Cause

[Graybeard]

If we accept the Big Bang
Then the Universe had a beginning ... and presumably will end.

If we accept Steady State
Then the universe is continuously creating matter as it expands, and therefore has no beginning or end

The Steady State theory has pretty well been debunked since Cosmic microwave background radiation was discovered in 1965.

So things point to the Big Bang. But it appears there was no Big Bang, but a big expansion instead. Further it appears that prior to expansion which created Space and Time or SpaceTime, the Universe was already in existence. It may have been in existence for an eternity, but unfortunately measurements, such as time and space are not retrospectively applicable in this area.

Its possible that the Universe with full energy potential (stored but unrealised from our point of view) existed on a 'knife edge' for an eternity until something precipitated its release. But what could have precipitated this?

cool bananas ... greg

[austintorn@aol.com]

This is the hardest question that I ever heard of.


Causes of the stuff before our universe:

None. The stuff is eternal and indestructible because it is made only of itself, for nothing begets nothing. There could be more than one type of stuff, for example, one type for clumping/dispersion and another for movement. Expansion and interaction happens on small scales and on large scales (bangs, perhaps rarely).

A tough question is why was there was the right stuff—why not just some inert stuff that went nowhere?


The rest is the nature of the stuff:

Complexities of the stuff form atoms, stars, higher elements, molecules, life, and consciousness through interaction of clumps, dispersal, and movement. For life’s being, the past, now, and future of movement allowed memory, sensation, and anticipation of the clumps that form and rearrange.


That’s the best I can say at my level. Real scientists can say more.