Ur Eyes Quote by Alan Watts
““As you make more and more powerful microscopic instruments, the universe has to get smaller and smaller in order to escape the investigation. Just as when the telescopes become more and more powerful, the galaxies have to recede in order to get away from the telescopes. Because what is happening in all these investigations is this: Through us and through our eyes and senses, the universe is looking at itself. And when you try to turn around to see your own head, what happens? It runs away. You can't get at it. This is the principle. Shankara explains it beautifully in his commentary on the Kenopanishad where he says 'That which is the Knower, the ground of all knowledge, is never itself an object of knowledge.' [In this quote from 1973 Watts, remarkably, essentially anticipates the discovery (in the late 1990's) of the acceleration of the expansion of the universe.]””
About This Quote
The more powerful our tools become, the more the universe evades direct observation, implying that consciousness is the universe reflecting upon itself, and the ultimate knower cannot be objectified.
In simple terms: Tools intensify the universe’s elusiveness.
Key Takeaway
Self-awareness is the universe’s own observation.
Themes
epistemology
cosmology
philosophy of mind
spirituality
science and religion
Mood
wonder
awe
mystery
Type
philosophical
scientific
spiritual
When to use this quote
- scientific research with advanced microscopes
- astronomical observations with large telescopes
- meditative contemplation of self
- philosophical debates on consciousness
- theoretical physics on dark energy
Key Concepts
observer effect
subject‑object duality
cosmic expansion
self‑knowledge
Practical Applications
- designing experiments that account for observer bias
- using metaphorical frameworks to teach complex cosmology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does the act of observation shape what is observed?
- Can the knower ever be known as an object?
