Subj : The universe            4
To   : TODD HENSON
From : DAVE OLDRIDGE
Date : Tue Jan 09 2001 03:25 am

TH> > -> Therefore, the universe did not have a cause.  It had a beginning
TH> > -> which occurred some 15-20 billion years ago; and that beginning
TH> > -> was the Big Bang.
TH> > ->
TH> > -> But it had no cause.  It began, simpliciter.
TH> >
TH> > This is certainly not an original thought, but what if the "Big
TH> > Bang" and the current expansion are but phases in an ongoing oscillation
TH> > of energy converting to matter, and vice versa?  That is, an immense
TH> > ball of pure energy explodes and condenses ultimately into cold, heavy
TH> > matter.  Gravity eventually draws the matter back into a singularity,
TH> > gradually converting it into energy through friction and tidal forces
TH> > until it is once again the immense ball of pure energy, which explodes
TH> > and starts the cycle anew.  Whew!
TH> >
TH> > I imagine the infinite void has always existed. The unanswerable
TH> > question, though, is "What was the origin, matter or energy, and what
TH> > initiated the explosion?". In the end, it seems we're stuck going
TH> > 'round and 'round with the chicken-or-the-egg paradox, and all of our
TH> > various theologies and philosophies over the ages are merely attempts to
TH> > answer the paradox.


TH> Actually, the Oscillating Universe theory is one where the universe goes
TH> through successive
TH> oscillation, as you've indicated. But, each oscillation is of finite length
TH> - it has a end, and a
TH> beginning, and so on. You can't reach an infinite value by adding up lots
TH> of finite sequences. No
TH> matter how many oscillations the universe goes through, it is still a
TH> finite one and ends where
TH> the next begins. You can keep adding links to a chain, but no amount of
TH> addition using finite
TH> elements can eventually add up to an infinite quantity.

TH> So, if the universe does indeed experience successive oscillations, then
TH> that series itself must
TH> have a point of origin ultimately.

Not necessarily.  Even in THAT model, it's possible that the end and 
the beginning are actually congruent.

(Think 5-dimensional hypertoroid focused on a singularity :-)).

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