Hmmmmmmm

Started by TehBorken, Feb 10 15 02:58

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TehBorken

"Where did the universe come from?" That's a question theists frequently pose in an attempt to try and show  the existence of a god. And they often claim that since scientists don't know where the universe came from, then obviously "god musta done  it".

But now those pesky scientists may have an answer, and whaddya know, it doesn't include "god".




The universe may have existed forever, according to a new model (http://phys.org/news/2015-02-big-quantum-equation-universe.html) that applies quantum correction terms to complement Einstein's theory of general relativity. The model may also account for dark matter and dark energy, resolving multiple problems at once.

"In addition to not predicting a Big Bang singularity, the new model does not predict a "big crunch" singularity, either (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269314009381). In general relativity, one possible fate of the universe is that it starts to shrink until it collapses in on itself in a big crunch and becomes an infinitely dense point once again. ...

In cosmological terms, the scientists explain that the quantum corrections can be thought of as a cosmological constant term (without the need for dark energy) and a radiation term.

These terms keep the universe at a finite size, and therefore give it an infinite age. The terms also make predictions that agree closely with current observations of the cosmological constant and density of the universe."




It's far too early to say that this is a definitive answer, but step by step we're getting closer to figuring it out.
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.

Gopher

But it MUST have started from somthing
A fool's paradise is better than none.

TehBorken

Quote from: Gopher on Feb 11 15 07:51But it MUST have started from somthing

That's the whole thing though...it may not have. Our minds only work linearly, so to us it seems natural and logical that there's always a "before" and "after".  We can't really conceive of a timeless event or property, or even a timeless state of existence.

The fact is that it actually makes no sense to talk about what happened before the Big Bang because (according to current theories) time started with the Big Bang. Without time there's no "before" (and no "after", either). Only when time exists can there be a "before" event or period.

So it looks like the terminology we have may be insufficient to fully describe the state of the universe. It may well have always been in existence, whatever that means.

I don't know (and I don't pretend to know, lol) but the idea of something having always existed doesn't seem all that disturbing to me. It's another imponderable thing that smarter people than me are trying to work out.
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.

Gopher

It's almost as big a question as why we are here.
A fool's paradise is better than none.

TehBorken

Quote from: Gopher on Mar 05 15 08:18
It's almost as big a question as why we are here.

That one is easy: there is no reason. There's no overarching or inherent purpose to the universe or our lives or anything. The only purpose to life or the universe is what we give it, what we imbue it with.

Like Iain Banks wrote, it's just a "a big dumb mechanical universe".

As soon as I stopped pondering the "reason" for existence it all made perfect sense: there is no built-in reason or purpose, only what we give it.
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.

paladin

Someone once said to me, 'Why are we here'?  I remember saying, 'I don't know and I don't care, I am here and that is good enough for me.'  Not very philosophical I know, but it is what it is.
You know nothing, Jon Snow.

Gopher

I think we're here to learn and take it back to what we came from.
A fool's paradise is better than none.

TehBorken

"I'm here to have fun and help other people. I don't know what the other people are here for."
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.

paladin

I know why I am in a certain place at a certain time, i.e this forum, I am here to meet people and chat to them; it was my choice to be here. I had no choice to be on this Earth so don't really know why I am on it, I think.  :-\
You know nothing, Jon Snow.

Gopher

Well, I was told I was born under a daffodil - so ask them!
A fool's paradise is better than none.

Minnie

That makes a change from a gooseberry bush.
Diamonds are a girl's best friend but chocolate is a woman's!

Flatdog

The answer is 42.

Minnie

If I wasn't here where else would I be? :-\
Diamonds are a girl's best friend but chocolate is a woman's!

Gopher

Waiting to be born....there's a book 'The Bluebird' by Maurice Maeterlinck which has a nice scene of babies waiting to be born and wondering what gifts they will bring down with them.
A fool's paradise is better than none.

paladin

Quote from: Flatdog on Jun 24 15 02:10
The answer is 42.




Wasn't 42 the world's tallest car park?
You know nothing, Jon Snow.