What existed before the big bang? Something must have!

[Mercenary]

why shouldn't it?.. Everything else does.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

but again, you are applying our human concept of logic to something so far out of our understanding that it is pointless.

[danot]

But again, you are applying our human concept of logic to something so far out of our understanding that it is pointless.

It is our concept of logic that has concluded that the universe doesn't need a cause to exist.. what's your point?

[Mercenary]

It is our concept of logic that has concluded that the universe doesn't need a cause to exist.. what's your point?

 

My point is that its akin to a spider trying to learn Chinese. It is so far out of our scope of knowledge that it is impossible / pointless to try.

[danot]

My point is that its akin to a spider trying to learn Chinese. It is so far out of our scope of knowledge that it is impossible / pointless to try.

The no cause Theory is more akin to a spider struggling to understand the Chinese language having never heard it, then coming to the conclusion that it cannot be the Chinese language because it doesn't sound like Charlie Chan.

[Cyclone]

So let's look at the actual logic:- There need not be a cause because - Nothing(nothing being nothing)existed before the big bang.

 

There need not be a cause because - "Nothing"(nothing being something)isn't nothing when referring to the universe;"Nothing" is something... so could something have existed before the big bang?... No!, because nothing(which is nothing)existed before the big bang.

 

Could "Nothing"(which is something)have existed before the big bang?..No!.. because nothing(which is nothing)existed before the big bang:huh:

 

Your use of language here is not conducive to understanding the issue.

 

The big bang is an explanation for the start of existence.

 

Can some thing exist before existence.

 

Clearly not.

 

So unless or until we prove somehow that our universe is not the totality of existence (ie multi brane theory somehow proven, holographic interior of a black hole, whatever) then the working hypothesis is that existence has a terminal origin. There is no 'before' because time didn't exist, nor did space.

 

Why is an even more anthropomorphic question. We like to explain things, even if it's just in terms of physical laws. As far as we can tell there is no why for existence. It's unlikely that we could figure out a why from within the thing we wish to explain, even if we didn't just have monkey brains.

[six45ive]

Why shouldn't it?.. everything else does.

 

No it doesn't. To suggest that everything has a reason to exist assumes that there is some meaning behind everything when, in effect, most things happen through what scientists understand as simply 'cause and effect'.

[Bassman62]

What existed before the big bang?

Certainly no 'Cain' & 'Abel'.:hihi:

[Mikes10]

Read the short story "The Last Question" by Issac Asimov

[escapist]

thought absolute nothing at a point was impossible? so there wasn't 'nothing' before the big bang, there was 'something'... only a 'something' that's beyond the limit of knowability.

 

continuum ftw! with pre-big bang heisenberg unknowability limit!

 

(@ Mikes10 - teh interwebz is multivac in waiting?)

[HeadingNorth]

thought absolute nothing at a point was impossible?

 

 

Within the Universe, that appears to be so. Even in the hardest of vacuums ther are still quantum fluctuations.

 

 

Outside of the Universe, the Universe's rules do not apply.