Subj : Extent of the Torah
To   : JOHN WILSON
From : DAVE OLDRIDGE
Date : Sun Nov 05 2000 03:01 am

JW> -=> TODD HENSON wrote to JOHN WILSON <=-

JW>  > MSGID: 1:153/7715.0 39ff514e
JW>  > -=> TODD HENSON wrote to JOHN WILSON <=-
JW>  >
JW>  >  TH> ...So no, what you said still
JW>  >  TH> doesn't show that the universe
JW>  >  TH> was around "forever", meaning without beginning or end.
JW>  >
JW>  >  Forever means: Always. For a limitless time. As time *itself*
JW>  >  began with the universe's creation, that's all the time there is.
JW>  >  So far (!) that's  forever. :-)


JW>  TH> In that case, "forever" might not mean "limitless". If the
JW>  TH> universe had a beginning, then it's
JW>  TH> timeline isn't infinite, but only extends back about 15 billion
JW>  TH> years (or in that ballpark). That's
JW>  TH> not limitless.

JW>  And the universe will end. The very last proton will eventually
JW>  lose its...energy....and...then....time will be no more.
JW>  I guess you could say there jes' ain't no forever...
JW>  even though all the time there is or was or will be comes
JW>  pretty darn near! :-)

This does begin to seem likely, although we still don't know if there 
is enough mass to recollapse.  If it turns out that there definitely is 
enough, then I have a (sort of) steady state theory that I wouldn't mind 
examining....but it does NOT posit an infinite amount of time, since the 
time dimension (and it only has one timelike dimension) would be 
finite.

---
 þ MM 1.1 #0357 þ This door is baroque; please call Bach later.
 * Origin: FONiX Info Systems * Berkshire UK * +44 1344 641625 (2:252/171)

.