首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
The discovery of life beyond Earth would transform not only our science but also our religions, our belief systems and our entir
The discovery of life beyond Earth would transform not only our science but also our religions, our belief systems and our entir
admin
2009-04-26
41
问题
The discovery of life beyond Earth would transform not only our science but also our religions, our belief systems and our entire world-view. For in a sense, the search for extraterrestrial life is really a search for ourselves—who we are and what our place is in the grand sweep of the cosmos.
Contrary to popular belief, speculation that we are not alone in the universe is as old as philosophy itself. The essential steps in the reasoning were based on the atomic theory of the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus. Yet philosophy is one thing, filling in the physical details is another. Although astronomers increasingly suspect that biofriendly planets may be abundant in the universe, the chemical steps leading to life remain largely mysterious.
Traditionally, biologists believed that life is a freak—the result of a zillion-to-one accidental concatenation of molecules. It follows that the likelihood of its happening again elsewhere in the cosmos is infinitesimal. This viewpoint derives from the second law of thermodynamics, which predicts that the universe is dying—slowly and inexorably degenerating toward a state of total chaos. And similar reasoning applies to evolution. According to the orthodox view, Darwinian selection is utterly blind. Any impression that the transition from microbes to man represents progress is pure chauvinism of our part. The path of evolution is merely a random walk through the realm of possibilities.
If this is right, there can be no directionality, no innate drive forward; in particular, no push toward consciousness and intelligence. Should Earth be struck by an asteroid, destroying all higher life-forms, intelligent beings would almost certainly not arise next time around. There is, however, a contrary view—one that is gaining strength and directly challenges orthodox biology. It is that complexity can emerge spontaneously through a process of self- organization. If matter and energy have an inbuilt tendency to amplify and channel organized complexity, the odds against the formation of life and the subsequent evolution of intelligence could be drastically shortened.
Historically, Bertrand Russell argued that a universe under a death sentence from the second law of thermodynamics rendered human life ultimately futile. All our achievements, all our struggles, "all the noonday brightness of human genius", as he put it, would, in the final analysis, count for nothing if the very cosmos itself is doomed. But what if, in spite of the second law of thermodynamics, there can be systematic progress alongside decay? For those who hope for a deeper meaning or purpose beneath physical existence, the presence of extraterrestrial life-forms would provide a spectacular boost, implying that we live in a universe that is in some sense getting better and better rather than worse and worse.
选项
A、justifying popular beliefs.
B、making comparisons.
C、looking back on history.
D、posing sharp contrasts.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/UIa4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
ReadthefollowingtextandanswerquestionsbymarkingTifthestateistrueorFifthestateisnottrue.Tippingisas
ReadthefollowingtextandanswerquestionsbymarkingTifthestateistrueorFifthestateisnottrue.Tippingisas
Thegreatrecessionmaybeover,butthiseraofhighjoblessnessisprobablybeginning.Beforeitends,itwilllikelychanget
Thegreatrecessionmaybeover,butthiseraofhighjoblessnessisprobablybeginning.Beforeitends,itwilllikelychanget
Homeworkhasneverbeenterriblypopularwithstudentsandevenmanyparents,butinrecentyearsithasbeenparticularlyscorn
MillionsofAmericansandforeignersseeG.I.Joeasamindlesswartoy,thesymbolofAmericanmilitaryadventurism,butthat’
OlympicGamesareheldeveryfouryearsatadifferentsite,inwhichathletes【1】differentnationscompeteagainsteachotherin
Supposeyouhavedamagedyourfriend’scomputerwhenyoulivedinhishouseafewdaysago.Writehimaletterto1)makean
MatthewBreuerhassharedthepasswordstohiscomputer,emailandsocialmediaaccountswitheverygirlfriendhe’severhad."I
Doctorsalreadyknowthatpeoplewhosmokecandamagetheirhearing.ThelateststudyinthejournalTobaccoControl,【C1】_______
随机试题
茶叶中水溶性灰分碱度的测定中,重复灰化操作直至连续两次称量差不超过()为止。
25岁女性,突然发热、咳嗽、流涕,两周后热退,出现胸闷,心率110次/分,气短,心电图示低电压、T波低平、左束支传导阻滞、室性期前收缩应首先考虑
A.20/20mmB.10/20mmC.10/10mmD.5/10mmE.2/2mm耳部CT常规采用的扫描层厚/层距是
在事故闸门关闭时,防止压力管道内产生过大负压的设备是()。
某大型防洪工程由政府投资兴建。项目法人委托某招标代理公司代理施工招标。招标代理公司依据有关规定确定该项目采用公开招标方式招标,招标公告在当地政府规定的招标信息网上发布。招标文件中规定:投标担保可采用投标保证金或投标保函方式担保。评标方法采用经评审的最低投标
下列不属于代理的中央银行业务的是()。
企业应当根据编制的银行存款余额调节表中的未达账项进行调账,已达到账实相符。()
企业应当依据《企业所得税法实施条例》的规定,按纳税年度准备并按税务机关要求提供其关联交易的同期资料。同期资料包括()。
下列关于运算符函数的描述中,错误的是()。
Hisfailuretopayhisdebts______theiropinionthathewasnottobetrusted.
最新回复
(
0
)