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cause and effect
Would it be considered scientific heresy to say that the so called Big Bang was an effect without a cause? because if there was nothing before the event took place there was nothing to cause it to happen.
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Short answer - No one knows. There is a school of thought that says there have been many big bangs. The explosion throws out all the matter then it is all drawn back toghether to do it again. There are many school of thought's though which include, black holes, worm holes and many more and any one could be right and all of them could be wrong.
And it seems much of the comments here on AB is the result of brain collisions.
As I understand it, at the quantum level time has little meaning and thus cause and effect 'goes out of the window' as well. Speaking personally, my brain needs c&e as an anchor to try to understand the rest of 'reality' so if that goes my brain would probably 'explode'.
Anyway, since the Big Bang comes from a singularity (or near to it) I guess the c&e rule may not be applicable. But I hope it is.
If it is then of course the time order for the cause and effect must be running in some other universe since this one wouldn't have had a 'before'.
As I understand it, at the quantum level time has little meaning and thus cause and effect 'goes out of the window' as well. Speaking personally, my brain needs c&e as an anchor to try to understand the rest of 'reality' so if that goes my brain would probably 'explode'.
Anyway, since the Big Bang comes from a singularity (or near to it) I guess the c&e rule may not be applicable. But I hope it is.
If it is then of course the time order for the cause and effect must be running in some other universe since this one wouldn't have had a 'before'.
You know the funny thing about this is it depends on where you look at it from.
The Universe is 14 Billion years or so old based on the time we now experience.
But let's actually roll back time and think about it from an observer in the Universe as it shrinks back to the Big Bang.
The density gets higher and higher and the dimensions get smaller and smaller and time slows more and more just as it would going into a black hole.
From this point of view the Universe has actually been here forever.
These are the sort of contradictions you run into with these things.
Of course they're only contradictions because of the way we normally think about time
The Universe is 14 Billion years or so old based on the time we now experience.
But let's actually roll back time and think about it from an observer in the Universe as it shrinks back to the Big Bang.
The density gets higher and higher and the dimensions get smaller and smaller and time slows more and more just as it would going into a black hole.
From this point of view the Universe has actually been here forever.
These are the sort of contradictions you run into with these things.
Of course they're only contradictions because of the way we normally think about time
Time is such an interesting phenomenon. Have always been interested in it since I was a young lad, searching out library books to explain it, but in vain. I don't suppose I'll ever fully understand it in this lifetime. I seem to be able to grasp bits, but it is 'sewing' the bits together that seems hard.
You have misunderstood completely. The principle of Cause and Effect is not a cornerstone of science at all. Quantum Mechanics which governs the small (including the singularity that was the Big Bang) has no concept of Cause and Effect.
It is all about wave functions that define the probability of something being observed in a particular state.
When observing the wave function of absolutely nothing there is a small probability that sometimes something will be there. In an infinte of nothingness it is a certainty that something will exist.
Although this sounds like a conundrum to ordinary rationality it is quite normal in Quantum Mechanics. Contrary to popular belief the existence of the Universe is neither unlikely nor difficut to explain.
Indeed theory suggests there could be as many as 10^500 different universes. This number is vastly larger than even the number of protons and neutron in the Universe.
It is all about wave functions that define the probability of something being observed in a particular state.
When observing the wave function of absolutely nothing there is a small probability that sometimes something will be there. In an infinte of nothingness it is a certainty that something will exist.
Although this sounds like a conundrum to ordinary rationality it is quite normal in Quantum Mechanics. Contrary to popular belief the existence of the Universe is neither unlikely nor difficut to explain.
Indeed theory suggests there could be as many as 10^500 different universes. This number is vastly larger than even the number of protons and neutron in the Universe.
Aye I read about the "spontaneous combustion" claim. Goes to show what nonsense officials note down sometimes. Couldn't find the real cause of death, so shoved down anything to get the form off. I think they need to send that coroner for further training.
It has been demonstrated that the scenarios where such a phenomenon is suggested as a possibility can be replicated as the result of a normal fire on the corpse. In some circumstances fire can slowly consume the body thoroughly, but leave the surroundings relatively untouched.
It has been demonstrated that the scenarios where such a phenomenon is suggested as a possibility can be replicated as the result of a normal fire on the corpse. In some circumstances fire can slowly consume the body thoroughly, but leave the surroundings relatively untouched.
Hi OG, I once came across a book on spontaneous combustion, It is curious that it happens mostly to old people, clerics and people living alone. Especially to old clerics living alone. There have been no reliable witnesses of spontaneous combustion. The general concensus is that an old person with a penchant for tobacco and spirits falls asleep, cigarette ignites clothing which acts as a wick for the body fats so that the person effectively becomes a candle. Rooms where this has happened are usually lined with condensed fats after the event. Lovely.
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