Like all assumptions we speculate upon , could be right, or wrong. Hopefully, they serve as a catalyst to ponder the infinite unknown in ever increasing in self-conscious knowingness.

I see mysticism in your thoughts. That's fine witrh me, there is truth in some forms of mysticism. For me mysticism requires a mental practice of becoming "one with the infiniute" infinite emmance. I would like to be able to due that, but nature is to try to understand reality, rather then becoming consciously emmeshed in reality. Although, if I could become at one of the above, I would choose to be "in tune with the infinite"

I got my dinosaur info from google. Let's suppose dinosaurs only existed for a million years, my my question remains, What will humankind evolve into in a million years. My opinion is that if humans continually evolve (granted a big if) humans will eventually evolve into gods, by fulfilling the qualities that individuals who presently believe in god, attribute to god (all-knowing, all-powerful, and a consciousness of an ever presence with reality).
As far as the existence of humans. I am a avid watcher of the TV program Ancient Aliens. That program presents evidence, I find convincing, that humans existed 100,000 thousand years ago. Google a recently discovered, relatively advanced civilization, in Turkey that goes back tens of thousands of years - I can't remember the name they gave it.

@Tomm @Tomm I can certainly go with the idea that humankind would eventually evolve to pure consciousness. It would appear to be a reasonable trajectory but evolution is about adaptation unless we consider some form of predestination, which involves a plan and a planner. We would need to consider what environmental changes enforce the adaptation to a non-physicality.

With regard to the Ancient Aliens show I would suggest taking notes of the sources they use, the evidence presented and any peer review of the work. Is it corroborated by any academic journals? I am suspicious of sensationalist TV shows as they need viewers for revenue and my experience is that many of these types of shows are not based on robust evidence but conjecture and hypothesis. Not that there is anything wrong with that but when they are sold as fact and there is no independent review ‘don’t part with your money for snake oil’ as they say.

Certainly we can date caves with human habitation to around 135,000 years ago with evidence of cave paintings about 45,000.

Not sure about the Turkish site. Some of the earliest structured dwellings are only about 11.000 years old, Please let me know the Name of the Site if you can

You're right, I haven't seen any independent substantiating the claims of the Ancient Aliens program - I actually never thought about, I find their presentations of evolving history of humans compelling. I saw a recent program, where a machined part was found 30 feet underground, encased in material that was carbon dated to approximately 75,000 years. But, to be honest, maybe I just enjoy contemplating such things.
The name of the Turkish ancient recently unearthed is GOBEKI TEPE. It's been estimated that it predates the construction of the pyramids by approximate 10,000 years.

@Tomm You are right, the shows are compelling and great to watch and in many cases there is something unusual to be explored. Best not to take the shows as authoritative though, but use their content as means to fire your own studies. Always check the sources, their academic credentials and then any papers they have written. You don’t need to read a whole paper as that is general method etc. for other academics to follow their process. For a layman in a field you only need read the abstract which will tell you what the study is about and the conclusion or summary which will tell you what was discovered.

Good advice, thanks.

@Tomm Interesting about Göbekli Tepe. Here is an academic link to the site from a new field in the Theory of Architecture.

[sciencedirect.com]

You only need to read the abstract to get a reasonable overview of the study.

@Tomm I know nothing about the 75,000 year item and done a little research but found nothing. If you have any more information about it such as where it was found please let me know.

google - mysterious aluminum object Romania. The article, as you suggest, puts forth an alternate interpretation.

Good response. Let me briefly layout my present understanding which will surely continue to change.

 --- Nothing comes from nothing. I agree with that.

 --- We know their is existence because we consciously experience existence.

 --- No god created us into existence. Therefore, my only conclusion is that existence is infinite.

 --- Thus, there must be some form of existence before the big bang. Our universe is expanding. I expect that there will come a time when it stops expanding and implodes in upon itself, and returning to its original state, or evolving into a new expression of existence.

 --- If existence is infinite, I speculate that infinite existence must include an infinite design that can never be completely fulfilled, but infinitely fulfilled. I can't imagine existence not having a purpose.

 --- Now, let's deal with the christian understanding of god. Since I spent most of adult life in the christian environment, I think I have a good understanding of their god. The christian god, among many other things has no beginning or ending (the alpha and omega). Also, for this discussion, the christian god is unchanging and all-knowing.

 ---- Since the christian god cannot change, (s)he cannot evolve. If the christian god could evolve, that would show (s)he nature is limited, which is logically impossible.

--- Christians believe that god knew everyone before (s)he created individual humans.. Therefore, since god is all-knowing, everyone has infinitely existed in the mind of the christian god.

--- So, when the christian god created humans, (s)he projected the ideas of individual infinite beings, infinitely existing in his or her mind, into object existence. Now, if that is true (s)he evolved, but by definition can't evolve. Thus, one of my understandings why there is no christian god, or any god.

@Tomm Have to agree there. It seems the stumbling block for most religions’ veracity, from an outsider’s viewpoint, is that everything is anthropocentric which is fine when you are looking for a narrative to explain your existence. It doesn’t really hold water in a cosmological context unless we attribute humankind a privileged standpoint which doesn’t make evolutionary sense. As is evidenced humankind is a result of evolution. If deity is not evolved it is not omniscient. If it is evolved creation is an outcrop of its conscious and therefore irrelevant to it.

Thank you for your thought response.

I don't mind at all.

good observations.

@Antifred then it might as well not exist

@Antifred I'm saying if god makes himself difficult to understand then fuck him

@Antifred not at all.

Interesting response to my post. You say we can assert that there's no evidence to prove a god. Anything can be asserted or demonstrated by my post. But, to say there is no evidence to prove a god, presupposes that one knows all the evidence., when in fact, we don't anything, other than we exist.

@Tomm if and when any evidence is discovered I will certainly consider it. Until then, I'm good with no god

No reasonable person could disagree with that.

Thank you for your thoughtful response to my post. Your post brings up a deeper question for me. Should atheists speculate about things unknowable. One could argue that it's a waste of time and energy. However, speaking for myself, it is my nature to attempt to understand the unknowable. Further, when I receive an intelligent response, such as yours, it makes me rethink, change, or confirm my ideas to myself.

Let's look at your comments, you say -

--- It is not known if existence started with the big bang. My response. Of course that is true, but many people, especially physicists, believe the universe began with the big bang, but there certainly no proof.

--- The universe did not evolve the same way as humans. That true. The universe evolves and humans evolve within the evolving universe. I don't see and conflation of ideas.

--- My notion of evolution differs greatly accepted scientific one. I have to admit, I never really thought about it. Up to our present point of evolution, I don't disagree with the present interpretation of evolution. I just speculate that in a million years of continuing evolution humankind will become gods, by definition. I assume that human evolution will continually advance, as long as there are humans.

--- Biological evolution does not have a direction. Here's where I disagree. I can't conceive of anything, expressing life, evolving into existence without a purpose. Without some type of designed purpose, life would be random and meaningless. It is not logical, to me, that the evolving of existence is an evolving of meaninglessness.

--- The current scientific understanding that it is impossible to travel anywhere in the universe in a nanosecond. Of course it is, will that be true a million years from now? Again, it's just speculation without any knowable backup truth.

While writing this something occurred to me that you might find interesting. I once read a book, don't remember author or title. The premise of his book is that as humankind evolves, there will eventually come a time where there will be only one way of doing anything. - that would be the most efficient way, based on the premise that humans wouldn't intentionally do something in a non-efficient manner. Follow his premise to its logical conclusion humans will eventually evolve to a point where they no longer have a free will. I find the premise interesting.

Thanks for response. I certainly don't expect anyone to agree with me. I, much prefer atheist to tell me how and why I'm full of it. There is no challenge in thinking if people agree with the thinker.