Was there a beginning?

quantum_wave

quantum_wave

Contemplating the "as yet" unknown
Valued Senior Member
Contemplating the universe is an interesting pass time and so I thought I would start this tread to discuss various views of the nature of the universe.

Was there a beginning? How did it start? Or has it always existed?
Will it ever end?
Is it finite or infinite?
How did life begin?

Responses can address those questions of pose new questions for discussion.

My view, the universe has always existed, there was no beginning, and it is infinite and eternal. Any objections?
 
I define the "universe" as an object, like a ball, or a galaxy, or a solar system, or a planet. They are all objects.

So did a ball, or a solar system, or a galaxy, or a universe have a beginning, as an object. Yes, just like a human has a beginning and an end, all objects have a beginning and an end.

All objects reside in space, which had no beginning and will have no end, because space is simply 3 dimensional distance. Space is inevitable, there is no alternative to infinite space.
Space never began and space will never end. Objects reside in space. They have motion in space.

My theory on how the universe started as an object is that it came from the core of a greater object. It is a component of that greater object that orbits the core of that object, along with other universes that orbit that object's core.

So a universe is a component of a multiverse. A galaxy is a component of a universe. A solar system is a component of a galaxy. A planet is a component of a solar system. And I am a component of a planet. My heart is a component of me. Cells are a component of a heart. Atoms are a component of a cell. a nucleus is a component of an atom. Protons are a component of a nucleus, and on and on and on... Turtles all the way, up and down...

Space is infinite, there is no alternative.
 
sideshowbob said:
Yes.

Before you can discuss the question, yo need to define "universe", "beginning", "end", etc.
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Universe: Infinite space and everything in it :).
Beginning and end: for example, you start a book at the beginning, and if you read it all, you reach the end.
 
quantum_wave said:
Universe: Infinite space and everything in it :).
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The problem I forsee is that somebody is likely to suggest thet the universe needs a creator. My w=question would be, is the creator part of the universe? If it is, did it have a beginning and/or an end? And if it is not part of the universe, is there anything else that is not part of the universe?
Beginning and end: for example, you start a book at the beginning, and if you read it all, you reach the end.
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What if I only want to read one chapter?
 
sideshowbob said:
The problem I forsee is that somebody is likely to suggest thet the universe needs a creator. My w=question would be, is the creator part of the universe? If it is, did it have a beginning and/or an end? And if it is not part of the universe, is there anything else that is not part of the universe?
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What if I only want to read one chapter?[/QUOTE]
You are not suggesting the universe needs a creator, are you? If someone does suggest that then they are leaving the realm of science, and no one has suggested that to me in all the time I've been here at Sciforums.
 
quantum_wave said:
If it is a matter of communication and getting a point across, sometimes redundancy is effective.
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No. That's not redundancy, that's circular logic.


A: "Is the universe infinite?"
B: "Depends on how do you define 'universe'."
A: "Infinite space."
B: "Then yes."
 
DaveC426913 said:
You should be aware that your questions are outside the realm of science.

Questions like 'was there a beginning' are not things science addresses. Thats philosophy.
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True, but science starts with unanswered questions, and often such questions spark debate that leads to discovery and learning that advances known science.
 
Point taken, but the thread is in the Fringe sub-forum where alternative topics and discussions are commonly posted.
 
quantum_wave said:
science starts with unanswered questions
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But based on observations of effects

Currently scientists cannot quite reach (observe) what MIGHT be a beginning

And only speculate about a ending

Regarding beginning, scientists have seen neurones pop into existence very briefly

Something about "space being under tension". THAT would indicate a something from nothing situation and would indicate the Universe did create itself from nothing

For me religion went down the wrong path giving a possible scientific proscess how something can be produced from nothing with claims of
  • god always existed
  • god created the Universe
Couldn't bloody wait until science matured a little

Coffee and cheese and pickle roll time

:)
 
since we have heard talk of more than one "universe", your definition of that object is to broad. there was uncreated energy before this, our universe. To call the whole chabang, the eternal cosmos is a misnomer. The concept of an un-understandable
pre Big Bang entity is valid though. imho.
 
quantum_wave said:
Contemplating the universe is an interesting pass time and so I thought I would start this tread to discuss various views of the nature of the universe.

Was there a beginning? How did it start? Or has it always existed?
Will it ever end?
Is it finite or infinite?
How did life begin?

Responses can address those questions of pose new questions for discussion.

My view, the universe has always existed, there was no beginning, and it is infinite and eternal. Any objections?
Click to expand...

How do you know that life began? Maybe it has always been around. Is your life finite or infinite?

What is the meaning of life? Is there meaning? Does your life have meaning?

What is "meaning"? Who or what gives meaning to meaning?
 
quantum_wave said:
Was there a beginning?
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Apparently, yes. It's known as the Big Bang.
How did it start?
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With a gigantic explosion of space.
Or has it always existed?
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You're asking about our universe, right? It is about 13.8 billions years old, so no, it hasn't always existed.
Will it ever end?
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Depends what you mean by "end". If our interpretation of the data is correct, it looks like we're heading for an eventual "heat death" in the very long term. The universe will end with a whimper rather than a bang.
Is it finite or infinite?
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Infinite, if the data says what we think it says.
How did life begin?
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Nobody knows, exactly. Probably it began on Earth due to abiotic chemical processes forming complex-enough arrangements which gained the capacity to reproduce themselves etc. This is an active area of research.
My view, the universe has always existed, there was no beginning, and it is infinite and eternal. Any objections?
Click to expand...
No, but I have a question: why is this your view? What informs your view on this? Or is this just your guess?

You can hold whatever view you like, of course, but science tries to inform itself by making observations, doing experiments, etc.
 
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