I would like for us to discuss whether time itself has a beginning, and whether it will have an end.
All the evidence seems to indicate, that the universe has not existed forever, but that it had a beginning, about 15 billion years ago. This is probably the most remarkable discovery of modern cosmology. Yet it is now taken for granted. We are not yet certain whether the universe will have an end.
Skull, no offense to you or anyone else, but this thread is just too big for most, and is under pseudo discussion on another thread. creator, big bang? god? or something like that.
Actually, I'd like to say not necessarily. It's a huge topic to consider, but I know that Moe has had much success with even larger topics such as foundations of epistemology (or, in english, the basis of knowledge-gathering).
Often the topics created may have different foci- this topic is not exclusively a subset of the Big Bang one (the Big Bang was just an example), as its expression is different- so I'm going to attempt to justify the existence of this thread by saying that it's about conceptions of time.
Personally I have difficulty accepting such statements as "everything has a beginning and an end", and "everything that has a beginning must have an end". Could somebody attempt to convince me why this is important to believe?
(p.s. time here is a layman's term...but I personally would extend this to causality as a whole. And then there's the discussion of time being expressed in causal terms...I have issues with that too.)
Did you know there are clouds in outer space called Storm Clouds and they shift around our solar system making planets... Thats how the planet was created they build up atoms and molecules and what not.. And every single thing that was ever alive come from a mouse! All of this is true don't say its not I saw it in a museum that I went to today... :P
Well the universe is constantly expanding and from what I have learned it will either expand at a constant rate or go back to form another big bang. There are 2 other things that have been theorized that I forget maybe someone can post them. It is all really speculation really. When you just stop and try to focus on what your trying to comprehend it seems way to big for the human mind.
Aw man... beginning and end. I used to be able to at least play devil's advocate for causality, but I just don't know anymore... But I will say this - beginning is just as relative as end is. Since I think they both regard something either empirically or rationally, it is still something experiential. Or is there some way to get a more physics-approved definition of beginning? Hm, I don't think there is...
To be honest Strop, at the moment I read that I was distracted. In the matter of begging, end, and BEYOND, I honestly don't care. I hate to do this, but, I'm gonna qoute Mike Shinona from Linkin Park,".. and in the, not matter what I pretend, the journey is more important than the end or the start."
Is there end without beginning? and is there beginning without end? This is like, "Witch came first, the Chicken or the Egg?" I don't think that there is a right and wrong answer.
@ Ichi: omg, Linkin Park! Wasn't that line from the album the Reanimation version of In the End?
Yes! I remember it well...Enth e nd is based on the Hybrid Theory version but the lyrics are actually altered. Rather cool (it's also excellent to breakdance to).
Either way, I'm a process-oriented person so I strongly identify with this way of thinking.
@ Nerdius: well, yes, in a way, the question has implications on how we should form our models in several big areas, such as cosmology.
I was going to ask you to justify this, Capt. EO, but then remembered that this specific statement doesn't need justifying.
But suppose I were to ask you to explain this in more detail, and what it meant. I assume that you hold Christian beliefs, and thus would say that the universe has a beginning because God created it...but what about the end? Would you relate this to the book of Revelations, and if so, how?
Well if you want to know when the world was made about 1 million billion years ago or longer.Sure we had dinosaurs how much years ago so think about a long time back.
