MARSMARS athematics rt eligion ex ience CONTACT, March. 13, 2004

M ath, A rt, R eligion, S cience: 4 Complementary Belief Systems Carlo Séquin, University of California, Berkeley

Why This Topic ? u I wanted to fit the Conference Ttitle. u Stimulated by last year’s conference… u -- in particular by this picture:

The Face on Mars u Picture taken by Viking Orbiter in 1976

Face on Mars Close-up u High-res. photo, Global Surveyor, 4/8/2001

How Do We Make Sense of the Unknown? Different people have u different mental frameworks, belief systems u or use them in different order to come up with possible “explanations”.

Outline u Look at four dominant forces that have shaped the human mind over the last few thousand years. u Fill in this matrix: CHARACTERISTICS Math Art Religion Science u Look at some test examples …

Characteristics u Output: What kind of beliefs does the system deliver ? u Basis: Where do these beliefs come from ? u Method: How are these beliefs found/created/developed ? u Evaluation: How do we know if they are valid ? u Use: What is this belief system good for ?

Math u Output: Theorems u Basis: Axioms, previous theorems u Method: Evolutionary steps, revolutionary inspiration u Evaluation: Consistency, formal proofs u Use: Creates a synthetic framework based on logic. Foundation for most of the sciences.

Science u Output: Models of the physical world u Basis: Observations, Experiments u Method: Educated guesses, hypotheses, tests u Evaluation: Consistency. Can you make useful predictions ? u Use: Makes models of the observable world. --> Understanding, technology, civilization.

Art u Output: “Pieces”, “installations”, … u Basis: Observations, ideas, emotions, beliefs, … u Method: Inspirations, visions, having a message, … u Evaluation: Done by ( culture clique (?) in ) society u Use: Creates new artifacts based on imagination. Make life richer. Give beauty, joy, entertainment, … Provoke, put established assumptions in question.

Religion u Output: Pronouncements, rules, “truth” u Basis: Epiphanies, revelations, philosophical insights u Method: Authority, tradition, charisma of leader u Evaluation: ‘ You are not supposed to question it ! ’ u Use: Addresses “un-answerable” questions. Gives meaning, hope, ethical guidance…

Overlap of these Systems Religion once was the only system: u It explained nature u It provided a framework for thinking u It provided ethical guidance u It answered “un-answerable” questions u It provided rituals, spiritual enrichment, beauty... Today Religion is more compartmentalized !

Contention between Systems u The two frameworks operate an different principles: RELIGION – SCIENCE authority – evidence revelation – discovery tradition – innovation true believers – critical thinkers u Science and Religion are NOT the same (as the Templeton Foundation wants to imply). u Creationism is NOT a science.

Puzzles Everybody subscribes to some degree to all of the above four frameworks; there are personal differences in the mix and the priority among these systems: When you encounter something new, foreign, u how do you try to make sense out of it ? u which belief system do you enlist (first) ? u which interpretation will win in the end ?

My Attempt at Classification Created by: Intelligence Nature M eaningful message, or object M S ystematic, repeatable process S R andom one-time occurrence R A rtistic, or playful artifact A

I will display some intriguing(?) pictures: Check yourself, how you interpret them... Possible Answers, with respective probabilities: Self-Test M eaningful message, or object S ystematic, repeatable process R andom one-time occurrence A rtistic, or playful artifact

Let’s start with another mysterious example...

Nazca, Peru u Are these ancient landing strips ?

More Strange Lines…

Petroglyphs But what does it mean ?

Graffiti

Faces on the Rocks

Panorama from Mars Rover Opportunity Miracles of Photoshop ?

Strange Life forms

Codex Seraphinianus

Clouds in the Sky UFO ? Lenticular cloud

Fire in the Sky

Volcanic Vent Hole ? Art by Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy – Stone Formations

Andy Goldsworthy – Ice Formations

Antarctica

2001 ?

Breckenridge CO, January 2004 Snowsculpting Championships “Turning a Snowball Inside-Out”

u A model of the Morin Surface = Half-way point of sphere eversion u The challenge is to turn a sphere inside-out: l Surface may pass through itself, l but no ripping, puncturing, creasing allowed, e.g., this is not an acceptable solution: PINCH

Sphere Eversion Process u But there are more contorted paths that can achieve the desired goal. u Bernard Morin figured out one such path. u Charles Pugh made models from chicken wire. u Nelson Max made a first computer simulation.

Gridded Models for Transparency 3D-Print from ZcorpSLIDE virtual model

Restructured Morin surface to fit block size: (10’ x 10’ x 12’) Shape Adaption for Snow Sculpture

The Final Model

Day1

Day2

Day3

Day 4

Day4

Day5 Honorable Mention: “Most Ambitious Design”

“Paradigm Shift” (British Columbia)

“Year of the Dragon” USA - Tennessee

Why Do People Do Such Things ?? u All this effort for a short-lived artifact ? u The joy of creating something of your own design … u The pride of astounding people...

Crop Circles

Milk Hill Crop Circles

Milk-Hill Design Analysis Circles Milk Hill crop formation is exactly the same design as the interior of the Raelian Symbol which Raelians have been wearing publicly since 1990.

Crop Circle Construction 26 person-hours of crop squashing, Probably not of extraterrestrial origin !

General Conclusions u Mars has been an enigma for a long time. u Fuzzy observations (channels, face,…) have led to fantastic, speculative interpretations. u This was a good take-off point for a review of the multiple channels through which we form our beliefs and seek interpretation. u There are still many strange things out there that we do not currently understand. u There is only a minuscule probability that any of them are due to extraterrestrial intelligence.

Is There Life Out There ? u No scientific answer yet. u My personal belief: YES, definitely ! (based on statistics and the fact that the sun and the earth are not such a special case as far as solar systems go) When will we find it ? u My guess: In the next 10 to 20 years.

Is There Intelligent Life Out There ? u Yes, probably somewhere in the universe. When will we make contact with them ? u I have no idea … u Any guess would have to come from an estimate how long a technical civilization can survive. Our one and only data point says: probably at least 100 years…

QUESTIONS ? DISCUSSION ?