The ancient Chinese proverb: full of warm thoughts**, hunger and cold steal hearts. In a word, the two major instincts of human beings - reproduction and survival. At the same time, the proverb itself embodies the third human instinct – thinking.

Thinking is the instinct that distinguishes intelligent humans from non-intelligent beings. When people are idle and bored, they will inevitably think about the meaning of life.

Victor's will side contains the life experience of two worlds, one is the modern society with great material abundance and information explosion, and the other is the life of a lord in another world who has no worries about food and clothing. Regardless of that life experience, he had plenty of time to think wildly and try to sort out his relationship with the world.

Just now, Barol talks about the fertility of arcane warriors, triggering Victor's desire to think about the laws of another world. He used X-3 to construct a virtual model of a movie scene by combining two life experiences on the volitional side, and observed and deduced it from the perspective of a third person.

Earth, millions of years ago, on the bank of a large river, a female australopithecus enjoyed the prey captured by the male mate, she ate and drank to her heart's content, and did pleasant things with her mate. The tired male ape fell into a deep sleep, and the female ape lay in the grass nest, looking at the bright moon in the sky, and suddenly thought:

"Who am I? where am I? Where am I?"

Thus, the first human being was born. And her three questions have puzzled countless future generations, presenting different answers, and until today, and even in the future, there will be no unified standard.

Hundreds of years later, a human clan appeared on the banks of this river. The female leader of the clan sat alone on the rock, stunned. A skinny boy jumped up and down and asked curiously, "Eminem, what are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering if tomorrow I'm going to pick wild fruits in the bushes in the east, or going to the steppes in the west to hunt mammoths?" the female leader stroked the top of the boy's head. This is her favorite youngest son, who has a pair of flexible eyes.

The little boy rolled his eyes and said coquettishly: "I want to go to the Black Forest in the south." ”

The female leader shook her head, "I don't know what beasts are hiding in the Black Forest, it's dangerous! I won't allow anyone to enter the Black Forest!" her voice became stern. The little boy lowered his head in frustration, then raised his head again and asked, "Eminem, why are we collecting wild fruits and hunting mammoths?"

"To survive. The female leader smiled, she liked to answer other people's questions, but there were too few clan members who liked to ask questions.

"And for what is it to survive?"

"For reproduction?"

"What is the purpose of reproduction?" the boy asked, confused.

"Silly boy, of course reproduction is for survival. The female leader took her youngest son into her arms and explained, "I gave birth to you, and you will grow up to be a warrior and a hunter." The more warriors the clan has, the more wolves in the grasslands can be driven away, the more wild fruits will be collected, and the more mammoths will be captured. We don't have to starve. ”

"Do I need to reproduce too?"

"Of course, you will become the Abu of the clan and let the women of the clan give birth to strong offspring. The female leader said proudly.

The little boy was silent for a moment, then said with a wincing: "However, Abu has to accept the challenge in order to reproduce with the woman, and the loser will die." Even if the Abu and women of the clan had many strong offspring, they would still die. ”

"Eminem, since reproduction is for survival, why would the men in the clan rather die than be Abu?"

The female leader was stumped, she thought and thought, and muttered to herself: "Survival is to reproduce...... Abunin will have offspring when he dies, and I will still die if I have multiplied...... So what is the purpose of reproduction?"

At this time, the spouse of the female leader came over. He is the strongest warrior in the clan and once used a stone axe to kill the female leader, Old Abu, and a challenger.

"Don't think about it, come with me. Abu Mao grabbed his spouse's arm. The female leader was interrupted from thinking and spat angrily at him, but he picked it up and carried it to his shoulder.

The female leader angrily slapped her spouse's stout back and shouted: "You want to have children with me except for hunting and eating! You don't know how to think, what's the difference between you and those wild beasts? You orangutan, let me go!"

"Why are you thinking?" Abu muttered, carrying the female leader on his shoulders and striding towards the hut.

The little boy stayed where he was, his face changed to that of Victor, touched his chin, and said to himself, "Why are you thinking?

Survival is to reproduce. What is reproduction for?

He left these questions to the little boy's descendants.

Hundreds of years later, clans became tribes. Two wise men of the tribe discuss the problems left by their ancestors by the river.

The middle-aged wise man triumphantly picked up the bow and arrow, and said, "You see, I invented the bow and arrow by thinking. The hunters of the tribe used bows and arrows to catch more prey and completely drive away the saber-toothed tigers of the steppe. Our hunters concentrate their efforts and explore the Black Forest, discovering many berries and new prey. With this food, we can reproduce more offspring. ”

"I've figured out that survival is to reproduce, thinking is to survive better, and then to reproduce more offspring, so reproduction is the ultimate goal. ”

The old wise man looked at the bow with jealousy, he had once been the wisest man in the tribe. But the middle-aged wise man not only invented the bow and arrow, but also figured out a problem left by his ancestors. The people of the tribe will soon regard him as the wisest of all. The old wise man could not accept that someone was smarter than himself, and he asked coldly, "Then what is the purpose of reproduction?"

The middle-aged wise man was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said, "I haven't come up with an answer yet...... But haven't I already answered why I should think? I'm sure I'll find the purpose of reproduction. ”

"Hmph, why do you think that? Who made you think that?" the old wise man secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and put his hands behind his back majestically, and the old god left the riverbank on the ground.

His two questions were like a bolt of lightning, shocking the middle-aged wise man on the spot.

"Who made me think that? myself...... Why do I think that? Since I thought it myself, I should know why I think so? But why can't I answer?"

The middle-aged wise man looked at the back of the old wise man with awe, and thought: "I am worthy of being the first wise man of the tribe, and I am far behind......"

In the days that followed, the middle-aged wise man had been thinking about this question, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became, and there was still no answer. He couldn't help but ask the old wise man for advice. The old wise man always looked unfathomable, and let him think for himself.

It didn't take long for the old wise man to die. The middle-aged wise man can no longer find anyone, ask this question. The depressed middle-aged wise man soon fell ill, and on his deathbed, he called several of his sons to his side, asked the question, and finally said: "The ancestors left a mystery, two questions. Survival is for reproduction, what is reproduction for, why think? I figured out 'why think', but I didn't figure out 'why think?'. ”

"Thinking is for better survival, survival is for reproduction, so why do we think? The old wise man said, there is a person who makes us think. But he won't tell him who that man is, and I want you to find him, and find him, and you will know the purpose of reproduction. ”

"Why do people think?" becomes "Who makes people think?".

The question spread ten, ten, hundreds, and soon spread throughout the tribe. At first, everyone was interested in discussing and trying to find the person who made people think, but no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find it. With the passage of time, "that man" became a lingering shadow for the whole tribe, the hunters had no intention of hunting, and women and children did not dare to go out to gather, for fear that "that person" would hide in the shadows and sneak up on them.

If he was well-intentioned, why wouldn't he show up until now, and if he died, why should I still think?

Decades passed, and the tribe became weaker, but the man was still alive because everyone could still think. This raises another question:

How could he live so long, and if I found him, would I be able to learn immortality?

The instinct of survival makes human beings afraid of the unknown, and the instinct of survival and development makes human beings like to explore the unknown.

The more scared they are, the more curious they become, and each tribe member longs to meet that person. Finally, one day, a woman in the tribe fell unconscious due to hunger. She thought she was dying, and her strong desire to survive inspired her innermost desire - to find that "person". Then she hallucinates and sees the "man".

When the woman awoke, she told all the tribesmen that she had seen the "man" who made people think. Moreover, that "man" saved her.

Tribal members who saw the woman come back from the dead would be skeptical.

However, who doesn't want to come back from the dead?

Everyone trembled and asked the women expectantly: Where is that person?

The woman shook her head and touched her heart, saying, "He dwells in my heart, and only I can see him and hear him."

"How can a man dwell in your heart? ”

There was a lot of discussion, and some even suggested digging out women's hearts.

The woman was furious and cried out in a sharp voice, "That's not man, he's God." You can't see God, only I can talk to God, I'm a witch. ”

"God told me that the whole tribe would not survive the winter, and that he had to dig out his heart and give it to God, so that we could be protected by God. ”

Wu pointed to the man who was about to gouge out her heart, and the horrified, crazy, vicious, happy expression on her face made the tribesmen tremble with fear.

With God, the hearts of the tribe members are not panicked, and their legs are not weak, and when they encounter things they don't understand, they ask the witch, and the witch doesn't understand and push it to God.

When you eat the poisonous fruit, you die, God's will, this fruit is bitter, but you can eat it, God's gift, when you are hurt, you can rub some grass juice casually, the wound is healed, and this grass is written down, this is God's guidance.

Because of the existence of God, the members of the tribe are unprecedentedly united, their courage is multiplied, the field of exploration is getting bigger and bigger, and they encounter more and more new things. The witch who is responsible for communicating with God answers the questions of the members, and new things converge around her. After the records and collation of the witches, the knowledge reserve of the tribe became richer and richer. Wu became the most authoritative person in the tribe. But Wu couldn't keep herself busy, so she chose helpers and created words. The knowledge collected by the tribe has been accumulated and passed on.

However, this accumulation and organization of knowledge is piled up upwards under the framework of God. The rudiments of a system of religious theology emerged.

Growing powerful tribes meet other tribes, and through wars and annexations, kingdoms are formed.

However, each tribe has its own god. What should the Kingdom believe in be God, and what power does He have?

As the tribes merged, the witches came together to discuss the form and power of the gods. Everyone was amazed to find that the gods of each tribe had much in common, but in different ways. That's because humans can't imagine things that don't exist, and the form of God is constructed according to the perception of witches. With this foundation, the witches of each tribe exhausted all their imagination and chose a plan that was acceptable to everyone, using humans as a model to unify the form and power of the gods.

God said there would be light, and there was light, and God created everything in the world, and God created mankind in His own image.

The religion of mankind emerged.

In the Age of Discovery, the Pope pushed open the prison door alone. In the dark, damp cell, an old man in rags with disheveled hair struggled to write formulas on the floor with pebbles by the dim candlelight.

"Edwin, it's time. The Pope said softly.

"Wait, let me finish the formula. The old man said without looking back. The sound of pebbles scraping against the floor became more rapid and harsh.

"You can go out and count it later. The Pope stepped forward and blocked the space for Edwin to write the formula with his boots, "You're free." ”

"Get out of the way, you're in my way!"

Edwin screamed, and suddenly came to his senses. He raised his head and straightened his hair with his left hand, revealing an old and haggard face and piercing eyes.

"You think I can go out and do the formulas?" Edwin asked, pointing to the floor, uncertain.

He didn't care about freedom, he only cared about his own research.

The Pope sighed in his heart and said, "Yes." You can go out and validate these formulas, or you can continue to study your science...... You're free now. ”

"Why?" Edwin asked, licking his chapped lips and hoarse. He clutched the pebbles tightly, as if afraid that the truth would slip out of his hands.

"Sir Edwin, the fleet you funded is back. The Pope paused and said calmly: "The earth is round. ”

With a "snap", the pebbles fell to the floor, and Sir Edwin staggered and muttered, "The earth is round, and the earth is round...... I knew that the earth was round, I already knew it......" He froze, looked at the smiling Pope, and asked coldly, "Just because Captain Marin proved that the earth is round, you will let me go?"

This is God's will. The Pope smiled.

Edwin felt an inexplicable anger in his heart, and couldn't help but roar loudly: "More than a hundred years ago, Tacitus pointed out that the earth is round. You say he's a heretic, and burn him alive in the square! Now, I prove Tacitus right, and you say it's God's will? Is a fallible god still a god?" he pointed to the formula on the floor, stared at the pope, and asked, "Do you know what it is? I tell you, the earth is not only round, but also revolves around the sun! I will prove that God does not exist at all!"

The Pope calmly met Edwin's aggressive gaze, shook his head and said: "God does not make mistakes, it is people who make mistakes, and God asks you to correct the mistakes of Pope Augur III." ”

"Hah...... Funny, ridiculous, hypocritical. Sir Edwin scoffed, and said disdainfully, "You make me sick!"

The Pope looked at Edwin with pity and asked in a deep voice, "Sir, what do you think is God?"

"God has corrected the mistakes of Pope Auger III, and according to you, am I not the God of your mouth?"

Edwin sneered, and said firmly, "I'm not a god." There is no god in this world!"

"God created all things, created all beings, incarnated all things, and He is everywhere and omnipotent. God is the light, God is the lighthouse, and God is present in the depths of your soul to guide you in the direction. The Pope reverently said: "What we see, what we see, what we hear is the incarnation of God." You are God, and so am I. ”

Edwin looked at the Pope dumbfounded, and after a moment, he said in shock: "I didn't expect that you are the biggest heretic!"

"The heresy of the Holy See is not the heresy of God. God created the world, and there is no heresy of God in the world. The Pope said with a smile.

Edwin was silent for a long time, and said with a soothing expression: "Your Majesty, your mind is very open-minded. I apologize to you for the rudeness I just had. Can your point of view be ...... There is no evidence that God exists objectively. The Church declares that the Pope is God's spokesman on earth and that only the Pope can hear oracles. But Pope Augur III burned Tacitus, and you now deny Augur...... I don't believe in the subjective fallacy of the church unless I can verify it myself. ”

"I'll show you this. The Pope took two steps forward and raised his hand to extinguish the candle on the table, and the cell was instantly plunged into darkness.

"I can't see anything right now!" exclaimed Edwin in dissatisfaction.

"Can you write in the dark?"

"How is this possible?"

The Pope polishes the flint, lights the candles, and the room is lit again. He turned around and asked, "What is light?"

"What is light?" Edwin frowned in contemplation, and finally shook his head, "I can't explain it now...... When I'm done with heliocentric research, I'm going to study the nature of light. ”

"What if you don't live long enough to complete the study of light?" the Pope asked.

Edwin shook his head gloomily and said, "Then I have no choice but to let future generations continue to study." ”

"Let me talk about my understanding of light. The Pope smiled and said, "You can't write in the dark, the light illuminates the room and limits the scope of your writing." So I think light makes a rule, and you can only write within the rules. ”

"Where does the rule for making the cell light come from?"

Edwin glanced at the wooden table and said, "Candles." ”

"I gave you the candle. The pope chuckled and said, "I have made rules for you to write in your cell, or not, and when." This is God's guidance to me. Because God makes all the rules. ”

"Sophistry! Edwin blew his beard and glared, "You don't shine, it's candles that shine." This is a natural phenomenon, an objective phenomenon to be studied!"

"But you're glowing. The Pope said: "Your research results, your thoughts, illuminate the research path of future generations, and also limit the direction of their research." For example, heliocentrism and the nature of light. So, you make the rules. ”

"So who has illuminated your path?"

"Tacitus......" Edwin said dumbfounded.

"Go back even further? all the way back to the origins of mankind...... Who illuminates our path? Who sets the rules of human development?"

The Pope's soft voice was like a thunderbolt that shook Edwin's ears, and he held his head, crouched on the ground, and said bitterly: "It is the law of nature...... Don't ask me who made the laws of nature!"

"I call Him God. The Pope shook his head and smiled, and then asked, "I'm curious, why do you keep checking formulas when you know you're going to be burned by the Inquisition?"

"Curiosity. Edwin shook his head, got up slowly, and said weakly.

"Curiosity, the desire to learn, I call these the instincts to think. The Pope nodded, sat down on the edge of the dirty and messy wooden bed, and said, "Human beings have three major instincts, to survive, to reproduce, and to think. Thinking is curiosity to knowledge, to exploration, to observation, learning to research and utilization, whether you want to or not, thinking is helping human beings to survive better, survival is the only way to reproduce, what is the purpose of reproduction?"

"Humans are always asking for the answer to this question, unless you don't know how to think. So why do we think?"

"You want to say that God makes people think?"

"It's obvious. The pope said: "Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the age of human obscurantism. Our ancestors learned to think, but they didn't know why people think, so they used God to explain all their doubts. Humanity itself has erected a supreme coordinate for itself. His appearance was like a beacon that illuminated the dark realm of humanity's mind. Humanity has since had a direction and motivation to move forward—to draw closer to God. ”

"What does God look like?" Edwin asked, bewildered, now somewhat convinced that the Pope in front of him was God's spokesman.

But the Pope shook his head and said: "Man cannot imagine things that do not exist, on the contrary, everything that man imagines has a basis in reality." God ......" he pointed to Edwin's chest and said, "It is the greatest desire of your heart, to be omniscient, to be omnipotent, to create all things, to be eternal and immortal." God said there would be light, and there was light. Does man want light, or does God want light? The answer is, God says there should be light, and God says man wants light. Light is the way, the law, the limit, the power, the light of nature, and the light of the human heart. ”

"Since ancient times, all human behavior and activities have revolved around the three major instincts of survival, reproduction, and thinking. All religions that worship alien gods have died out, because alien gods cannot satisfy the human desire to be close to God and become God. Religious beliefs unify the light of the human heart, and indeed allow some people to hold some of the authority of God...... Would you like to take a trip to the moon?"

"Yes!" Edwin said without hesitation.

"You can't do it!" said the Pope categorically, "if your desire can unite the light of the hearts of all, make rules, and show the way, someone will always set foot on the moon." Although you are dead, your spirit has fulfilled its original wish. Tens of thousands of years ago, was this a miracle? Is this eternal?"

Edwin took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "No wonder Auger III wants to burn Tacitus, they are fighting for the power of the Light of the Heart. ”

"Augur III lost. Because Tacitus follows the will of God. ”

The Pope further explained: "God, or the laws of nature as you call it, define the path of human development, think, live, multiply, and more people think, survive, multiply, and continue to grow, and so on." Augy restricts man's thinking instincts, and he goes against God's will. ”

Edwin's eyes lit up and he asked, "So you're going to let me out?" But I'm studying science, aren't you afraid that one day science will replace religion?"

The Pope closed his eyes, was silent for a long time, opened his eyes and said, "This cell is too small, the candles are too dim, and it can't hold too many people. I want you to set up new lighthouses and build bigger houses. The greater the dark areas you illuminate, the greater the power of God and the greater the authority we can borrow. ”

Tacitus muttered with a complicated expression, "You admit that humans make gods......"

The Pope smiled and shook his head: "Humans cannot imagine things that do not exist, which means that humans cannot create the world. The world was created by God, and He allows us to transform it. The God that the church believes in is only a projection of the true God, the coordinates of God's guidance for us. Science can set new coordinates and concentrate the light of the human heart, illuminating the way to God by piling up and modifying upwards. ”

"Why do you want to be close to God?" Tacitus couldn't help but ask.

"We have no choice, God has made the rules, and the ultimate way to live, reproduce, and think is to be close to God. If we don't draw near to God, we will be eliminated. There are too many species on Earth that have been abandoned by God, and there will be new species who will embark on the path of pursuing God. I wish there would be no second Earth beyond the sun. The Pope shook his head in embarrassment.

"Go, use your subjectivity to inquire into the objective, to find out the mystery of the instinct of reproduction, which is God's will. ”

The Pope opened the cell door, Edwin hesitated and walked out, the warm sunlight stung his eyes, he looked back at the Pope in the dark, bowed deeply, turned and walked out.

Hundreds of years later, mankind entered the electric age, and various scientific theories sprung up one after another. The quantum observer effect and the Big Bang theory almost point to the Creator. In fact, these theories are more conjectures, but they serve as a beacon to point out the direction of scientific research, so as to gather the light of the human heart, concentrate on strength, continue to explore, and pile up. Just like religion uses the way of faith.

And, of course, the terrifying Fermi paradox......

The X-3's simulated Earth scenario did not help Victor completely demystify the reproductive instinct. But he was inspired by it, from which several conjectures arose.

In this world of divine manifestations, the instinct to survive, reproduce, and think encompasses all intelligent beings, including elves and humans.