Examining Debates About the Beginning of the Universe

The statement "In the beginning..." has had significant meaning to both the scientific and religious communities as to the question of how it all began. Has everything that we know to exist today had a cause as to its formation? Or has it always existed? Did a single creator create the world and the universe as well? More importantly, who created the creator? All these questions have stirred debate for years. The origin of the universe has been debated along scientific and religious lines and resulted in the question of has the world and beyond always existed or did it have a beginning?

There are two distinct view points on the possible origin of the universe, the Big Bang Theory and the Steady State Theory. The Big Bang Theory, the more widely believed of the two, contends that the universe began at a single moment due to a single cataclysmic blast of matter and space (Goldblatt). The Steady State Theory, now widely abandoned, states that the world has no beginning and has always existed and will continue to exist. The controversy between both theories goes back to medieval times in a philosophical debate between Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas. Both men were essentially believers in the Big Bang in respect to the first line in the book of Genesis, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Goldblatt). However, Aquinas wrote in De Aeternitate Mundi, that he believed that the world's beginning cannot be demonstrated through logic alone and is compelled to believe that the world did not always exist (Goldblatt). On the opposite end, Bonaventure argued that the world has always existed and thought that it could indeed be demonstrated (Goldblatt).

As for the suggestion that the universe has always existed, Bonaventure called it absurd (Goldblatt). According to Bonaventure, it is impossible to add to the infinite. The infinite duration of the world would contain an infinite number of revolutions of the sunn and moon, and every day or month would be another revolution (Goldblatt). Bonaventure also argues that it is "impossible to traverse what is infinite". This means an infinite past would mean that an infinite number of revolutions would have had to come and go before the present arrives (Goldblatt).

To say that the world has no beginning would mean that the age of the world be infinite (Goldblatt). Its age measure by any unit could not conceivably come to a final total (Goldblatt). For Bonaventure, the idea that the world's age cannot be compiled into a total is absurd. This suggestion fuels the argument that he states that infinity cannot be added to or attributed to the world (Goldblatt).

According to Einstein's theory of relativity, the universe was expanding. Conceivably, if the universe was expanding, if the starting point of expansion was observed it would mean that the universe had a beginning too (Did the Universe have a Beginning?). However, Einstein did not believe that there was a beginning to the universe and tampered with his own equation to reflect his own personal viewpoint (Did the Universe have a Beginning?). University of California astrophysicist George Smoot explains that the main problem Einstein had with an expanding universe is that is implied that there was a beginning. As a result, a beginning would need a beginner that would be beyond scientific investigation (Did the Universe have a Beginning?). When the data proved that the universe was expanding, Einstein admitted his error, calling it "the biggest blunder of my life" (Did the Universe have a Beginning?).

The beginning of the universe was the worst news possible fore scientists, who were materialists, who wanted to believe that everything has always existed (Did the Universe Have a Beginning?). The argument for a primary cause for the creation of the universe is made up of three points, everything that has a beginning had a cause, the universe had a beginning, so, therefore, the universe had a cause (Did the Universe Have a Beginning?). The question of the universe beginning by a matter of chance allows scientists to theorize that there is no God (How did the Universe Begin?) To justify this, scientists want people to believe that an infinite number of unseen universes exist as well as our own (How did the Universe Begin?). Only one, maybe a few universes would have the capability to evolve life (How did the Universe Begin?). This theory would allow there to be no creator.

The concept of an ageless universe had produced a radical alternative to the Big Bang model. The idea of an ekpyrotic universe states that the universe was born multiple times through cycles of fiery death and rebirth (Than). The theory explains that sheet-like branes that represent different parts of the universe that collide every trillion years, triggering explosions that inject energy into the universe (Than). This theory states the possibility of the universe is ageless and self-renewing, but more importantly denies the idea that the universe had a definite beginning and end (Than).

The question of how the universe began has been a heavily debated topic. The fact that Einstein, who was so convinced that the universe had always existed, tampered with his own formula to stay true to his own beliefs is a testament to how strongly this issue has been contested over the years. There had to be some sort of cause for the formation of the universe. Everything that exists has a cause for its existence, why not the universe?

References

"Did the Universe Have a Beginning?" Know God Personally? 24 Feb. 2008 .

Goldblatt, Mark. "Did the World Have a Beginning?" Philosophy Now. 2004. 14 Feb. 2008 .

"How Did the Universe Begin?" 24 Feb. 2008 .

Than, Ker. "Greatest Mysteries: How Did the Universe Begin?" SPACE.Com. 13 Aug. 2007. 24 Feb. 2008 .