Why there is something rather than nothing...

[Jehanne]

plus, an inspirational video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLu1cTKBspI

I started my academic career 30 years ago as a physics major before switching to computer science (so that I could get a job), and it took me a long time to realize, on a truly conscious level, that general relativity is a theory of four equal dimensions.  I just didn't get it (which is likely why I failed to become a physicist) until I listened to the Carroll & Craig (what a loser) debate that took place a few years ago.  But, yes, indeed there are purely naturalistic cosmological models that are eternal.  And, indeed, Carroll, in his debate with Craig, pointed one out:

http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0301042

In GR, time is an axis, just like the 3 dimensions that we all know and love, and so, in eternal cosmological models, the time axis runs from minus infinity to plus infinity.  It took many years before this one sank in (not too recently, of course), but I am posting this thread mainly for the great Sagan video.  What an incredible mind!  Not a perfect human being, of course (who is), but a man who went through his entire life with basically two to three full-time jobs.

[bennyboy]

It's nice to have a variety of perspectives, but when it comes to cosmogony, anything other than absolute bewilderment is (IMO) delusional.

[Arkilogue]

Why is "nothing" the assumed default position? Something from nothing is less plausible than a something that vacates space to create a relative "nothing" (vacuum state) with smaller parts of "something-ness" flying around inside.

[robvalue]

Maybe there is something and there is nothing.

[Arkilogue]

Maybe there is something and there is nothing.

Well there is now...but before the inflation of our time-space "nothingness"?

Or are you thinking of a true absence?

[robvalue]

I don't know what I meant really. I was trying to sound deep.

Maybe even nothingness can experience itself...

[purplepurpose]

Guy from inspirational videos sounds like Eldar from Warhammer 40k. F*** space and universe. This is too idealistic. People dont care about unity and space when were potentialy on the verge of WW3 because of the resources.

[Arkilogue]

Guy from inspirational videos sounds like Eldar from Warhammer 40k. F*** space and universe. This is too idealistic. People dont care about unity and space when were potentialy on the verge of WW3 because of the resources.

Would knowing the nested manifold of space-time and the ability to tap into the fundamental torque of the universe be helpful?

We are running out of resources because they are poorly managed, horded and we still practice "caveman tech"

Atom bombs is caveman tech (smashing shit together), particle collides (smashing shit together) lauching vehicles into space is ridiculously wasteful and polluting.

A developing species either learns how the universe actually works and works with it, or it destroys it's biosphere and then the planet usually destroys the civilization if it doesn't destroy itself first from it's own greed, ignorance, and shortsightedness.

The universe has a way of self cleaning, and we put ourselves on the shit list.

[Jehanne]

Guy from inspirational videos sounds like Eldar from Warhammer 40k. F*** space and universe. This is too idealistic. People dont care about unity and space when were potentialy on the verge of WW3 because of the resources.

That "guy" is Carl Sagan.  I'm surprised that you did not recognize him immediately, but, perhaps, I am getting old!

[Little lunch]

His first line, 'the cosmos is all that ever was, all that is or ever will be', is in my opinion, something that we will never ever know.