Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for October 17, 2013

Other dust specks would be the judge of that.

I know how he feels

In German “speck” means bacon!! Dust bacon!!

“A man said to the Universe, ‘Sir I exist’.” “‘However’, replied the Universe, ‘that has not created in me a sense of obligation’.”

So man made man insignificant?

No, Man made god.

“A Man Said to the Universe”

By Stephen Crane

A man said to the universe:“Sir, I exist!"“However,” replied the universe,“The fact has not created in me“A sense of obligation.”

romantic star…

Would you please keep it quiet!? Somebody’s trying to sleep here! – a star shouted back.

>Only in an evolutionary/big bang/atheistic worldview is man insignificant.

Only in the mind of a blinkered theist is that statement true ;-)

Shouldn’t he be in bed by now?

Calvin feels insignificant today, but, ironically, he has become very significant to people all over the world.

Here are two Peanuts strips that may have inspired today’s Calvin and Hobbes.Click here: Peanuts (August 3, 1955)Click here: Peanuts (September 4, 1957)

Dust Speck Calvin

Click here: Sidney Harris

When you finally stand before God your statement that man made God will not prevent His judgement from being fully realized. You will know the truth in the blink of an eye.

That is correct. The logical implications of the evolutionary theory lead to the unavoidable conclusion that man is insignificant because something bigger and better will always be just around the corner.

We are all made of dust. Star dust.

@Hobbes n Kay: “Blinkered theist?” Let’s see…… Maybe a non-blinkered theist stays on the straight-and-narrow, but a blinkered theist uses their turn signal.

Image isn’t in the literal since. The soul is the same image.

“extremely unspectacular rock” <- I thought Earth was actually quite rare in the way that it is the only known planet that sustains a wide array of life? I’m not saying that there aren’t others out there that haven’t been discovered yet, but so far we’re it.

The Earth itself is a speck of dust on the cosmological scale. One tiny planet among trillions in our galaxy which is one among hundreds of billions. And that doesn’t even account for the awesome vastness of space between these objects. Significance is relative.

OK, I think I’ve come up with a solution to the endless, and generally fruitless, atheist-vs.-theist arguments. Suppose that, when we die, all of us who believe in God were to spend eternity in the presence of God, while those of us who do not believe in God were never to see God. That way, all of us could remain forever convinced that we have been right all along. I think I will recommend this to God as a way to keep everyone happy. :>)

Calvin’s significant? In what way?

…said the insignificant dust speck

And to dust you shall return.Depending on our personalities, it’s very hard for some of us to feel significant – even when we’re compared only with other human beings. These feelings don’t relate to our actual significance to others.

“So man made man insignificant?”

Yep. Pretty much the essence of disrespect.

We either are the only intelligent life in the universe or we are not. Either way, it’s significant.

I’m talking about life more similar to our own . . intelligent, has governing bodies, builds cities, etc. I think intelligent life (by our own standards) is certainly out there, but I thought scientists have said that our situation is pretty unique as far as we understand space. Granted, we’ve only seen a tiny portion of it . . .

“To God, there is no zero. I still exist.” From the Incredible Shrinking Man.

“One is placed within a small chamber wherein is displayed a model of the entire universe – together with a microscopic dot bearing the legend ‘you are here.’” The Total Perspective Vortex, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Guard (stunned): Beeblebrox! You’ve been in the [Total Perspective] Vortex.Zaphod: You saw me, kid.Guard: And you saw the whole infinity of creation?Zaphod: The lot, babe, it’s a real great place.Guard: And you saw yourself in relation to it all?Zaphod: Yeah, yeah.Guard: And what did you experience?Zaphod: It told me what I knew all the time. I’m a really great guy! Didn’t I tell you, baby? I AM ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX!

similarity across scale fails when the dust specks start talking…

My favorite Calvin and Hobbs ever!

Dust as I sus-spek.

This strip looks pretty today.xxx

@The Wolf in Your Midst: So, if the Universe looks like the neural network in a mouse’s brain, then we must be living inside a really big mouse…….

Doesn’t that depend on which side of the world you are located on?

I like that. But…then, is there an opposite to ‘down’ somewhere? Or would we be looking in all directions simultaneously? Then what would there be to ‘hang on to’? Where do quanta go to sleep?

“. . . It was a MAN who wrote the book claiming god made man in his image and likeness. . . .”

Actually, the first five books of the Bible, which include Genesis, the first book, were dictated to Moses by God Himself. These books have been transcribed in their original language with perfection for centuries since their inception.

. . . “on this extremely unspectacular rock . . .”

?!? This planet is extraordinarily beautiful. Have you been to the mountains recently or seen the northern California coastline lately? What about the Swiss Alps, or the Grand Canyon, or a even a sunset, just to name a few. And not to mention the incredible array of life on this planet. The view of Earth from space is exactly that, spectacular, and so far, we are unique.

Belief is an emotion and does not rise from logical thought. If God wants me to believe he can communicate in a way that will form belief. So far this has not happened.

All I see and hear are the rantings of others that say they believe. That my neighbor says he loves his wife, does not make me love his wife, or even my wife. She does that!

Or an alien? Just as likely.

That’s a bit depressing, but no less true.

Not always in a good way.

“And hope and pray there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space, cause there sure isn’t any down here on Earth.”- Monty Python (I think)

" Two Possibilities Exist. Either we are Alone in the Universe or, we are Not. Both are equally Terrifying. " Arthur C. Clarke

i was never in sunday school. i went through a public school and reached the conclusion that an omniscient, omnipotent God does indeed exist through a study of the evidence around me as well as the evidence found in science and history to name a few.

the 3 major religions are exclusive if you study them closely. many of the minor religions ar as well.

Blind faith? as in continuing to believe there is no God rather than following the evidence that points to the existence of God? it takes a lot more faith to believe that something came from nothing than it does to believe that an all-powerful being created it.

On the other hand, Rumi said, "I am not a drop in the ocean;I am the ocean in a drop.

The fact that our bodies come with detailed instructions, our DNA, is evidence of intelligent design. Instructions do not just happen by chance.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/53216/mental-floss-exclusive-our-interview-bill-watterson

Excellent strip today.

Great comments,nobody claims to have talked to this being,just stories of people that did.I feel comfortable that reading this comic is not going to change my fortunate journey through this life.

This kind of thinking is ridiculous. So significance is determined by size? There are many of those “specks” that I wouldn’t trade for the biggest star. After all, what’s cooler, something that can think and talk, or a big,fiery rock?

Whatever the case may be in terms of who is right in the end, all we can do is wait to find out, though I imagine an 80’s style I told you so party would occur if one side were to find a conclusive way to say the other is wrong. :p

I sort of imagine it going like this,

Atheists invent superbomb, blow up the universe, god doesn’t exist.

Jesus rises from grave,“Yeah, I’m actually with the Devil, it was a really elaborate scheme, long story short, god exists, here’s him and me at my sweet sixteen*pulls out biblical style painting with them at a party, with Jesus on a large wooden car.*”

XD

As for Universal significance, personally, I think man is as significant as he makes himself out to be, size is an illusion, if we can bring light to the atomic scale of matter, it is equally possible for the reverse to occur. :D Just might take a little longer. ;)

What is evident only to me? That DNA is a code of instructions, or that instructions don’t happen by chance.

so the order in the universe came from chaos? laws do not come into being without a lawgiver. and if gravity is a theory rather than a law, im glad its a strong theory. im sorry, but your position does not hold water, so to speak.

Hahaha!