The Enigma of Life (Part 2 of 2) — The Meaning of Life

Human lives are no more significant in the grand scheme of the universe than the lives of cockroaches on the same scale of magnitude.

— Xenocrates

Humanity and all life enveloped by it, is a by product of a cosmic matter engine. — Image by Jamie Beck

When you think about the complexity of life on this planet, our first instinct is to think that the meaning of our lives extends from the complexity inherent in life as we know it. The truth is that wherever life exists in the universe, irrespective of its complexity, the purpose of that life is exactly the same. There is no greater relativistic significance that’s attributable to humanity.

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The Stupid Gene

“Stupidity is an unfortunate but necessary by product of cognitive evolution.”

– Xenocrates

Every once in a while, we hear about someone doing something so profoundly dumb, that it makes us wonder what compelled them to do it in the first place. However, stupidity is not exclusive to people who are notably less intelligent than others. In fact, if you think about it, you’ll see how pervasive it really is.

Star Trek (2009) Full Review

“Set a course for awesome – maximum warp. The summer has officially begun.”

– Xenocrates

The Science Fiction hall of fame officially has another inductee. J.J. Abram’s re-imagining of Star Trek sets the bar so ridiculously high this season, that I feel bad for the other summer epics yet to come that are now hopelessly doomed to mediocrity. This is quite possibly the best film of 2009 and there are five very good reasons why I say this:

Hollywood on Trial

“When you go to the movies,check both your coat and your brain at the door.”

– Xenocrates

Have you ever seen one of those movies where you saw something that just didn’t make sense?  I’m not talking about the obvious stuff that is the product of special effects like punching through a wall or making an impossible shot. Stuff like that is usually quaintly explained by the plot of the movie – such as the main characters being from another planet, or have superpowers that are the product of genetic mutation. We all know that suspension of belief is critical to most movies.

However, I’m talking about some of the things that are logically implausible or downright stupid. I’m talking about stuff that is the product of continuity mismanagement or lack of simple research. I will admit that it does seem hypocritical to assail Hollywood for breaking the laws of simple logic while allowing them to break the laws of physics on a regular basis. But the reason why this allegation has validity is that we expect them to defy the laws of physics. We however do not expect them to defy the laws of reason – or at the very least, not to defy the basis of the plot.

In this post, I cover some of the greatest, most common, most inexplicable, most stupid things that I’ve seen in movies that simply just don’t make sense. Put on your thinking caps for this one. I wax scientific about why the Millennium Falcon can’t possibly make the Kessel Run in 12 Parsecs and why Superman could never safely move faster than a speeding bullet – ever.