Imagine You're The Designer

DanCorb

Imagine if you were God at the beginning of time. There was nothing in existence, only you. You had a completely blank canvas to work with. You could create any type of world you wanted. You could create universes, galaxies, planets, and even life. You could design this life any way you wanted.

If you were in charge of designing the earth and all life in it, do you think you could do a better job than the mess it actually is? I think anyone could dream up of a better world than this one. My world wouldn’t have cancer, aids, or any disease. Hospitals wouldn’t exist in my world because there’d be no need for them.

If I was a god why would I not create a perfect world? Why would a perfect being design a world with flaws? How would earth be different if you were the designer?

Zombrex

DanCorb wrote: »

If I was a god why would I not create a perfect world? Why would a perfect being design a world with flaws? How would earth be different if you were the designer?

I wouldn't make an Earth for a start.

Ultimately it depends on the purpose that I would have, but say for argument sake the purpose was to make us (humans) and for us to lead a happy existence then I would make a universe where all life exists as non-material spirts capable of existing free from suffering.

of course such an existence would be completely different to how we exist now, so speculation as to what that would be like would be rather fruitless. For example, what we want is so often framed in the context of human emotions (like you said you would remove cancer), which intern have developed due to the challenges we face as mortal physical self replicating molecule collections. If we weren't like this we would have a completely different way of viewing the world and a completely different way of processing what is around us. Our needs and desire would be completely different, if we even had then at all.

Hivemind187

DanCorb wrote: »

How would earth be different if you were the designer?

There never would have been a "James Blunt" ...

marco_polo

1- As I am a bit of a bastard, I would probably bury a load of funny animal shaped rocks for the craic.

2 - I am also lazy so I would design something once, make a mould and reuse it.

3 - Give flatfish like Sole and Plaice symmetrical eyes so their friends will stop laughing at them)

condra

How would earth be different if you were the designer?

I don't think any human being could come close to even conceptualising such a perfect, beautiful, elegant universe/planet/physics system/engine.

Hospitals wouldn’t exist in my world because there’d be no need for them.

And in my world, there would be twenty women to every man. What is the point of your post?

robindch

marco_polo wrote: »

I would probably bury a load of funny animal shaped rocks for the craic.

Been done, kind of -- have a read of Terry Pratchett's, Strata where, amongst much else, a planetary designer is hauled up for burying a gaggle of dinosaurs carrying "End Nuclear Testing Now!" banners

CerebralCortex

I wouldn't create anything and I'd take myself out of existence. Sounds like just as much fun.

8kvscdpglqnyr4

DanCorb wrote: »

Imagine if you were God at the beginning of time. There was nothing in existence, only you. You had a completely blank canvas to work with. You could create any type of world you wanted. You could create universes, galaxies, planets, and even life. You could design this life any way you wanted.
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If I was god I wouldn't design anything. If I have all the attributes that are normally attributed to God, then I should be happy with myself by just being God.

I wouldn't have the need to create anything to worship me. If you really think about it, if I was God, the only reason I can think of to create life is for an experiment and to be entertained ... something to pass the time. But then "time" doesn't exist yet since I haven't created the universe. I have no need to create the universe since I can't be bored since time doesn't exist.

Dades

I don't think it's possible to create a situation where everyone being in perfect bliss. "Bliss" needs a frame of reference which requires there to be an alternative state to contrast it against.

In the words of Herman Mellville:

There is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself.

That said, a truly benevolent designer would never allow the horrors that are perpetrated on people (by other people, bacteria, natural disasters etc) in our corner of the universe. There has to be a fairer system of allowing your charges to do their own thing, whilst protecting them from themselves at the same time. If that means a compromise in the concept of "free will", than so be it.

I wouldn't use the free will concept as a cloak to hide my failings as a designer.

studiorat

I'd make the earth flat and give everybody wheels instead of legs.

Lazare

After I've created the universe, I'd pick out a tiny little planet and fill it with beautiful flora and fauna of all shapes and sizes.
Then, using my own image as a guide, I'd create people. Many many different types of people, of different shapes and colours. I'd sit back and marvel at how wonderful I really am, how utterly amazing I am.

I'd then create a huge big fiery hell hole in the middle of that planet, and if any of those ungrateful fcukers stopped kissin my a$$, I'd dump them right down that hole for ever and ever. Oh, and I hate fags.

Zillah

Yeah I'd create a universe composed of hundreds of trillions of stars occupying staggering amounts of space, interspersed with an infinity of weird and wonderful objects and features such as nebulae, blackholes, wormholes, pulsars and other stranger things. I would seed billions of worlds with life, watch a million cultures rise and fall, marvel at the grandeur of supernovas and galactic collisions all the while pondering the awesome potential for the future.

And of course I would make sure little Jimmy didn't touch himself. That makes me very angry.

condra

Yeah there's nothin' worse.

Passenger

Well I would ponder, why exactly should I create a "universe"?

For what benefits would one reap by creating life and matter and consciousness, etc.?

AtomicHorror

Passenger wrote: »

Well I would ponder, why exactly should I create a "universe"?

For what benefits would one reap by creating life and matter and consciousness, etc.?

Well, assuming that we are created in the metaphorical image of the Creator (ie consciousness), I'd imagine that Endless Nothing is really, really boring. I'd create a universe, just for something to do.

I'd create evolution so that I didn't have to micromanage the design of every last species right down to the countless varieties of beetle. I'm doing this to relieve the boredom after all. Throwing stars around and making stuff explode is much more fun.

That and invading the minds of some of my creations in order to get them to fulfil the will of God. The best bit is to give two contradictory messages to two opposing world leaders and just watch the fireworks.

toiletduck

DanCorb wrote: »

You could design this life any way you wanted.

Someone needs to get a hold of a copy of Spore.

Zillah

Passenger wrote: »

Well I would ponder, why exactly should I create a "universe"?

For what benefits would one reap by creating life and matter and consciousness, etc.?

So that they may glorify you.

Seriously. That's the popular answer.

ChocolateSauce

I'd make a world exactly like the one I'm in now, except I'd be rich and have an IQ of 180.

rockbeer

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

I'd make a world exactly like the one I'm in now, except I'd be rich and have an IQ of 180.

Once you had an IQ of 180 you might well conclude that you should have created something different.

KnifeWRENCH

If I'm the Creator and I do exist, I can decide science doesn't exist. So feck evolution and the four fundamental forces, things work because I decide they work!

So with that in mind, I'd create just one planet (a whole universe is asking too much) and plonk fully developed humans into it.
I'd hastily scribble some scriptures, saying that I exist and are full of wrath and everyone better so as I say. I'd then leave them lying around and wait to find out who the believers and non-believers are.
I'd ruthlessly destroy anyone who had no faith in me, and bring down countless plagues on those who did, just to test their faith.

When I get bored of that, I'd destroy my planet entirely and go create a new one made of marshmallows and inhabited by fuzzy green spherical lifeforms. The rest I haven't decided yet.

Weidii

toiletduck wrote: »

Someone needs to get a hold of a copy of Spore.

Gah, just what I was gunna say.

Passenger

Zillah wrote: »

So that they may glorify you.

Seriously. That's the popular answer.

So the 'creator' we assume has to be an egotistical, narcissistic control freak??:)

Can we not just assume a creator unconsciously 'created' or 'initiated' the beginning of the universe, ie. the big bang, and everything else evolved over time??

rockbeer

Passenger wrote: »

Can we not just assume a creator unconsciously 'created' or 'initiated' the beginning of the universe, ie. the big bang, and everything else evolved over time??

You can assume that if you want, but why would you?

Zillah

Passenger wrote: »

So the 'creator' we assume has to be an egotistical, narcissistic control freak??:)

Can we not just assume a creator unconsciously 'created' or 'initiated' the beginning of the universe, ie. the big bang, and everything else evolved over time??

Well no, such a thing does not exist. But what I described is how the majority of religions rationalise it.

Hivemind187

Passenger wrote: »

Can we not just assume a creator unconsciously 'created' or 'initiated' the beginning of the universe, ie. the big bang, and everything else evolved over time??

Um ... "unconsciously created or initiated" ?

Are you suggesting that some form of divine faltulance led to the creation of reality?

Also, if the creation of the universe was an "unconscious" one then it is either a side effect or an accident and the so-called creator (accident prone deity) is in no way worthy of worship and only a barest aknowledgement since for the most part it would not be responsible.

Kind of undermines the whole 20,000 years of human religion.

Zombrex

Passenger wrote: »

So the 'creator' we assume has to be an egotistical, narcissistic control freak??:)

on if you are a Christian :pac:

Zillah

Wicknight wrote: »

on if you are a Christian :pac:

Don't forget the Jews! Muslims too.

SonOfPerdition

all worlds would be Rimmerworlds

OK-Cancel-Apply

Hmmm.. I'd design dear with longer legs so that they'd be better at running away from lions. And I'd also make lions twice as fast, so they'd be better at catching dear.

Oh and I'd design banana ridges backwards so the while holding them, they actually face the right way. I would leave out giraffes (what use are they eh?).

Galvasean

I'd have made it the same, only not wiped out the dinosaurs. See what they do.

Zillah

OK-Cancel-Apply wrote: »

Hmmm.. I'd design dear with longer legs so that they'd be better at running away from lions. And I'd also make lions twice as fast, so they'd be better at catching dear.

Haha