You’ve been hosting this discussion group at VU since 2018. Why are you so fascinated with space? “Stephen Hawking said that we are nothing but chemical scum on a floating rock in space, but science philosopher David Deutsch said it’s quite impressive what these chemicals came to realize. I think that’s what inspires me: the cosmic perspective. That, for example, we can see ‘the light’ or microwaves of the big bang from the edge of the universe. That is one of the most profound things I have discovered in my life.”
“Sometimes you get disappointed with politics, wars, atrocities, genocide and whatever else happens in the world. And sometimes you get hope, because of what these people called scientists have achieved. One of our intents is that we try to bridge the gap between research and the interested people out there.”
What can be expected from a typical discussion? “First of all, I emphasize that this is not an event exclusively for researchers, so there are no wrong questions. Several people propose topics and we vote on which one we want to discuss. The person who proposed the topic explains where they want to go with it and then we pick it up from there. Usually, we share what we know about the topic and we watch some science videos and look at articles about it. Every discussion, we also try to have ten to fifteen minutes of a prearranged presentation about space-related news.”
Universe, Life and Everything
The gatherings take place once every two weeks on Fridays in the main building. The community announces its events on Eventbrite and has a WhatsApp group with more than a hundred members. Aside from the general discussions on campus, members also gather for stargazing, book discussions, watching movies and other space-related events.
What kind of people show up at your events? “There are many people coming and going and there are around twenty recurring participants who have been around for several years. They helped me keep the ball rolling and brought a lot of inspiration, so I owe a lot to them. We have someone interested in telescopes and astrophotography. Others are more interested in the engineering aspects of astronauts and spacecraft. And there are those who like to learn about black holes, cosmology and quantum physics. Most of the attendees work in IT in one way or another. Don’t ask me why.”
“The discussions are hybrid, which we kept after the pandemic. That has also led to very meaningful contributions from people in Uruguay, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other countries. The number of people joining online dropped after the pandemic, but it’s not completely dead.”
Are you purely trying to share scientific knowledge from these discussions, or are there also spiritual or philosophical aspects to it? “It’s ultimately about peer-reviewed scientific knowledge, but there have been people surprised that it’s not about spirituality or religion. Maybe the title: ‘Universe, Life and Everything’ gave them the wrong impression. We had a few discussions with creationists and we bump into philosophical debates sometimes, but science remains our focus.”
“There is this tension in our world between science and religion. I have to say that it has not always been like this. Many scientists, such as Einstein and Newton, were religious. They didn’t see any conflict between the two. Anyone who has religious views is welcome to our events. I also have religious views. I think these two worldviews of science and religion could do a better job of talking to each other. The only thing we don’t like is Scientology, which is a bunch of freaks, haha. I am only joking. Really everyone is welcome at our events.”
Why the name ‘Universe, Life and Everything’? “It’s a pun on Douglas Adams’ book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which there was this supercomputer that was asked the meaning of life, the universe and everything. The answer is 42. I reversed the order a bit because I want to focus on the universe.”
Dragos Mitrica (38)
2013 – now
Research Master Earth Sciences (with many gap years)
2018 – now
Organizer of the Universe, Life and Everything discussion group
2019 – 2023
Organizer of the Sustainability Friday discussion group
2009 – 2010
Volunteer translator TED
2008 – 2012
Bachelor’s Geology and Geophysics