My Worldview

By Dad 
A Summary of What I Believe
• The universe was created from a “big bang” event.
• Matter interacted together under extreme gravity, heat, and pressure
to form stars, planets, and other astronomical objects
• Higher elements were created in star cores. Some stars exploded as
supernovas and sent their elements across the universe to form, or
combine with, new objects.
• On Earth (and possibly other planets), certain conditions allowed
more complex molecules to form. Eventually, amino acids formed
and combined to create micro-organisms. Over billions of years,
these micro-organisms evolved into the life we see on Earth.
Basic Concepts of My Worldview
• Our reality is made up of the things we can observe, test, and measure
consistently. It is governed by the laws of science.
• There are many things we “know” and many things we don’t. The things we
“know” can change when presented with new information. The things we
don’t “know” are simply those that we have not yet found a way to understand.
• The simplest answer to questions is usually the one with the most truth.
• Humans are very complex creatures driven by varied and sometimes
contradictory factors.
• In general, the “value” of a human being is no greater than that of other life. In
practice, we naturally place greater value on those closest and most similar to
us.
The Formation of Our Universe
How do we know about our universe?
(some examples)
• Based on red- and blue-shift radiation emanating from astronomical
objects (mostly stars), we can see how old they are and that the
universe is expanding.
• By measuring the distance between various astronomical objects over
time we can estimate the distance and speed at which the universe
has expanded and how old it is (13.7B years).
• Through radiometric dating (elements break down over time and we
can measure the amount of different isotopes) of rocks, we can
estimate how old the Earth is (4.374B years).
Life on Earth is Varied

There are many different types of

life on Earth, we know of roughly
8.7 million different species
Based on DNA evidence, we know
that all of it is related.
All life has a common ancestor
and a common origin.
How did life get to this point?
Evolution
• The physical and behavioral characteristics of species change over
time, even into entirely new species.
• They change because of mutation and natural selection.
• Mutation is the random alteration of DNA due to biological or
environmental factors.
• Natural selection is the appearance and perpetuation of (mutated)
characteristics as a result of survival or success of a population within
a species.
• Species survive/thrive or go extinct based on natural selection.
Human Evolution

• Humans are scientifically classified in the order of primates and the family of
Hominidae (called hominids or great apes).
• Based on current evidence, humans (homo sapiens) have existed for 200,000 years.
• Many other hominid species, such as Neanderthal and Homo Erectus, have either
been absorbed into other hominid populations or gone extinct.
How do we know evolution happens?
• The original theory of evolution was authored by Charles Darwin
when he visited the Galapagos Islands. There have many other
examples of evolution observed since then.
• Scientists have simulated the “spark of life” by colliding molecules
contained in a chemical soup of clay and a naturally existing
Formamide, to create the four building blocks of RNA.
• Throughout human history, we have genetically modified animals and
plants through selective breeding and gene-splicing.
• Scientists have even created entirely new life by using synthetic DNA
base pairs and by synthesizing entirely new genomes of yeast.
Highlights of the History of Civilization
• Homo sapiens migrated from Africa ~80k years ago and edged out the
remaining hominid species over then next few millennia.
• The city-states of Sumer, located in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq and Kuwait),
is the oldest known complex civilization, dating to the 4th millennium BCE. The
earliest writing (~3000 BCE) comes from Sumer. Around this time there were
many polytheistic religions, several of which survive to this day (Vedic).
• The Great Pyramid is built in Giza in 2560 BCE.
• Hammurabi conquers Mesopotamia and codifies laws 1795-1750 BCE.
• In the 9th century BCE, the first established monotheistic religion, Judaism,
arises from elements of Semitic, Canaanite, and Babylonian polytheistic
religions.
Highlights of the History of Civilization
(continued)
• The height of Greek civilization in the 8th century BCE
• The height of the Qin dynasty in China in the 3rd century BCE
• The height of the Roman empire and Jesus’s birth, 1st century BCE
• Muhammad, founder of Islam, born in the 6th century CE.
• The height of the Mongol empire, the largest in history, in 13th century
CE
• Renaissance in Europe in the 15th century CE.
• Industrial Revolution in the 19th century CE.
• World wars in the early part of the 20th century CE.