that has "rightfully" nullified all other ways of knowing.
sorry i just cant get over seeing the slice of a little face in your glasses. bros just chillin
There is a book by Greg Egan "Dichronauts" with the world where there're 2 spatial and 2 temporal dimensions. But I'm a little bit afraid to start reading it. I think it's hard to make it both accessible to lazy readers and rigorous in terms of math and science. In any case I hope you'll keep writing hard sci-fi.
If you like doing deep dives into myths you should check out Jon Solo. He breaks down myths but also does deep dives into different types of myths and fairytales.
I had a similar idea to your 4th dimensional society using the alternate universe concept of "time travel."
Traveler from Universe A in the year 2000 goes to Universe B in the year 1700. From then on B is always 300 years behind A cosmologically speaking. The story was going to be about a man who discovers "time travel" only to get swept up in all these Machiavellian schemes played by the different travelers, each trying to play god with their future knowledge. I dropped the idea when it got into the main character trying to find the original universe. Couldn't figure out where to take the story.
This was me reading blindsight
I just read Blindsight actually! Will probably make a review soon.
I think one thing that gets lost about art and fiction sometimes is thay it's fundamentally undefinable and great art expresses something indirectly that hets reinterpreted hy different genwrations.
Science instead and math even more so is built on definite understanding. So it can be less tineless. With philosophy somewhere in between. All different ways of exploring the world.
this video is very usefull
A soon as you add time-travel you basically through 99.999% of all existing physics knowledge and understanding out of the window. It is like introducing the 1+1=3 as a true equation to mathematics; it breaks nearly everything including the most basic axioms of which mathematics is built.
People who say you can't learn anything from fantasy haven't ever read Name of the Wind. (Or any fantasy probably)
❤❤❤❤
It's so bizarre to hear someone discover the way of thinking that you yourself have always had. It's weird to think that people would not be able to imagine that the rare insect you're reading about actually exists in the world and you have to force yourself to imagine seeing it in the world.
21:37 Link to the lecture?
It was a lecture I went to in-person unfortunately.
5.5 minutes in what does that make me if i consumed mostly nonfiction as a kid
COW🐮marillion? 😅
+
Can a mind understand the universe without understanding itself?
Sounds like you're taking the more holistic route by following your curiosity-the virtue which best serves science, I believe. Our world has been deconstructed with such rigor. What happens when we put it all back together with our new understanding-math and language, physics and psychology, neuroscience and information?
Cow tools
Why is every TH-camr on a talk about my feelings campaign right now. I find this video self indulge to the point of being disgusting.
reading about your feelings towards this video is self indulgent to the point that it disgusts me.