Dark Matter And Dark Energy....

[sandyRoe]

Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly;"

Could this dark matter and dark energy be aspects of Heaven and Hell that we're seeing but not yet understanding?

[naomi24]

Not sure what you mean, sandyRoe. How so?

[1ozzy]

Could it mean that they had indulged in a tad too much sacrificial wine and were in a bad mood?

[sandyRoe]

Scientists talk of dark matter and dark energy. Apart from knowing, or postulating, that it's there, they seem to know little about it. I'm wondering aloud, or rather in print, if it could be the underside of our final destinations they're looking at but not understanding what they're seeing.

[naomi24]

A strange idea. I'd hazard a guess that the authors of the New Testament knew even less about it than today’s scientists.

[jim360]

No.

This is obviously more of a religious question, in which case my answer goes something like this: Heaven doesn't exist. Or, if it does, then I've always imagined it to be a separate Universe entirely (why not? God created this Universe, so he ought to be able to create another). Or, if it is a part of this Universe, then it was only "started" recently, no? Dark matter has been a part of the Universe since the beginning. Or, if it was started at the beginning, then it isn't Dark matter as the Bible talks about "walls built of jasper" (ie normal material, albeit apparently with slightly different properties from usual... "gold, clear as glass"), and also is apparently very bright. And can be seen.

Dark matter is (a) not normal matter, (b) not visible, and (c) doesn't emit or absorb light. So, no.

Also of course, Heaven and Hell don't exist.

[naomi24]

Jim, curiously assumptive argument.

[jim360]

Perhaps, but there aren't actually that many assumptions. One you allow the existence of God all bets are off anyway -- it's been pretty well established by now that it's essentially impossible to construct any form of logical argument including someone or something with the ability even to bend the rules you're trying to use to construct the argument in the first place.

As to the rest: we know Dark Matter is not 'ordinary' matter (in the sense that it does not fit into the Standard Model). This is not an assumption, but a fact.

[Old_Geezer]

No it has nothing to do with the traditional view of heaven and hell.

Science, by it's nature, investigates what it doesn't believe it knows. understanding will come.

Interestingly I see they are managing to map the distribution of dark matter, detected by it's affect on what can be seen. This morning's teletext. (Probably a Hubble thing I suspect.)

[jim360]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32284995

[naomi24]

Jim, //we know Dark Matter is not 'ordinary' matter (in the sense that it does not fit into the Standard Model). This is not an assumption, but a fact.//

I know. I was talking about the rest of your post.

[whiskeryron]

The ''Laws of Physics'' were presumably invented by MAN. Why should we presume that they appertain to the rest of the universe ?

[jim360]

Sometimes I wonder what the point is of being a specialist in High-Energy Physics is. You always seem to know it already... :P

[naomi24]

Jim, In this day and age with information so readily available does the fact that //Dark Matter is not 'ordinary' matter (in the sense that it does not fit into the Standard Model)// really take specialist knowledge? To anyone with the slightest interest in the subject I’d have thought that rather common knowledge.

[jim360]

Perhaps not, but then I was being facetious.

[naomi24]

Mmmm...

[mibn2cweus]

The role of religion appears to be to fashion beliefs based upon ignorance, a senseless vision based on blindness towards the facts and a mindless attempt at understanding completely exempt from the necessity of reason.

[douglas9401]

Scott stardate 3249.7 "Ye cannae change the laws of physics"

[AB Editor]

It quite a natural question to ask isn't it? It's more or less asking:

"And then what?"

Some like to reinject a diety into the process somewhere (dark matter, the space between sub-atomic particles, the "outside" of the universe). Romantic, but unlikely.

[Old_Geezer]

The ''Laws of Physics'' were uncovered/discovered by humans. It is possible that they vary over the universe but I don't think we have any evidence that is so. Would make for some interesting interfaces between different parts if it were. "Constants" and the like might vary over time but seemingly not very quickly if they do.

[atalanta]

Imagine a piece of glass such as St paul might have known - it couldn't have had the clarity of a modern window, for instance. It was hand-made or blown, probably in small pieces, foggy and full of bubbles and imperfections. No wonder you couldn't see much through it.