Everything We Don't Know

Summary

This script delves into the mysteries of human perception, questioning whether our individual experiences of color and sound are universally shared. It explores the vast unknowns of our world, from the depths of the ocean to the complexities of human consciousness and the universe's composition. Challenging long-held beliefs about what defines humanity and pondering existential questions, the script invites viewers to embrace the unknown and the continuous journey of discovery.

Takeaways

• 👀 The subjective nature of color perception suggests that what one person sees as 'blue' might be different from another's perception, highlighting the individuality of sensory experiences.
• 🌐 The 'dress debate' of 2015 underscores the idea that personal sensory experiences can vary widely, even among the same species, and that consensus on such experiences is not guaranteed.
• 🌊 A significant portion of Earth's surface and life forms are composed of water, yet our understanding of it, especially the vast oceans, remains limited despite its importance.
• 🐠 Our exploration of the ocean is minimal, with only a small fraction of marine life discovered, indicating the vast unknown that lies beneath the waves.
• 🏖 The concept of coastlines is complex due to their irregular shapes, and measuring them accurately is challenging, leading to variations in reported lengths.
• 🔥 The distinction between 'discovery' and 'invention' is blurred, especially with elements like fire and music, which may have been part of the natural world before human manipulation.
• 🎵 Music's origins are debated; it may be a human construct or a natural phenomenon that we've merely harnessed and refined over time.
• 🛠 The use of tools was once considered a definitive human trait, but evidence of tool use in other species challenges this notion and prompts a reevaluation of what defines humanity.
• 🧠 The complexity of consciousness and self-awareness extends beyond humans to various animals, as recognized in the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness.
• 🌌 The universe's scale and our place within it raise existential questions about our uniqueness and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
• ⏳ The nature of time, its origin, and whether it was 'discovered' or 'invented' by humans are profound questions that reflect our ongoing quest for understanding the universe's fundamentals.

Q & A

How does the perception of color vary between individuals?

The perception of color can vary between individuals because there is no definitive way to confirm if what one person sees as a specific color is the same as what another person sees. This is due to the subjective nature of sensory experiences.

What was the significance of the 'dress' phenomenon that divided the internet in 2015?

The 'dress' phenomenon highlighted the subjective nature of color perception and sparked discussions about how different people can perceive the same visual stimulus differently, some seeing it as gold and white while others saw it as blue and black.

Why is it difficult to measure the exact length of a coastline?

Measuring a coastline is difficult because coastlines are not straight lines and have many curves and indentations. Small deviations can add up over large distances, and surveyors often simplify these measurements by straightening rough edges, leading to varying results.

What does the limited exploration of Earth's oceans suggest about our understanding of the underwater world?

The limited exploration of Earth's oceans, estimated to be only 5 to 10 percent, suggests that there is much we do not know about the underwater world, including the potential existence of undiscovered species and ecosystems.

What is the debate surrounding whether humans invented or discovered music?

The debate revolves around whether music is a human construct or a natural phenomenon that humans have simply recognized and utilized. Evidence of musical behaviors in non-human animals suggests that music may be a discovery rather than an invention.

How has the discovery that other animals use tools impacted the definition of what makes us human?

The discovery that animals like chimpanzees use tools challenges the notion that tool use is a defining characteristic of humanity. It suggests that we need to reconsider what truly differentiates humans from other animals.

What is the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness and what does it imply about human uniqueness?

The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness is a statement by neuroscientists acknowledging that humans are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that generate consciousness. It implies that many other animals also possess these neural substrates, challenging the idea of human exceptionalism in consciousness.

What is the significance of the placebo effect in understanding the power of the human mind?

The placebo effect demonstrates the mind's ability to influence physical health outcomes, suggesting that our beliefs and expectations can have a tangible impact on our bodies, even in the absence of actual medical treatment.

Why do some scientific theories change or become obsolete over time?

Scientific theories change or become obsolete as new evidence emerges and our understanding of the natural world evolves. This reflects the dynamic and self-correcting nature of scientific inquiry.

What does the vastness of the universe imply about our understanding of existence?

The vastness of the universe underscores the limitations of human knowledge and the potential for countless unknowns. It challenges us to continue questioning and exploring in order to deepen our understanding of existence.

How do the phenomena of contagious yawning and emotional crying reflect the complexity of human behavior?

Contagious yawning and emotional crying are examples of complex behaviors that may have evolved for social or emotional regulation. They highlight the intricate interplay between our physiological responses and our psychological experiences.

Outlines

00:00

👀 Perception and the Subjectivity of Senses

This paragraph explores the subjective nature of human perception, questioning whether individuals perceive colors in the same way. It delves into the famous dress color debate of 2015, which highlighted the variability in color perception. The script also touches on the mysteries of the senses, the vastness of the oceans, and the unknowns of the Earth's coastlines. It discusses human inventions and discoveries, such as clothing, shelter, and money, and ponders whether fire and music were inventions or discoveries. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the limitations of our knowledge, even in areas we think we understand well.

05:03

🧠 The Complexity of Human Nature and Consciousness

The second paragraph delves into what defines humanity, challenging traditional beliefs about our uniqueness. It discusses the discovery of individual personalities and rational thought in chimpanzees, which complicates the definition of 'man.' The paragraph also addresses the concept of self-awareness, suggesting that it is not exclusive to humans, as evidenced by the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness. It raises existential questions about life, death, and the nature of consciousness, pondering the mysteries of Near-Death Experiences and the possibility of an afterlife. The discussion extends to the enigma of the human mind's power, as demonstrated by the placebo effect and self-affirmation's impact on self-worth.

10:08

🌌 The Vast Unknowns of the Universe and Human Curiosity

This paragraph contemplates the vastness of the universe and the insignificance of human knowledge in comparison. It discusses the number of discovered solar systems and the potential for billions more, emphasizing the scale of the cosmos. The script raises questions about extraterrestrial life and why we have not encountered it. It also ponders the fundamental nature of the universe, including the composition of matter and the origins of atoms. The paragraph touches on the concept of time, questioning whether it was discovered or invented by humans. It concludes with a reflection on the human propensity for laughter and crying, the reasons behind these emotional responses, and the limitations of our understanding of these phenomena.

Keywords

💡Perception

Perception refers to the process by which the brain interprets and organizes sensory information to create a coherent understanding of the world. In the video, it is highlighted by questioning whether different individuals perceive the color blue in the same way. The concept is central to the theme of subjective experience and the limitations of human understanding.

💡The Dress Phenomenon

The Dress Phenomenon refers to the viral debate over the color of a particular dress, which some people saw as gold and white while others saw as blue and black. This event exemplifies the variability in human perception and challenges the notion of a shared reality, underscoring the video's exploration of the subjectivity of sensory experiences.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness is the state of awareness, arousal, and attention. The video mentions the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, which acknowledges that non-human animals also possess the neurological substrates for consciousness. This challenges the uniqueness of human self-awareness and is pivotal to the video's theme of questioning what defines humanity.

💡Sentience

Sentience is the capacity to have subjective experiences and to feel, perceive, or be conscious, both of oneself and of the environment. The script discusses the sentience of various creatures, including mammals, birds, and octopuses, suggesting that the ability to feel and experience is not exclusive to humans, which ties into the broader theme of the video about the complexity of life and cognition.

💡Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)

Near-Death Experiences are profound psychological events that occur to some people in situations of impending death, often involving a variety of sensations including detachment from the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth, etc. The video raises the question of what happens after death, suggesting that our understanding of life and death may be incomplete.

💡Coastline Paradox

The Coastline Paradox refers to the observation that the measured length of a coastline depends on the scale of the measuring unit used. The video uses this concept to illustrate the complexity and variability of natural features, emphasizing the uncertainty and subjectivity in measuring and understanding the natural world.

💡Tools

Tools are objects used to perform tasks more efficiently. The video script challenges the notion that tool use is a defining characteristic of humans by mentioning that many animals, particularly primates, also use tools. This raises questions about what truly differentiates humans from other species in the context of the video's exploration of human uniqueness.

💡Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires. The video discusses the discovery that some animals are also self-aware, which complicates the traditional view that self-awareness is a uniquely human trait, aligning with the video's theme of reevaluating human exceptionalism.

💡Placebo Effect

The Placebo Effect is a psychological phenomenon where a person experiences a perceived improvement in their condition after receiving a fake or inactive treatment. The video uses the placebo effect to demonstrate the power of the mind over the body, highlighting the potential of mental processes in shaping physical reality.

💡Existence

Existence refers to the state or fact of living or having life. The video ends with a contemplation of the meaning of existence, inviting viewers to consider the philosophical question of why we exist and what our purpose might be, which is central to the overarching theme of the video.

💡Yawning

Yawning is an involuntary act of opening the mouth wide and inhaling deeply, often due to tiredness or boredom. The video script ponders why yawning is contagious, which is an example of the many mysteries of human behavior and physiology that the video aims to highlight.

Highlights

The subjective experience of color perception varies among individuals, with no definitive way to confirm if two people see the same color.

The 'dress debate' of 2015 illustrates the variability in human color perception, with people seeing the same dress as either gold and white or blue and black.

The human body, like many other life forms, is composed of a significant percentage of water, yet our understanding of water itself remains limited.

Only a small fraction of Earth's oceans has been explored, leaving much of the oceanic depths uncharted and mysterious.

Coastlines are difficult to measure accurately due to their irregular shapes and the constant changes in their contours.

The invention of tools was once thought to be a defining characteristic of humans, but many animals, especially primates, also use tools.

Chimpanzees have been observed using tools for various purposes, challenging the notion that tool use is unique to humans.

The discovery of individual personalities and rational thought in chimpanzees questions the criteria used to define humanity.

Self-awareness, once considered a human-exclusive trait, has been found in various animal species, including mammals, birds, and octopuses.

The placebo effect demonstrates the power of the human mind to influence physical health through belief and expectation.

Self-affirmation has been shown to positively impact self-competence and self-worth, suggesting the mind's ability to shape self-perception.

The vastness of space and the discovery of numerous solar systems highlight the insignificance of human existence in the universe.

The fundamental composition of the universe, including the existence and origins of atoms, remains largely unknown.

The nature of time and its origins are complex and not fully understood, raising questions about whether time was discovered or invented.

Laughter and crying, common human emotional expressions, have evolutionary purposes that are not completely understood.

The prevalence of right-handedness and left-handedness in humans is not fully explained, and the reasons behind handedness are still debated.

Scientific theories can change over time, and what is currently accepted as fact may be proven wrong or obsolete in the future.

The pursuit of knowledge and the questioning of existing theories are essential for human progress and understanding of the world.

Transcripts

This is green. This is red. And this is blue. But  how can you tell that what you’re seeing as blue  

is the exact same thing as what I see  as blue? We’ve named the colors to  

give us a way to communicate and  reference them, but in reality,  

there’s no way of knowing that what you see  is the same as what another person sees.

Even with the small steps and the giant leaps  we’ve made as a species, there is still a  

lot to learn about earth, life, and the human  condition. There’s still everything we don’t know.

On the 26th of February 2015, one picture  of a dress divided the internet. While  

some saw it as gold and white, others  saw it as blue and black. Since then,  

there have been a number of repetitions of the  same experiment either using the same sense,  

in this case, sight, or even other senses, like  hearing in the famous “yanny” or “laurel” debate.

These experiments remind us that there’s no  way for us to tell that you and I sense the  

same things. What I call red might just  be what you call blue, and there might be  

someone out there who sees human beings with  purple teeth, but just refers to it as white.

71% of the surface of the earth is covered  by water. Humans are made up of about 60%  

water, potatoes 80%, watermelons  93%, and Cucumbers 95%.  

It’s very clear that water is  essential for life on earth,  

but we don’t really know much about water.  Not even about the very oceans we came from.

In fact, we’ve only explored 5  to 10 percent of Earth’s oceans,  

the rest, well, who knows what’s down there?  It’s even scarier when you realize that fish  

like the blobfish and the barrel-eyed fish belong  to this slim percent of things we’ve discovered.

The deeper you go, the crazier things seem to get.  

What’s at the bottom of the ocean?  For the most part, we just don’t know.

But back on the surface, countries that  are bordered by water use something called  

“coastlines” to mark their territory.  The coast is the land along the sea,  

and the boundary between the coast  and the sea known as a coastline.

So, how long is the US coastline or  any other coastline in the world?  

The answer is… well, we don’t really know.  Coastlines constantly curve and cut in and out.  

Even the smallest deviations from  a straight line can add distance,  

and over time, these small distances add up.  Some of these features are massive, like bays,  

while others are miniscule. Now, measuring each  and every little crevasse isn’t really efficient,  

so surveyors cut corners and straighten  rough edges into easily manageable lines.  

If you do a quick Google search of  the measurement of any coastline,  

you’ll find a lot of different answers.  They all cut corners, just differently.

Humanity as a species though… well we’ve  done well for ourselves. When in a pinch,  

we invent something to push us through. We  made clothes when the weather was harsh,  

shelter so we could be safe from wildlife to  rest and recuperate, weapons to hunt for food,  

money to replace pure bartering. But what about  fire? Was fire a “discovery” or an “invention”?

And music?

Music has been described by scientists as  a relatively recent invention by humans.  

It’s believed that music helped our ancestors  to help bring together a close-knit community.

But did humans really invent music? Or did we just  

discover that certain sounds  sound nice with other sounds?

Birds sing, whales sing, even tree frogs  have a nice rich baritone sometimes.  

So can we really say man invented music? If we  did, then what is the true definition of music?  

I guess we’ll never know.

On the list of man’s greatest inventions has  to be tools. In fact, for a really long time,  

scientists were sure that this is pretty much  what made us human. We were the only animals who,  

through the use of such a variety of tools,  were able to expand and grow so quickly.

Except… we aren’t the only ones who use tools.  In fact, a lot of animals, mainly primates,  

use tools for all kinds of reasons. A study  by Jane Godall on African chimpanzees would  

change the definition of man forever.  In the research, it was discovered that  

these chimpanzees used tools to gather  food, brush their teeth, and even more.  

So in response, would this mean we must  now redefine man or redefine tool? They  

use tools for the same exact things we  would. Do we accept chimpanzees as human?

Well, of course not.

This begs the question, if using tools doesn’t,  then what makes us human? In the same research,  

it was also discovered that chimps had individual  personalities and were capable of rational thought  

like emotions and sorrow. They gave pats  on the back, hugs, kisses, and even just  

messed around with each other just for fun. They  developed affectionate bonds with family members  

and with other members of the community, and  some of these bonds lasted for over 50 years.

If emotions, rational thought, and affectionate  actions do not, then what makes us human?  

In the past, it was thought that humans were  the only animals who were self-aware. However,  

in the past thirty years, extensive research  has proven that many other animals are too.  

In fact, in 2012, a group of neuroscientists  created the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness  

which states that “humans are not unique  in possessing the neurological substrates  

that generate consciousness. Non-human  animals, including all mammals and birds,  

and many other creatures, including octopuses,  also possess these neural substrates”.

If consciousness, sentience, wakefulness, and  the ability to feel and experience do not,  

then what makes us human? We really just don’t  know. All we know is that one day we weren’t,  

today we are, and one day we will be no more.  

We don’t know what happened before we were born,  neither do we know what will happen after we die.

If a person dies and comes back to life,  it’s referred to as a Near-Death Experience,  

because we see death as a  finality, but what if it isn’t?  

What if one of the beliefs of  humanity’s many religions is true?

Even the earth itself can be  very weird, and sometimes,  

you just see formations that make no  sense. Like, who built the Stonehenge  

and why? A quick Google search and you would  find Druids for sacrificial ceremonies,  

prehistoric people to bury the cremated remains  of their dead, while some believe humans couldn’t  

have done such a thing by themselves. But  again, in reality, we just don’t know.

The same goes for the pyramids. Some people  think the gods of Egypt made the pyramids,  

others are convinced it was made by human  effort. But, in reality, we just don’t know.

The human mind is everything.  All of man’s greatest inventions,  

theories, and discoveries have all come from  the human mind. We first conceive an idea in  

our mind before we can ever create it in the  real world, but perhaps, we don’t yet know or  

understand exactly how powerful the mind can  be. The placebo effect gives us a glimpse.

I made an entire video about the  placebo effect, but basically,  

doctors appear to give a patient treatment, but  in actuality, they don’t. However, this “fake  

treatment” registers in the brain, perceives it  as real, and kick-starts the healing process.

Basically, the mind heals the body because  it thinks the body is getting treatment,  

even if it isn’t.

In research on social cognitive  and affective neuroscience,  

it was discovered that self-affirmation helps  to maintain a positive self-view and helps to  

restore your self-competence and self-worth.  Simply by telling yourself nice things,  

it is indeed possible for your mind to convince  your brain and body that you are those things.  

And these are just the things we know the mind is  capable of, think about everything we don’t know.

There are a lot of things we know about animals.  Dogs are sweet and loving, cats can have an  

attitude, and the lion is apparently the king  of the jungle, even if it lives in a Savannah.

Not everything makes sense, and we really  don’t know as much as we think we do.

Going to space is one of man’s greatest  achievements. However, what space exploration  

has clearly shown us is just how small  we are in the grand scheme of things.  

There are at least 2,500 other solar systems that  have been discovered, but that number could go  

up to the tens of billions, we cannot know for  sure. That’s just in our galaxy, the Milky way,  

and the Milky Way is just one of billions of  galaxies that are out there in the universe.

It’s so incredibly massive that  you can’t just help but think,  

are we alone in the universe? And if we aren’t,  why haven’t our neighbors come to say hi? We  

have ideas, but as always, we don’t know,  and we can’t really prove most things.

A very fundamental question for nature is,  what exactly is the universe made of? And  

why is there stuff in it to begin with? We know  that all matter is made up of indivisible atoms,  

but why? Why do atoms exist  and where do they come from?  

When we die, what exactly do those  atoms become — everything else?

At this point, you’ve listened to me talk for  seven to eight minutes. Time is persistent,  

for everything with mass, time never stops.  We all know that yesterday is in the past,  

today is the present, and tomorrow is  the future. But what exactly is time  

and where does it come from? Even more confusing  is, did humans “discover” or “invent” time?

There are so many things about  the world that we just don’t know,  

and while some are deep questions like we’ve  talked about, others are more… well, trivial.

While watching the video of this person yawning,  

you also probably just yawned, so even more  importantly, why is yawning contagious?

When we’re happy, we laugh, when we’re  sad, we cry. But… why? For a long time,  

it was believed that laughter was a social tool  to show one another that we’re enjoying what is  

currently happening. It was an evolution tool  used to help enhance connectivity in societies.  

But if that was the case, then laughter should  be unique to us humans, or at least, primates,  

but it’s not. Other social animals like dolphins  and even rats laugh. So, why do we laugh?

And also, why do we cry? It’s as if crying has  emotional healing powers. Crying activates our  

parasympathetic nervous system and helps return  our bodies to a normal fully functional state.  

It’s a good thing for your body, so why  do we associate it with such sad things?  

We often cry after something bad has  happened, not really while it’s happening.  

Is it a process that evolved solely for our  brains to process emotionally painful things?  

Then again, we cry for happy reasons as well.  So scratch everything I just said. I don’t know.

Why are some people right-handed  and a few others left-handed?  

Why isn’t everyone ambidextrous,  wouldn’t that have made a lot more sense?

We can have theories for many, many  things, but they remain just that,  

theories. In actuality, proving theories as a  fact of nature is a lot harder than you’d think.

Many scientific theories are superseded  with time, considered obsolete  

or simply wrong. We used to think  Earth was the center of the universe,  

then one day, we realized it wasn’t. Then again,  not everyone could accept the fact that their  

view of the universe was wrong. I mean there’s  a “theory” that as recently as World War 2,  

the German’s attempted some advances under  the impression that the Earth was hollow.  

So, it is very possible that mostly everything  we do know about the world right now is wrong.

Honestly, it probably is. We simply  don’t know everything about everything.

And that’s okay.

All we can do is keep asking questions and  keep learning about the world around us,  

trying to uncover each of its  mysteries one stone at a time,  

hopefully answering the most important question  of them all - what does existence truly mean?