Subj : The universe
To   : JOSHUA LEE
From : DAVE OLDRIDGE
Date : Sun Nov 19 2000 12:09 pm

JL> -=> DAVE OLDRIDGE wrote to JOSHUA LEE <=-

JL>  JL>  DO> copious astronomical evidence in support of this.  If this model
JL>  JL>  DO> is correct, then "before" the Big Bang is about as meaningless as
JL>  JL>  DO> "north of the North Pole."

JL>  JL> Are you contradicting or agreeing with the classic understanding of
JL>  JL> creatio ex nihlo? (Or, as we say in Jewish thought, yesh m'ayin.)

JL>  DO> As long as it's understood that the creation of matter and space
JL>  DO> coincides with the creation of time, I don't think I see a
JL>  DO> problem.  It's this notion that there is actually a "time" before
JL>  DO> the beginning of time that I'm objecting to.

JL> Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was of the opinion that time was essentially
JL> a result of constricted conciousness. He uses the moshul of a dream,
JL> when we dream, we can imagine that hours or even entire lifetimes
JL> go by; but when we wake up, we realize that only minutes passed.
JL> So it is with time in general.

Hmmm...in physics, we have, of course a rather precise definition of 
time.  The second is however long it takes a Cesium atom to undergo a 
precise number of oscillations (hard definition available on request but 
available in most reference libraries).

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