Would you give up 20 years of your life to be told and shown all the secrets of the universe?
The deal is something mysterious comes to earth and only comes to see you. It says I’ll show you all the secrets of the universe...how it began, how it’ll end, black holes, worm holes, if there’s life and where, all the civilizations that have come and gone and are still here, and all the answers of science and the physics of the universe. The catch though, is it says you have to give up 20 years of your life (it doesn’t say what age you’re going to live to) only that’ll it’ll be 20 years less and if you agree it’s a done deal after it tells you all you want. Wild you take this deal?
2021-03-31T18:50:19Z
You would be the only one to ever know this in the history of the earth, and you can’t tell anyone else either
ReductioAdAstronomicus2021-04-01T02:06:40Z
Nope. What secrets exactly are we discussing? Is there really dark matter or is our understanding of gravity deficient? How common are rogue planets? Are there more than three generations of matter? Do quarks and electrons have structure? Etc.
All nice to know if someone else does the work and hands you the answers on a silver plate, but I sure wouldn't give up even one year of my life to know the answers, let alone twenty years. What use would such knowledge be? One big purpose of knowledge is to extend your life, not shorten it by two decades!
I don't know about other people here, but my whole life does not revolve around "the universe", I have other interests and responsibilities. In effect I already dedicate my life to those. I don't need to waste a large portion of my life on anything airy fairy, especially if it has a high cost..
As for "secrets of the universe": what an odd thing to desire when you think about it. I would suggest that the vast majority of people with a desultory interest in astronomy already have a vast collection of the "secrets of the universe" right there for them to learn, and all they have to do is read a few textbooks to have them all revealed. If someone doesn't know the difference between a planetary atmosphere and a planetary nebula, or has never heard of a magnetar, then there are two "secrets" with answers already there waiting for them. They have far more to catch up on before wondering if the Earth is really flat or round.
If I knew ALL of the secrets of the Universe, then I'd know how to not die too, or a least extend my life so long that that 20 years wouldn't make a difference.