Dracomax wrote: I beleive it is possible given enough time, for us to understand utterly the nature of the universe, and have no more left to learn about it. I'm glad I don't live in that time, however. how boring and sad it would be to know that every discovery has been dicovered, every point plotted, all things understood--for there to be nothing left to ponder, no experiments left to run. No Science left to do. I weep for the day we understand everything.
I disagree that it is possible for us to utterly understand the universe.
First, while every nuance may eventually be known, it will never all be known by any individual being and therefore each being will still have their own journey to understanding. Not to mention that each being would still have their inner thoughts and experiences, which can never be fully known and understood by another.
Second, the depth of understanding you speak of would essentially mean that our understanding would be the
equal of the universe. Or possibly would be the universe itself; unfortunately my father is no longer able to help me understand the nuances of the case, but one of my daughters is working on getting the math to help me instead. [/bittersweet]
At best we (sentient beings, that is, in case there are others, or in case whoever we are at that hypothetical point can't technically be considered human) may eventually understand the
concepts from which everything in the universe has arisen. I suppose at that point free will could certainly be considered moot (I do realize that, at the moment, some neuroscientists, philosophers, and physicists are asserting that free will absolutely cannot exist, but I choose to disagree with their conclusions) but I really can't imagine that there wouldn't still be the fascination of watching things play out exactly as the concepts decree.
Then again, I have the ability to enjoy sitting and watching a lava lamp for hours at a time, or the tiny drainage patterns made by wavelets around a rock, or the way cats smile when they sleep. Perhaps the Understanding Ones (assuming the universe has enough time for them to develop and acquire the understanding we're talking about) will have a similar childlike appreciation for endless iteration.
By the way, several Waiters may enjoy this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/may/23/eric-weinstein-answer-physics-problems