This morning Hip E., Shark, Snake, and I were in the kitchen talking about the Big Bang (not Aloysius the Officious Algonquin Orangutan; the cosmological event that formed the universe).
The discussion turned to the theory saying that eventually the universe will stop expanding, start contracting, and ultimately collapse in on itself (the Big Crunch theory of cosmology). We started talking about the likelihood of this being a repetitive occurence - that there’s a Big Bang and subsequent Big Crunch followed by another Big Bang, etc., over and over again throughout time - and the debate got going nicely on this point.
Shark brought up the idea that possibly this exact conversation had happened before, in a previous universe - that the four of us had stood in the Jo-Tel kitchen tens of billions of years ago, before the last Big Crunch and subsequent Big Bang (the BB that gave rise to the universe we inhabit right now; see thumbnail above).
Shark said that he thinks it’s not really that unlikely, although not exactly probable (he mentioned something Nietzsche said, but I can’t remember what). I said that I suppose it’s possible but so extremely, extremely,
extremely unlikely as to be essentially impossible, failing the existence of a controlling god (although my mind and our science can’t explain how it would be possible, at the same time that doesn’t make it impossible… unlike our friend Friedrich over there on the right, I’m an atheist but I’m very diplomatic, you see… and very attractive). Hip E. argued that it’s flat-out impossible, because there’s no way that all of the uncountable influences that have shaped the way the universe exists at any given instant could possibly be replicated perfectly (essentially the same as my argument, without the diplomacy).
So what do you, our reader(s), think? Is it possible that we’re reliving an existence shared by our previous selves billions of years ago in a former universe? And, if so, how likely do you think that is to have happened?
-The Quail
9 responses so far ↓
Stickler // May 7, 2007 at 7:00 am
I think if it has happened before you guys definitly were Narwhals in this previous universe
Also if you haven’t read it yet you should read the book, “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson. I think their is an entire chapter about your guys conversations as Narwhals!
Gabbeh // May 7, 2007 at 1:22 pm
It could happen again if God willed it to. So the answer is yes, it is possible because God exists.
Shark // May 7, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Ha! Funny guy that Gabbeh.
Turd Ferguson // May 7, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I think you guys need to get laid.
admin // May 7, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I just want to say here that one of the coolest, weirdest things about the universe is that whole “space-time” thing where gravity warps time and the only thing that is rigid is the speed of light in a vacuum or something. But basically the idea that the universe didn’t start at a particular time and then expand into 3-dimensional space like a balloon being inflated in a kitchen. The idea is that time is part of this fabric of the universe called space-time and all four dimensions started at a point singularity and expanded from there. So, A) in that view there’s no such thing as “before the big bang” because time itself was one of the things that started at the big bang. Also, B) the universe wasn’t like a balloon inflating in a kitchen, because there was no kitchen. Three-dimensional space was another thing that started at the big bang. So there was nothing for the universe to be expanding into. Or, more precisely, no information whatsoever can come into or out of the universe. The “edges” of the universe are point singularities like the big bang and the centers of black holes. So maybe a universe contracted down to the point singularity that ’subsequently’ expanded in our big bang to become our universe, but since no information could make it from the other universe into this one, it makes no difference to our universe, and we could never know one way or another anyway.
Thrill // May 7, 2007 at 11:09 pm
If I may play devil’s advocate…
I think you have to be a little more forgiving with words like “subsequent” and “before”; we agree that “time” as we conceive of it started at the big bang, but there’s no way to know that there wasn’t a “previous” universe of some sort “before” our big bang based solely on that argument. As you point out; no info makes it from universe to universe, so while there’s no known quantum postcard that says “Greetings from sunny Universe 1! Wish you were here!”, the lack thereof is not itself conclusive. That is to say, we can’t know/say conclusively that “before” our big bang there wasn’t a “preceding” big crunch that closed a “previous” universe (and, with it, its notion of “time”).
Goldy // May 9, 2007 at 1:08 am
I second Turd’s comment but my vote is this:
Big bang/big crunch - sounds about right
Same conversation - as unlikely as anything could be without being impossible.
p.s. Your new headline is hysterical.
phentermine // May 9, 2007 at 3:38 am
Hi guys, just stopping in to say hello. So, Hi! The concept that time is a nonlinear dimension with a definite origin and perhaps a definitive end gives me hope that I am not wasting my life.
If you’ll excuse me I am going to do some meth with Online Casino.
Goldy // May 15, 2007 at 9:41 pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/science/15cern.html?em&ex=1179374400&en=9c8c0f675a78e635&ei=5087%0A
why do I think this will turn out badly? Maybe we will get the Big Crunch sooner than expected?
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