Was there ever a state of nothingness?

[thetexan]

Was there ever a time in the distant past when there was absolutely nothing? I'm wondering about the big bang. If it started from a singularity then the singularity must have existed previous to the bang. Or, if there was absolutely nothing then that means the singularity did not exist.

I am defining absolutely nothing as...absolutely, lack of anything...nothing...period.

tex

 

[phinds]

Was there ever a time in the distant past when there was absolutely nothing? I'm wondering about the big bang. If it started from a singularity then the singularity must have existed previous to the bang. Or, if there was absolutely nothing then that means the singularity did not exist.

I am defining absolutely nothing as...absolutely, lack of anything...nothing...period.

tex

You misunderstand the Big Bang Theory and you misunderstand "singularity".

The Big Bang Theory (our currently accepted theory of cosmology) is totally agnostic about any creation event and what went on prior to the end of inflation (and inflation is not a 100% accepted theory). "Singularity" was not a place in time or space, it is a word that is just shorthand for "the place where the math model breaks down and we don't know WHAT is/was going on"

 

[PeterDonis]

Was there ever a time in the distant past when there was absolutely nothing?

If there is absolutely nothing, how would you define "time"?

I'm wondering about the big bang. If it started from a singularity then the singularity must have existed previous to the bang.

See phinds' response.

 

[thetexan]

Well, yes, now that you mention it, time also.

Was there ever nothing, no time and no space?

tex

 

[Comeback City]

Well, yes, now that you mention it, time also.

Was there ever nothing, no time and no space?

tex

Phinds already answered this... we don't know if there was ever such a state. The Big Bang Theory doesn't say what happened before the Big Bang, and there is currently no way to know.

 

[PeterDonis]

Was there ever nothing, no time and no space?

This question has already been answered, to the extent it can be answered at all. It's not clear that there's even any meaning to the question to begin with.

Thread closed.