The Mediocrity Principle
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[edit] Definition
The Mediocrity Principle in science assumes that:
- The Earth does not occupy any special position in the universe.
A more general form known as the Copernican Principle states that
- There are no special positions in the universe.
[edit] Discussion
[edit] Scientific Use
The Mediocrity Principle can be seen as a general trend of scientific discoveries related to the position of the Earth in the universe. The first such discovery was that the Earth is merely another wandering planet, orbiting the much larger Sun. Subsequently, science learned that the Sun is an ordinary star, and that it occupies a fairly unremarkable place within the Milky Way galaxy. Modern cosmological theories hold that the universe has no center, and that the Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy in no special location.
The Mediocrity Principle suggests that in natural law, there should be no special exceptions for the Earth. This agrees with the scientific principle that natural laws are universal. One of the greatest universal laws of nature discovered, Newton's law of gravitation, abolished the Earth-centered notion that "things fall down".
[edit] Extraterrestrial Life
The fact that the universe does not seem to particularly favor Earth raises the question of why Earth seems singularly blessed with life. The Mediocrity Principle suggests that there is no particular reason why life ought to be confined to Earth, and that it is quite possible that life arose in other similarly hospitable places.
The Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, who not only advocated the Copernican model of the solar system, but also recognized that our Sun was merely a star, was further led to the belief that the other planets of the solar system sustained life.
Coming to modern times, it seems that the other planets of our solar system are barren. However, the recent discovery of extrasolar planets suggests that planetary systems are common and numerous throughout the universe. It also seems that amino acids and other building-blocks of life are very common on other planets of our solar system. It remains a matter of debate as to how “special” our own solar system and the Earth really are.
The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) makes it explicit that their work assumes the Mediocrity Principle. Specifically, their search for alien messages assumes many human traits ought to be fairly common: intelligence, language, technology, and desire to communicate.
[edit] Religion
The Mediocrity Principle implies by extension that there is no “cosmic destiny” or significance associated with the Earth, the human race, or any particular individual. This is at odds with the teachings of most religions – indeed it is offensive to the innate human desire to know some higher purpose.
Theistic religions generally posit a God who takes a special interest in mankind, and for whom the Earth is a stage for events of cosmic importance. We may ask why mankind, the crowning accomplishment of God’s creation, is stranded on a little rock orbiting a typical star, lost in an immense universe. The question of extraterrestrial life might create an additional crisis in religious belief of the importance of mankind, but as yet, this is an entirely academic topic.
It is not surprising, that in times past, as scientific findings tended to support the Mediocrity Principle, that establishments of religion tended to react to these findings and the individuals who promulgated them. As early as the 3rd century BC, the Greek astronomer Aristarchus was charged with “impiety” for demonstrating that the Sun was larger than the Earth, and suggesting that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
[edit] Temporal Mediocrity
The Temporal Mediocrity Principle assumes that there is nothing special about the current time. In the strictest sense, there is some evidence against the Temporal Mediocrity Principle. It is believed that the universe had a beginning, and experienced epochs in which the physical conditions were very different than they are now. However on shorter time scales of say, a half-billion years, it is believed that events such as the creation of stars, and planets is fairly typical. Whether the creation of intelligent civilizations is fairly typical, of course remains an open question.
Curiously, many of the more spectacular religious and superstitious beliefs about the “end of the world” assume that the current time is special on a scale of years or decades; that events of cosmic (or at least earthly) importance are imminent, current, or recent.
[edit] Quotations
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. – Carl Sagan
