It is hard to think of practical applications of the black hole. Because practical applications are so remote, many people assume we should not be interested. But this quest to understand the world is what defines us as human beings.
Interpretation
The study of black holes may seem impractical, but it is fundamental to our nature as humans to seek understanding of the universe.
Yuri Milner highlights that while understanding black holes may not have immediate practical applications, the pursuit of knowledge and the quest to comprehend the universe is a defining characteristic of humanity. This reflects a deeper philosophical stance on the value of curiosity and exploration, suggesting that the drive to seek understanding is intrinsic to being human, regardless of the tangible benefits that may arise from it.
In practice
During a lecture on astrophysics, one could use this quote to inspire students to pursue research in seemingly abstract areas.
Fundamental physics is like an art more or less. It's completely non-practical, and you can't use it for anything. But it's about the universe and how the world came into being. It's very remote from your daily life and mine, and yet it defines us as human beings.
The most complex object in the known universe: brain, only uses 20 watts of power. It would require a nuclear power plant to energize a computer the size of a city block to mimic your brain, and your brain does it with just 20 watts. So if someone calls you a dim bulb, that's a compliment.
Only six men in the world know about relativity. I am not one of them. When I ask them to explain, they confused me.
The universe has really never made things in ones. The Earth is special and everything else is different? No, we’ve got seven other planets. The sun? No, the sun is one of those dots in the night sky. The Milky Way? No, it’s one of a hundred billion galaxies. And the universe - maybe it’s countless other universes.
Genome design is going to be a key part of the future. That's why we need fast, cheap, accurate DNA synthesis, so you can make a lot of iterations of something and test them.
We only know God in His works, but we are forced by science to admit and to believe with absolute confidence in a Directive Power-in an influence other than physical, or dynamical, or electrical forces.
After exponential quantities the circular functions, sine and cosine, should be considered because they arise when imaginary quantities are involved in the exponential.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.