The title of this blog post sounds like a theological or philosophical question. Actually, it is an outgrowth of a scientific theory, that of eternal inflation.
Which doesn't mean that the price of stuff keeps going up forever. In this context it means universes being created without end. So in an infinity of universes, there is room for anything and everything to happen.
However, even though the question of meaning in an inflationary universe has a scientific origin, physicist Brian Cox says that answers to this question can arise from anyone, which naturally includes you and me.
Here's an excerpt from Cox's book, "Human Universe." Note that he uses the word probably to describe eternal inflation. This is a theory, not a proven scientific fact.
And so we reach the end. Defining the Big Bang as the initial hot, dense phase of our observable universe that gave rise to the CMB [Cosmic Background Microwave Radiation] 380,000 years later, we understand what happened before.
There was a period of inflationary expansion, which could have been driven by a scalar field in accord with the known laws of physics. That inflationary expansion is probably still going on somewhere, spawning an incalculable number of universes as we speak, and it will continue doing this forever.
We live in an eternal universe, in which anything that can happen does happen. And we are one of the things that can happen.
Did the whole universe have a beginning, an essential external cause in the spirit of Leibniz's God? We still don't know. Possibly there was a 'mother of all Big Bangs', and if so, we will certainly need a quantum theory of gravity to say anything more.
What does this mean?
The wonderful thing for me is that nobody knows, because the philosophical and indeed theological consequences of eternal inflation have not been widely debated and discussed. My hope is that in trying to summarize the issues, regrettably briefly and necessarily superficially in the television series and in a little more depth here, these ideas will be accessible to a wider audience and stimulate discussion.
This is desirable and necessary, because ideas are the lifeblood of civilisation, and societies assimilate ideas and become comfortable with their implications through understanding and debate.
If eternal inflation is the correct description of our universe, it will be the artists, philosophers, theologians, novelists and musicians, alongside the physicists, who explore its meaning.
What does it mean if the existence of our universe is inevitable? What does it mean if we are not special in any way? What does it mean if our observable universe, with all its myriad galaxies and possibilities, is a vanishingly small leaf on an ever-expanding fractal tree of universes? What does it mean if you are, because you have to be?
I can't tell you. I can only ask — what does it mean to you?
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I have no problem anymore with accepting that I am just because I have to be, and just to be alive on the earth in this dimension for a very tiny amount of time in the scope of things. We are all living beings, just like the ants. We just think more, and believe we are more important. But maybe we all just serve a purpose in the harmony of evolutionary life on the planet, but nothing more.
It is only hard to accept until you realize it is most likely the truth, and realize that humankind created “gods” and the idea of gods in our fear of death and fear of being mere animals, and to try to find meaning in all that happens.
So, the expansion theory makes sense to me.
It’s a good approach and entirely covers
the rssb tree of existence
“”What does it mean if the existence of our universe is inevitable?”
It’s all to accumulate the first même : LOVE
Nothing of all that will escape from becoming bing time Love
Now we think BIG
might be the moment to study what we are Solopism or wiki Solipsism is the only reasoning which holds
Also like with evolution we must think in retrograde
It is really a perfect system
One particle of HIM which is and always “was” HIM, . . . becomes manifested Love in a nanosecond
Another participates in several of these universes
Those wanting to exit, . . no problem , . . just do with Love
where it was made for
GIVE IT AWAY
and at each “giving” it doubles in the giver
result : become a Love Warren Buffett in no time
This is why we are all equal . . . Wauuuuw
777
Hehe 🙂
Sam Harris on “no free will” & Brian Cox on “eternal inflation”! (incidentally, I thought the “Big Bang” was one of your scientific “facts” Brian? – I am certain you never watched that link I posted to a cutting edge BBC science documentary from a few years ago on the “big bang”, and how almost none of the leading, cutting edge scientists – not pop scientism-ists like Cox – actually believe the big bang theory is correct, but never mind. You stick to your un-examined, outdated and flawed cosmological beliefs Brian!)
A real “dumbing down” of these ancient debates to which nobody has any definitive answers (for reasons, I suggest, beyond the current scope of potential comprehension of those locked into these either/or dualistic debates), if you ask me, but each to their own.
That is the way of today’s trendy neo-atheists, I suppose.
See the work Dr Prem Saran Satsangi ex faculty IIT Delhi [Spiritual leader Dayalbagh Agra ] , friend of Dr Kalam [ architect of world’s most dangerous cruise missile Brahmos ] ,
in the realm of ” Unified field of consciousness “.
Purush Anami bhed diya ree [ Primal being gave this secret ]
Radhaswami mahima suni ati bhaari [ After hearing the greatness of Saint ]
Radhaswami satguru saran pada ree [ Sat at the feet of Saint ]
Radhaswami satguru charan gaho ree [ Followed the path of Saint ]
Radhaswami satguru aan miley ree [ It led to the state of Samadhi / Trance ]
Modern Physics is validating the teachings of Soamiji Mahraj
Truth be told no one has a fecking clue – science nor Sant Mat. Just enjoy our limited time here!
And if someone did know – I’m sure some government would take them out and make it look like suicide.
Have a beer and chill – don’t waste your time debating this with anyone. Satsangis are the worst to have these discussions with. Cheers fella
Arjuna
The whole point is that nobody can be happy, knowing she will lose all what you describe
And the Saints have a solution which is very simple
and nice to do
If you can love Him, you got the main prize
If not but you can repeat, . . it s not difficult to have that prize soon
If you hear the sound; . . you won the lottery !
Not IQ, knowledge of regions, what’up there
But if you do rssb meditation please keep the backbone straight, straight and straighter . . it helps,
certainly in the beginning and absolutely no breath control
which brings you to the 5th chakra
and we don’t want that
To low . . .
Wow . . . all Beas_readers going IN now, . . .
One of those three does it
anf gives the other two
777
ps
What a chance as long as this planet is still live-able
Hi Vinny
Cruise missiles are out
Now Mach 8 is in
Shame, in Agra they have nobody to love
Really Triste
77
An interesting theory inflationary universe; always lots to ‘wonder’ about in this grandeur of life.
I am often in awe at our invertedness when standing in front of shelves full of books in bookshops expounding a multitude of ways to live or find out who we are, or looking at awesome structures of some religious building and the grandeur of their ceremonies, or the mind held structures and institutions that we have invented and maintain in order to tell us what life is all about; and, the on-going wars and conflicts to ‘defend’ our concepts disguised as beliefs.
What amazes me is how something as simple as life – which we can see and feel every moment – has become so complicated that we need, champion, argue and perhaps die for man-made concepts that continue (over centuries) to confuse and separate us from the reality of life – happening right now.
777
You don’t need any guru to express the love , it is expressed by conduct of disciple & not by roaming around the half-baked gurus , who are furthering their personal ambitions in the name of Sant-mat.
And 777 also doesnt need any Vinny to tell him to not have a guru.
Hi my name is James Palmer and I would like to talk about the eternal inflation theory and the multiverse. Is there already an infinite number of bubble universes? I think yes because before inflation started there were 0 bubble universes which is 0 times infinity which is 0 but once inflation started there were already an infinite number of bubble universes because any non zero number times infinity is also infinity. The space between bubble universes expands exponentially and in those regions of space new bubble universes continue to form and this process will go on forever. Not only is there already an infinite number of bubble universes new bubble universes will continue to form forever. Once inflation starts it never ends.
Would an infinite multiverse that already has an infinite number of bubble universes which is constantly inflating with new bubble universes constantly forming have an infinite volume being created in a finite time?
I got a 2 videos here how you can create an infinite volume in a finite volume
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJevBNQsKtU&t=383s and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1WU35KxLrA&t=1s
At first it may seem like this model of a multiverse only works if each universe is finite in size. After all, an infinite universe wouldn’t have an edge beyond which other bubble universes could be found, right? Actually, no. It is possible for a universe to have an infinite volume but be contained within a finite edge. As it also turns out, the nature of quantum fields can be determined at an infinite distance away from some starting location. Solving the formulas of quantum field theory at that distance allows you to determine the quantum fields behaviour at the 2D boundary surrounding an infinite volume. Mathematically, you can fit an infinite volume within the bounds of a finite 2D edge using tessellation and hyperbolic geometry, which you can learn about from the video above. Doing so allows you to fully describe an infinite universe by examining its finite edge. If that is the case for our bubble universe then it would probably be the case for the inflationary multiverse and so the same principle would apply to the inflationary multiverse. That’s all I have to say.
Yours Sincerely
James Palmer