Is Time Just an Illusion? Questioning the Beginning and End of the Universe

  • Thread starter Thread starter canthemoonfall
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Beginning
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the intriguing intersection of mathematics, physics, and philosophy, particularly concerning the concepts of time and the universe's beginning. The poster expresses curiosity about the implications of the universe having a simultaneous beginning and end, suggesting that existence might lie in a state between these two points. This leads to questions about the nature of time and consciousness, proposing the idea that memories of the future could influence the present, thus inviting potential time paradoxes. The poster seeks to explore these ideas further, particularly in the context of writing science fiction, while acknowledging the speculative nature of the discussion. The response highlights that the topic may be more philosophical than suitable for the current forum section, suggesting a possible relocation to a more appropriate area for discussion.
canthemoonfall
Though I'm not very experienced in math or physics, I find myself constantly seduced by these two subjects.My formal education on the matter is very little but I do try to take as much information as a layman can via videos and layman-friendly articles. I thought about something and , though I'm not quite sure it's original or not, was wondering if it exists at all.

Here goes:

1.The question about the "beginning" boggles the mind of many because to have a beginning automatically makes you inferior for some odd reason, and there is no way something cannot have a beginning so...god! (sarcasm, of course).

The universe, as I understand it, had a beginning in the form of the big bang. Now, is it possible that the beginning of the universe and its end occurred simultaneous so that its existence is somewhere in between already gone and just beginning? Could this balance of time be what causes our perception of it and the four forces define the parameters of such an existence? This existence is essentially independent of our understanding of "start" and "finish," residing somewhere in between.

2.Could time have already occurred? Is it possible that our conscience is simply moving along a zip line? If so, can we have memories of our future that somehow impact the present (let the time paradoxes ensue!)?
I feel like I've read this somewhere before.

These questions aren't academic by any means; I dabble in writing and in the event I want to write science fiction, I don't want to sound like more foolish than I already would.

Thanks!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
canthemoonfall said:
These questions aren't academic by any means; I dabble in writing and in the event I want to write science fiction, I don't want to sound like more foolish than I already would.
Welcome. This is indeed more philosophical than is acceptable in this particular section, but given your purpose it might be okay in the Science Fiction Writing section. I'm going to ask a Moderator to either move it or at least discuss it with you.
 
Sorry, this is too speculative.
 
Similar to the 2024 thread, here I start the 2025 thread. As always it is getting increasingly difficult to predict, so I will make a list based on other article predictions. You can also leave your prediction here. Here are the predictions of 2024 that did not make it: Peter Shor, David Deutsch and all the rest of the quantum computing community (various sources) Pablo Jarrillo Herrero, Allan McDonald and Rafi Bistritzer for magic angle in twisted graphene (various sources) Christoph...
Thread 'My experience as a hostage'
I believe it was the summer of 2001 that I made a trip to Peru for my work. I was a private contractor doing automation engineering and programming for various companies, including Frito Lay. Frito had purchased a snack food plant near Lima, Peru, and sent me down to oversee the upgrades to the systems and the startup. Peru was still suffering the ills of a recent civil war and I knew it was dicey, but the money was too good to pass up. It was a long trip to Lima; about 14 hours of airtime...
Back
Top