When I explained that I'm not a Mathematician (Physicist), but rather much closer to a Biologist, he seemed to gloat and assume he won something special.
Biology only deals with living things people, and with things that are now dead. It does not deal with whether or not the universe is infinite, how it expands, whether its expanding, or anything else to do with the nature of the universe. THAT is a Physicists perview.
Would other Christians automatically think that they must be right just because the person you asked the question to does not have experience in the question you're asking?
No single scientist would be a specialist in every single field out there. A Biologist does not understand all the information in Chemistry, a Chemist does not understand all the information in Physics.
If you wish to know a question that deals specifically with science, wouldn't it be better to ask in the science section where the question could be answered properly?
2007-05-12 10:43:36 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
To expand, I understand enough of the basics of physics that much of whats said does make sense to me, but the nature of the universe is a little out of my experience.
2007-05-12 10:59:30 · update #1
Christians in general have a hard time grasping the concept of infinity. It's rather obvious from their preaching about how wonderful eternal life would be without understand that eternal means infinite and there's only a finite amount of things to experience and a finite amount of things you could ever possible think...yet somehow they think it will all be wonderful and they'll never get bored.
To answer the question about the universe: the answer is no, the universe is finite. Stephen Hawking in 'A Brief History of Time' (1989 page 44) describes the universe as being "finite but unbounded". The simplest answer is that as the universe is known to be expanding, it cannot possibly be infinite. To be precise, the dictionary definition of the word universe is "all that is. The whole system of things." In this sense the universe is not expanding into anything other than itself, for whatever it is expanding into is part of the universe, there being nothing else but the universe. However, for the sake of simplicity, I am referring only to our Big Bang expanding universe as 'the universe'. (Even if you happen to disagree with the Big Bang theory, the term 'universe' will still have the same meaning here, as it refers to 'our' universe only, and does not include whatever may or may not exist outside of it.) I will try and explain a finite universe as some people understandably have problems with it.
A good place to start is to understand the very real difference between infinity and a large number.
For example, imagine an ordinary size diamond, as you would expect to find set in a typical lady's engagement ring. Now imagine a super-being armed with super-tweezers, picking out atoms from this diamond one at a time, one every second, since the creation of the universe, some 13 billion years ago. How much of the diamond would by now have been removed? The answer is you couldn't tell without looking through an electron microscope, less than a millionth of the atoms would have been removed. Try and imagine how many atoms there are in that diamond. Now try and imagine how many atoms there are in the entire universe. It is a very large number, but it is finite, and is 10 followed by 80 zeros, (maybe a few more zeros, maybe a few less), expressed as 10 to the 80th. If you want to see what it looks like...
100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
0r written as - One hundred million, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion. billion, billion
Even this very large number would count as nothing when compared with infinity, because infinity is not a large number be absolutely clear on this point, it is not a large number, infinity is ALL THERE IS, it is not a number. You could keep counting (or measuring) for ever, and never reach infinity, it is only a description. Infinity describes a thing as having no end, no limit, no boundary or edge, it literally goes on FOREVER, ad infinitum.
Because infinity is not a number, large numbers are no 'nearer' to infinity than small numbers. Number 1 billion for example is no nearer to infinity than number 1, because the two, numbers and infinity, are in no way related. It is then impossible to approach infinity, a thing is either infinite and immeasurable, or finite and measurable, it cannot be part way towards infinity. Imagine running up a 'down' escalator, never moving forward. If you run for a week you are no nearer reaching the end of the escalator than if you run for a minute, you cannot get any closer to something that has no end.
An infinite universe for example would exist in every direction forever, there could be nothing else, ONLY the universe. It is then very easy to understand why our universe cannot be infinite, it is because it is expanding. It cannot be both infinite and expanding. It could be infinite OR expanding, but CANNOT possibly be both, that is a contradiction in terms, and we do know it is expanding.
2007-05-12 11:49:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
A Christian doesn't have a harder or easier time comprehending infinity than anyone else. A Christian is in no better or no worse a position than anyone else to know whether the universe is infinite. Christianity is relevant to your eternal destiny, but not to this question. The Bible doesn't say.
What is beyond the universe?
The main options:
1. Nothing. Just define 'universe' so it includes everything.
2. Space containing no matter and perhaps even no energy.
3. There is no such thing. Space exists only as relationships between matter, so if there is no matter, there is no space. I'm not joking. Some scientists seriously consider this.
4. There is no such thing. Space is expanding along with the material universe.
5. There is no such thing. The universe is a closed topology. I don't think there is any particular evidence to support this.
6. Conjecture whatever you like. We'll never know. It's beyond our event horizon. Imagine parallel universes if that tickles your fancy.
2007-05-12 17:39:00 · answer #2 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Some christians might be surprised to know that St Nicholas
of Cusa called the universe "finite but unbounded" long before present day physicists. Another question about infinity
was answered by philosophers such as Aristotle and another christian, St Thomas Aquinas to the effect that there is no actually existing infinite multitude of things.
2007-05-12 13:12:55 · answer #3 · answered by knashha 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think that an atheist indicts god in any argument is perplexing. for atheists god's existence versus not has no relationship to a universe being infinite or not. i see no relationship between the existence of god and universal causality. they are disparate discussions. atheists have no "substitute gods" as most atheists do not create any "god" in the machine. the pursuit of atheism is an objective pursuit which puts god in the position of being as relevant to the universe as a muppet. i note that there is not definition of this "complex hypothesis." not even an attempt to refine it or quantify it. i believe to say purposeful design of the universe makes much more sense is to say nothing at all. what does it mean to say it? who is saying it? i see otherwise. i see that intelligent design works backward from a more complex causality to a less evolved then necessarily evolving universe, this works against any other systemic template. a universe being "caused" or a god being "caused" requires further study and senseless conjecture either way when we are still babies to the universe is no less than amusing. but we need to talk, all of us, we need to learn, not feel that we know it all. who knows, maybe there is a god.
2016-05-21 04:56:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I thought that all the Christians got thrown to the lions. I guess a few of us pesky devils (lighten up guys, pun intended) got away from the Romans when they weren't looking. I take it from your pecking order "biologists-chemists-physicists" that you think that Christians are several rungs to the left of biologists. Typical biologist. Always trying to step on some kind of bug in order to examine it.
2007-05-12 11:00:07 · answer #5 · answered by Flyboy 6 · 0⤊ 5⤋
Lokasennas answer was wonderful!!
When I was little, infinity was explained this way: take the absolute biggest number you can think of. Then add one.
:-)
2007-05-12 14:09:16 · answer #6 · answered by ZombieTrix 2012 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Anyone who would purposely make you feel bad just to stroke his own ego is not a real christian.
2007-05-12 10:58:19 · answer #7 · answered by jsardi56 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
WOW....That was a good answer! Hey...I learned something....no fair.
2007-05-12 12:43:14 · answer #8 · answered by Don 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋