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Hellbent

Why you should care about the Higgs Boson and why you don't

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Here is an article stating why the world should be ecstatic about the discovery of the god particle. http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2012/07/08/higgs-boson-why-you-should-care-about-the-god-particle-and-sadly-why-you-dont/

One of the founders of the Higgs theory, Gerald Guralnik, was quoted in the New York Times saying he was glad to be at a physics meeting “where there is applause, like a football game.”

The problem is that it’s only physicists that are excited. A few thousand scientists (less than 1 percent of the population) are losing their minds, not taking any calls, getting buzzed in the middle of the day, and crying and hugging each other.

The rest of society is trying to figure out why this is a big whoop.

The biggest discovery of the 21st century, which connects you (and the world and the universe) to the Big Bang, was barely a whimper to over 99 percent of the population.

After reading it I still don't know why I'm supposed to care. :-/

The video in this article explains in very simple terms what the Higgs field is and the Higgs particles that make up the universal Higgs field and why scientists are excited about it.

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That was a stupid article. It was useless because it provided zero information and answered zero questions.

EDIT: Your ninja edited video was more useful.

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Please don't call it the "god" particle, terrible name.

And actually, the Higgs boson's existence itself has a possible ugly consequence as it re-opens the possibility that we live in a cyclical universe, which rather than functioning as a cycle of gravitational collapses, is powered by random quantum fluctuation on a universal scale.

If a portion of the vacuum suddenly drops to a lower quantum energy state, the rest will rapidly follow in a process exceeding the speed of light which will literally turn the universe inside out, momentarily compressing its contents into a singular mass and then blowing them out into a hyperexpansive region on the other side (which may or may not have the same physical laws as the current universe).

Sound familiar? It's something that we think already happened one time before. The idea that it could just begin again at any moment I find just a little bit disconcerting. Kind of like, makes the entirety of existence utterly pointless.

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Quasar said:

Please don't call it the "god" particle, terrible name.

Publishers be damned, "the goddamn particle" is a much better nickname.

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I think a lot of people do just fine not understanding the mechanics of their universe just trying to get the most out of their limited lifespan, really. What incentive is there to care?

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Quasar said:

Kind of like, makes the entirety of existence utterly pointless.

Existence is pointless. Enjoy the ride.

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Marcaek said:

I think a lot of people do just fine not understanding the mechanics of their universe just trying to get the most out of their limited lifespan, really. What incentive is there to care?

Technology.

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Marcaek said:

"Will the Higgs boson put bread on my table? Call me when it can"


That's a miserable way to put it. You can't predict how will a scientific discovery impact your existence. Structure of atom discovery in the past century wasn't done just because those who discovered it wanted to create an atomic power house.

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Sure. Why doesn't joe public give a shit then? Perhaps it is indeed a failure to communicate between people who understand the subject at hand and those who place no significance on it's existence? Sometimes those who are gifted with knowledge aren't as gifted in the art of explanation.

Which is basically what was already said.

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Marcaek said:

Why doesn't joe public give a shit then?


Mainly because it doesn't believe in significance of knowledge anymore, if you ask me. If everybody treated knowledge in such manner, we wouldn't make it too far past cavemen status.

Perhaps it is indeed a failure to communicate between people who understand the subject at hand and those who place no significance on it's existence? Sometimes those who are gifted with knowledge aren't as gifted in the art of explanation.


And maybe it's such sort of knowledge that requires preknowledge and would be pointless to try and explain if listener hasn't a slightest idea about subject.

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Marcaek said:

Sure. Why doesn't joe public give a shit then? Perhaps it is indeed a failure to communicate between people who understand the subject at hand and those who place no significance on it's existence? Sometimes those who are gifted with knowledge aren't as gifted in the art of explanation.

Which is basically what was already said.

I guess Joe public won't care until there is an application of this science which could improve peoples quality of life, same with most scientific discoveries, in the end most people will hear about things like this in a 2 minute news bulletin and then carry on with their lives. I guess many don't have the time or patience to do some research on the subject themselves afterwards.

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Marcaek said:

"Will the Higgs boson put bread on my table? Call me when it can"

Baiting or ignorant?

You stumped me, good sir.

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cannonball said:

I guess Joe public won't care until there is an application of this science which could improve peoples quality of life, same with most scientific discoveries

I'm willing to bet 'joe public' doesn't give a damn about understanding transistors, circuitry, electromagnetism, water/sewage treatment or even pasteurization either despite their applicable importance to our daily lives. The applications of knowledge about the higgs boson are vague and even unknown and are certainly years if not decades in the future.

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exp(x) said:

Existence is pointless. Enjoy the ride.


And this is why we have people who enjoy living on welfare checks and don't want to get a job or contribute to society. Yay, science.

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Clonehunter said:

And this is why we have people who enjoy living on welfare checks and don't want to get a job or contribute to society. Yay, science.

Yeah, fuck those existentialist freeloaders who enjoy gliding through life under the poverty line so much that they choose not to seek employment. It's not like they don't have reliable means of transportation to and from work or access to cheap, high-quality child care.

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Quasar said:

If a portion of the vacuum suddenly drops to a lower quantum energy state, the rest will rapidly follow in a process exceeding the speed of light which will literally turn the universe inside out, momentarily compressing its contents into a singular mass and then blowing them out into a hyperexpansive region on the other side (which may or may not have the same physical laws as the current universe).

Yes that is precisely what happens if you cross the streams.

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Clonehunter said:

And this is why we have people who enjoy living on welfare checks and don't want to get a job or contribute to society. Yay, science.


Most of that lot (which doesn't use much of society's wealth) is religious; they think there's a plan and they matter! Look to the rich to find pointless waste.

It's maddening how few people understand even the basics of how science is done. Every once in a while I get a chance to show somebody how something can be tested to find an answer. I've managed to light up enough eyes to convince myself broader interest and curiosity can be cultivated.

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Clonehunter said:

And this is why we have people who enjoy living on welfare checks and don't want to get a job or contribute to society. Yay, science.

Try actually living on welfare for a couple months, then stop spouting Republican talking points and maybe help contribute to a better standard of living for everyone in our society.

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Clonehunter said:

And this is why we have people who enjoy living on welfare checks and don't want to get a job or contribute to society. Yay, science.


If this is the alternative, then long-live welfare checks, and fuck society. Yay, capitalism.

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What concerns me is not so much the ignorance itself, because after all, not everyone can be experts in particle physics and whatnot, but rather, the attitude that fuels it. It seems that we, as a society, have become actively hostile toward science and knowledge. At best, scientists are seen as wasting time and money on frivolous pursuits and making up mumbo jumbo that has nothing to do with the world we live in. At worst, people see scientists as evil conspirators, that obviously they're only making this stuff up to try to control our lives. People seem to look down on anyone who prefers actual, measurable data to "common sense."

I don't even really know what fuels it, either. I know for some, it's because they have an agenda. People base their views on global warming on their political views, not by doing research. People think that the theory of evolution is an attempt to subvert their religious beliefs. I think, though, that another aspect of it may be that people like at it in terms of "Well, I can't see it, I don't have the background to understand it, so these people could be making stuff up and I wouldn't know. Obviously it's better to trust my eyes than people who could be lying to me."

Whatever the cause, I think this is a reason we need to boost science education in our schools. Yes, the argument gets made that, "Oh, most people won't use that information in their day-to-day lives," but I think it's more important than that. We need to do what we can to shift that attitude, because I fear if it continues to spread, it could have grave long-term consequences for our culture. People don't need to be experts in science, but they need to understand how science works, so that we can put an end to this hostility, which could really hurt our future as a nation.

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*Checks in to see what's being discussed in this cool science thread*

*Sees what it's devolved into*

*Checks out*

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