What Came Before?

[Khale]

What are the theories, widely accepted or otherwise, that explain what came before the beginning of the universe? Also, where can I find a good explanation on how the big bang occurred?

 

[jimbob]

I think that bluebirds with highly irregular amounts of testosterone came before the universe. And the big bang was the intestinal result of my uncle georges tuna casserole.

 

[Tawn]

If there even was a beginning - something I doubt - we can only make wild guesses.. none based on any amount of evidence - since there is none.
Since there is no evidence all hypothesis are essentially valueless as anything other than idle fancies.

 

[iaminterface]

meh, we're all just the imaginations of ourselves.

 

[jimbob]

meh, we're all just the imaginations of ourselves.

If we are imaginations, who's doing the imagining?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

If there even was a beginning - something I doubt - we can only make wild guesses.. none based on any amount of evidence - since there is none. Since there is no evidence all hypothesis are essentially valueless as anything other than idle fancies.

What a remarkable disdain for cosmology, theoretical physics, and men like Hawking.

 

[Tawn]

What a remarkable disdain for cosmology, theoretical physics, and men like Hawking.

he said BEFORE the beginning of the universe.. if there are theories based on some small amount of evidence regarding what happened before big bang or whatever, then please educate me..
still intending to read something by hawkins in the near future..

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

he said BEFORE the beginning of the universe.. if there are theories based on some small amount of evidence regarding what happened before big bang or whatever, ...

And you said:

If there even was a beginning - something I doubt - we can only make wild guesses.. none based on any amount of evidence - since there is none. Since there is no evidence all hypothesis are essentially valueless as anything other than idle fancies.

I can only assume that you are familiar enough with the relevant hypotheses to declare them "essentially valueless as anything other than idle fancies" , although it's unclear how you managed this without any familiarity with Hawking.

So, let me divulge the ugly truth about my faith position: science has earned my respect, and I will give it the benefit of the doubt. I don't insist that science is always right, but I will never, never presume it to be wrong, idle, or valuless solely on the basis of my ignorance.

 

[Magurk]

The beggining, well no one knows, and if someone is told that a single man "God" created it they will beleive it. What else can they beleive?

Relegious Poilotics 101

 

[Tawn]

So, let me divulge the ugly truth about my faith position: science has earned my respect, and I will give it the benefit of the doubt. I don't insist that science is always right, but I will never, never presume it to be wrong, idle, or valuless solely on the basis of my ignorance.

I think what I originally said was badly worded. I shouldnt have been making a claim, but instead referring to theories without evidence.. as a kind of 'if' statement. Valueless is perhaps an inappropriate term...

 

[stemann]

Deut, I thought Tawn meant that as the Big Bang supposedly came from a singularity (as Hawking and others showed), it is actually impossible to project a 'past' before the Big Bang as the laws of physics as we know them do not even apply past then.
Or maybe he wasn't..... I'm not sure. If you don't believe in a Big Bang beginning Tawn, then can you accept that there is evidence for it in background radiation and things like that?

 

[Tawn]

Deut, I thought Tawn meant that as the Big Bang supposedly came from a singularity (as Hawking and others showed), it is actually impossible to project a 'past' before the Big Bang as the laws of physics as we know them do not even apply past then.
Or maybe he wasn't..... I'm not sure. If you don't believe in a Big Bang beginning Tawn, then can you accept that there is evidence for it in background radiation and things like that?

You were correct. I was referring to whatever happened before the big bang.. which im not aware of any evidence for.. but if im wrong about that then forget my statements.

 

[PhoenixDeity]

What is time? Time is a measurement between two points in the spacetime scale. In order for time to exist, logically, there has to be space to accomodate it. In the singularity, there was infinite gravity, so space was infinitely distorted, unallowing time to exist on the spacetime scale.

Therefore, since time did not exist before the Big Bang, the statement "before the Big Bang" itself makes as much sense as voting Republican.

 

[Pah]

What is time? Time is a measurement between two points in the spacetime scale. In order for time to exist, logically, there has to be space to accomodate it. In the singularity, there was infinite gravity, so space was infinitely distorted, unallowing time to exist on the spacetime scale.

Therefore, since time did not exist before the Big Bang, the statement "before the Big Bang" itself makes as much sense as voting Republican.

Time is one of those things where the part can be taken as the whole. It's a linguistic befuddlement. We often speak of "what time is it" and have the "measurement" in mind.

Spacetime is a binding of reality to four dimensions. String theory and it's current cosmological M-theory postulates that reality is (at least) ten dimensions. Dimensions of four constrain the Big Bang to a singularity, ten does not. Nine of the ten describe a position of a one dimensional string. Time, as in the three dimensional world we see is tacked on. I think that if time is a single dimension in this universe, I see no reason to only recognize time as one dimension when we talk of multiple dimensions. Parallel universes (a feature of M-theory) could well be within another "time".

I stayed in a Holiday Inn last night and the bibles in the nightstand was "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene and "Parallel Worlds" by Michio kaku

 

[greatcalgarian]

I always like to consider the discussion of time, beginning, end by consider the problem as a philosophical question and can easily be answered by accepting that postulation that it is a close circle, and there is no beginning and no end. So you can pick to choose where you want to consider to be the beginning moving along the circle, and you will end back to where you start off.

It is the old arguement of God created everything, and who created God? Then you have to imposed the condition that God existed without begining or end, and the word creation does not apply to God.

 

[greatcalgarian]

http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm
Taoist Beliefs and Practices:

[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]Tao is the first-cause of the universe. It is a force that flows through all life.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]Each believer's goal is to become one with the Tao.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]The priesthood views the many gods as manifestations of the one Dao, "which could not be represented as an image or a particular thing." The concept of a personified deity is foreign to them, as is the concept of the creation of the universe. Thus, they do not pray as Christians do; there is no God to hear the prayers or to act upon them. They seek answers to life's problems through inner meditation and outer observation.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]Time is cyclical, not linear as in Western thinking.[/font]

 

[benmaarof]

Probably like what was said in the Quran about the Big Bang.

Quran 21:30 Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder (separated violently)? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

Quran 002.117 To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: "Be," and it is.

 

[michel]

The beggining, well no one knows, and if someone is told that a single man "God" created it they will beleive it. What else can they beleive?

Relegious Poilotics 101

I was never 'told' that God created it - that was a conclusion I came to, of my own accord.