RE: Is it possible that the universe could be eternal??...
October 9, 2010 at 2:03 pm
(This post was last modified: October 9, 2010 at 2:05 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(October 9, 2010 at 11:56 am)ib.me.ub Wrote:(October 8, 2010 at 9:27 pm)Tiberius Wrote: If you mean instead "for infinity" (i.e. no start, no end) then the question is rather unanswerable, although it does form several philosophical questions, such as how you can ever get to a finite point in time (as we experience) when you have no reference on the infinite timeline.
It is unanswerable for us, at this present point in time.
Without idle musing about the philosophical meaning of infinity or forever, you can come up with reasonable, and in principle testable scientific theories postulating that something will not change state at any future time t as t approach infinity, and has not changed states for any past t as t approached negative infinity. One example is the proton. Ever more rigorous tests aimed at showing protons have finite half lives have thus far failed. Close as we can tell, at least as far as the universe itself will last, protons are forever. Try proposing to your girl friend with a proton ring.
