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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. 11:42 - Jan 20 with 34036 viewsBrixtonBlue

They say the universe started with a big bang... but you can't have something just appearing out of nothing. Therefore, the universe can't have a beginning - and yet must do (because it exists). A paradox.

Similarly, if the universe is expanding (like they say it is), what is it expanding into? And whatever that is, what is on the other side of THAT? Therefore, the universe must go on forever... and yet can't do (everything has an end or edge). Another paradox.

Both of these paradoxes suggest the universe shouldn't exist. Its existence doesn't make sense.

Well surely then, the only logical conclusion is that it DOESN'T exist?!

It's either a figment of our imagination... or a purposely created virtual reality?

I appreciate this last bit isn't a new idea (The Matrix) - but how else do you explain the two paradoxes?

I hope someone can answer soon as I'm off to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to watch a couple of shows about space and I don't want it to be a waste of time!

I bet Bloots will downarrow this.
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:47 - Jan 20 with 4774 viewsGuthrum

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:34 - Jan 20 by sparks

Indeed- though the question "where did the singularity come from" still remains. And we simply cant investigate that, and may never be able to.


We can't even get back to the singularity itself yet, let alone beyond. There is some data we can glean on the very early universe (e.g. the Cosmic Microwave Background), but nothing going right back to the singularity itself.

Due to its nature, it is impossible for any data to still exist from before that point.

Good Lord! Whatever is it?
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:52 - Jan 20 with 4765 viewswkj

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:47 - Jan 20 by Guthrum

We can't even get back to the singularity itself yet, let alone beyond. There is some data we can glean on the very early universe (e.g. the Cosmic Microwave Background), but nothing going right back to the singularity itself.

Due to its nature, it is impossible for any data to still exist from before that point.


For as well learned as you are, I suspect along with Facters you were around to witness the singularity itself

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:56 - Jan 20 with 4759 viewsBanksterDebtSlave

Does mushroom season start later in London?

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 15:08 - Jan 20 with 4746 viewsfooters

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:56 - Jan 20 by BanksterDebtSlave

Does mushroom season start later in London?


Hampstead Heath etc are no-gos for our cosmic friends. I think they spray the parks with some anti-fungus hoo-ha so travellers to other dimensions must first travel outside of London to collect their tickets.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 15:18 - Jan 20 with 4737 viewsjjblue84

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 13:52 - Jan 20 by sparks

You cant choose a belief- you believe something or you dont.

And you believe something for sound reasons, or you dont.

'I dont know' is entirely valid as a position.


I don’t believe you! (My choice)
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 16:35 - Jan 20 with 4708 viewssparks

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 15:18 - Jan 20 by jjblue84

I don’t believe you! (My choice)


Maybe check the word "believe" in the dictionary.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 16:37 - Jan 20 with 4696 viewsHerbivore

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 16:35 - Jan 20 by sparks

Maybe check the word "believe" in the dictionary.


Does it have a picture of Rommers next to it?

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 16:58 - Jan 20 with 4694 viewsjjblue84

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 16:35 - Jan 20 by sparks

Maybe check the word "believe" in the dictionary.


Do you believe that’s a good idea?
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:07 - Jan 20 with 4686 viewsRobTheMonk

So Uranus is also... myanus?
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:16 - Jan 20 with 4678 viewssparks

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 16:58 - Jan 20 by jjblue84

Do you believe that’s a good idea?


Yes. I believe it would- and I do so based on rational consideration.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:17 - Jan 20 with 4676 viewsjjblue84

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:16 - Jan 20 by sparks

Yes. I believe it would- and I do so based on rational consideration.


Good choice!
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:19 - Jan 20 with 4671 viewssparks

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:17 - Jan 20 by jjblue84

Good choice!


Not a choice.

Do you honestly think you can just chose to believe something? Give me an example.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:21 - Jan 20 with 4666 viewsjjblue84

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:19 - Jan 20 by sparks

Not a choice.

Do you honestly think you can just chose to believe something? Give me an example.


Interesting...you have no power over your decisions!
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:29 - Jan 20 with 4647 viewssparks

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:21 - Jan 20 by jjblue84

Interesting...you have no power over your decisions!


Give me an example of a belief you can choose.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:32 - Jan 20 with 4643 viewsChampionship

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:21 - Jan 20 by jjblue84

Interesting...you have no power over your decisions!


You're talking about factual decisions as if they are opinions.

The sun is hot. You can't decide that it isn't and be taken seriously. The sun being hot is a fact. Choosing not to believe a fact quite rightly makes people think you're a bit thick.
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:32 - Jan 20 with 4635 viewsHerbivore

jjblue84 has bagged his second bite of the week, bless him.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:41 - Jan 20 with 4631 viewsjjblue84

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:32 - Jan 20 by Championship

You're talking about factual decisions as if they are opinions.

The sun is hot. You can't decide that it isn't and be taken seriously. The sun being hot is a fact. Choosing not to believe a fact quite rightly makes people think you're a bit thick.


Which fact was I doubting??
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:42 - Jan 20 with 4626 viewsjjblue84

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:29 - Jan 20 by sparks

Give me an example of a belief you can choose.


You can believe Keane is better than Jewell. Hope that helps!
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 18:18 - Jan 20 with 4607 viewssparks

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 17:42 - Jan 20 by jjblue84

You can believe Keane is better than Jewell. Hope that helps!


But you cant choose to believe that can you?

Do you see?

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 20:47 - Jan 20 with 4563 viewsBrixtonBlue

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 12:28 - Jan 20 by DanTheMan

You're thinking of things wrong, which is understandable because nobody ever really explains this very well.

The universe didn't explode into being like magic and then start expanding into something like water into a container. It's more like it's stretching. An imperfect analogy would be like blowing up a balloon.

EDIT: A nice little video summing up this:
[Post edited 20 Jan 2019 12:31]


That is a nice little video... but in the raisin loaf and balloon analogies, they're still expanding 'into' something. But I think I get it when you say stretching. Still... the coming into being from nothing doesn't make sense.

I bet Bloots will downarrow this.
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 20:50 - Jan 20 with 4560 viewsBrixtonBlue

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 12:51 - Jan 20 by sparks

We can have things appearing form nothing- see Lawrence Krauss's book. More importantly, we have no idea what the position was a fraction of a second prior to the "big bang" so we dont know if it came from nothing or not. Arguably, it doesnt even make sense to talk about what there was before, given that time, in our universe, also appears to have started with the big bang. There's no paradox because we dont know the position. Universe could be eternal...

The universe is not expanding into anything. Its just expanding from within. Imagine drawiing lots of dots on a flacid balloon and then inflating it. Again however, the answer to the question is "dont know".


As I said to Dan, the balloon analogy doesn't quite work because the balloon is expanding into the air in your room (or wherever you're blowing it up).

But cheers for a good answer. Not heard of Lawrence Krauss so I'll have to investigate.

I bet Bloots will downarrow this.
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 20:51 - Jan 20 with 4558 viewsWestSussexBlue

Don’t worry about all that gubbins Bud,
We’re heading for relegation that’s my immediate concern.
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 20:51 - Jan 20 with 4558 viewssparks

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 20:47 - Jan 20 by BrixtonBlue

That is a nice little video... but in the raisin loaf and balloon analogies, they're still expanding 'into' something. But I think I get it when you say stretching. Still... the coming into being from nothing doesn't make sense.


No one says it comes from nothing. We dont know and are unable to investigate. It may be eternal. Or may be something way beyond our comprehension.

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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 20:52 - Jan 20 with 4555 viewsBrixtonBlue

Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 14:32 - Jan 20 by Guthrum

The universe did not appear out of nothing. At the instant before the Big Bang, it was a sigularity - a point of infinite mass (in fact, energy) having zero dimensions.

It's not expanding into anything. There is no "outside".


I'm struggling with your first bit to be honest Guthers. Where did that singularity come from?

EDIT: Seen your reply to Sparks now.
[Post edited 20 Jan 2019 20:56]

I bet Bloots will downarrow this.
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Science bods... can you help? I think I've solved the mystery of the universe. on 23:19 - Jan 20 with 4516 viewsRyorry

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in our philosophy. "
- Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio (first folio edition).

From a strange, inexplicable personal experience, I'm convinced that there's actually more than one version of "time", and nobody's yet actually proved that's not the case as far as I'm aware.

To Guthers - I'm sorry to say that the muck in my microwave definitely resembles something going back to a very early universe indeed :(
[Post edited 20 Jan 2019 23:23]

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