Could it be possible that the Universe, or maybe the space in which the universe came in to existence (if there is such a thing), could have existed in this form since ever, like it had no beginning and was there already?
It is possible to imagine something which starts at a certain point and exists forever in the future, but to imagine this the other way round is a little bit hard to do.
Does the Universe have to have a “start” or could it be that it is regenerating in some strange way, collapsing, expanding and then collapsing again?
Could it be possible that the Universe, or maybe the space in which the universe came in to existence (if there is such a thing), could have existed in this form since ever, like it had no beginning and was there already?
It is possible to imagine something which starts at a certain point and exists forever in the future, but to imagine this the other way round is a little bit hard to do.
Does the Universe have to have a “start” or could it be that it is regenerating in some strange way, collapsing, expanding and then collapsing again?
Sure, it’s possible but none of these possibilities is consistent with our best evidence, which is of a big bang that started everything, and of a future without ‘collapse’. (Given ‘dark energy’, the universe is likely to accelerate its expansion). Some cosmologists speculate about other universes prior to this one, but as of yet they are little more than speculations.
I was just reading something last night that I barely comprehended but I think it was taken from A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss (on my Amazon wish list, for anyone needing a hint for my Christmas gift ).
Anyway, the idea was that “nothing” existed before the big bang, but nothing is not really nothing. It is actually seething with virtual particles and other interesting stuff that’s hard to comprehend. All it took was one tiny random quantum fluctuation in this field of nothingness, plus less than a second of inflation to start all of spacetime, matter, and energy that we know as the universe. It seems fantastic but it actually seems plausible, even inevitable, when properly explained. Apparently the math works, anyway.
Does the Universe have to have a “start” or could it be that it is regenerating in some strange way, collapsing, expanding and then collapsing again?
No, the universe could have existed as such forever, or could be cyclical but neither of these is supported by the current evidence. The steady state idea is DOA based
on the expansion of the universe and the cyclical universe has some serious issues such as the accelerating expansion due to dark energy, the universe is unlikely to end
in a Big Crunch” and the ratio of H to He is wrong, among other things.
The steady state idea is DOA based on the expansion of the universe and the cyclical universe has some serious issues such as the accelerating expansion due to dark energy, the universe is unlikely to end in a Big Crunch” ...
I love that Dark Energy.
Just give something that you don’t know anything about a name and it seems like you know something.
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So, would anyone participating in this discussion say that we can unequivocally assert that the BB, the start of our universe, was the beginning of absolutely everything? Which, of course, is different than saying “the beginning of everything we know (or can know)”.
Is it justifiable to assert that it’s impossible for energy (in some form) to be eternal?
The steady state idea is DOA based on the expansion of the universe and the cyclical universe has some serious issues such as the accelerating expansion due to dark energy, the universe is unlikely to end in a Big Crunch” ...
I love that Dark Energy.
Just give something that you don’t know anything about a name and it seems like you know something.
psik
While consistent with your cynical approach to most things, thats not entirely correct. Dark Energy is a name used to describe an observable phenomena. The name is simply a tool used by physicists so everyone knows they are referring to the same phenomena. But you knew that.
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So, would anyone participating in this discussion say that we can unequivocally assert that the BB, the start of our universe, was the beginning of absolutely everything? Which, of course, is different than saying “the beginning of everything we know (or can know)”.
Is it justifiable to assert that it’s impossible for energy (in some form) to be eternal?
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Could we say that our universe is the only thing “out there”?
Could we see behind its “end”?
As usual, people come up with simplistic assumptions. “Eternal” sort of implies that time is forever as a straight line going into infinity in both directions. It’s also possible that just as the physical dimensions might be, time may be circular. That would mean that “eternal” has no meaning.
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I tossed out the questions I did because I was interacting with someone earlier today who was asserting the usual ‘uncaused cause’ thing, while asserting that there was nothing ‘before’ the BB…...
But, imo, if you’re asserting a ‘cause’ for the universe, doesn’t that necessitate asserting something about the ‘before’? since the human concept of cause-and-effect is contingent on time.
Anyway, he seemed to be making assertions (instead of merely positing a hypothesis) that neither he nor current science could really comment on, much less corroborate…..and I was just curious to know if there was any kind of ‘consensus’ regarding the potential ‘causes’ of our universe coming into existence.
I believe theoretical and astro-physicists have come up with some plausible and likely hypotheses, but since we haven’t yet developed any way of seeing what existed before the BB, we can’t be certain. And, the ideas are so complex and deep that I wish them luck and go on to the next article on a different topic, hoping that I can understand that.
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth”. All started from Him, He gave us brain to think and gain knowledge. But people are getting smarter now, that question things like the beginning of everything.
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth”. All started from Him, He gave us brain to think and gain knowledge. But people are getting smarter now, that question things like the beginning of everything.
We are getting smarter and questioning things that Bronze Age goat herders told us came as revelations from the creator of the universe. We know better now. We no longer think as children, accepting what we are told without question, instead we use our brains to put together pieces of the cosmic puzzle and need no gods to see the overall picture.
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