Apocalyptic Peevishness

So, the Large Hadron Collider was just activated. However, nothing has collided yet - that's planned to begin in October. Since the collisions are the part of the experiment that would produce anything interesting, articles like this one annoy me a lot. Short version, it's a list of doomsday predictions that didn't come true - but every single one on the list is religious or superstitious. So, not only is the article sounding the all clear before it is fair to do so, it is likening the perfectly legitimate possibility that Hawking radiation doesn't exist to the belief that a comet is coming to carry one's soul away.

Now, do I think it's likely that the LHC will produce micro black holes, which will become stable, grow exponentially, and consume the Earth? No. Do I think it's possible? Certainly. Does my opinion, as someone whose BA is in visual arts, mean anything? Probably not. Do I have an anxiety disorder that makes the small possibilities of terrible things seem far more important than is probably healthy? Yes, yes I do. Despite these worries, do I believe the experiment should continue? Yes, and I'll tell you why, on the artsy philosophical level that I'm qualified to talk about it.

At best, the LHC provides a tremendous opportunity to learn about the make-up of our universe. And even if the worst happened, if life as we know it had to end, I for one would feel better about it ending in the pursuit of knowledge than, say, through negligence in caring for the environment, or in some stupid war. Which leaves only the question, if the Earth is destroyed in a poetically ironic way, but that destruction is absolute, does it make a sound?

If the LHC turns out to be safe, none of this speculation will matter. If it doesn't, we're all screwed, and again this speculation doesn't really matter.

What I mean to say is, don't panic. Carpe Diem. Just like you should anyway.

I'm going to try to take my own advice.

Until next time,

T.L.C.