A beginning

[Nervous]

Do you believe the universe had a beginning?

[Primum non nocere]

I don't know. That needs to be an option for your poll.

Real shocker isn't it everyone? Of course, I don't mean to imply that I usually have all the answers, but it seems as though this is such a difficult response for the average person to give on this particular subject.

[el ايمان]

I didn't vote, but no.

[Senor Hoint]

I didn't like the poll choices, but chose the first one. It's pretty well-established that the universe did indeed have a beginning.

[Angry Citizen]

It's pretty well-established that the universe did indeed have a beginning.

I wish I didn't have to keep swatting this down. The fact is, the beginning of the universe is unexplained, and general relativity doesn't say anything meaningful about the actual event. Personally, I vote no beginning, based solely on the law of conservation of energy. It is the one thing that I think can hold a grain of truth under any circumstances: the fact that energy can't just poof into existence.

[Senor Hoint]

I wish I didn't have to keep swatting this down. The fact is, the beginning of the universe is unexplained, and general relativity doesn't say anything meaningful about the actual event. Personally, I vote no beginning, based solely on the law of conservation of energy. It is the one thing that I think can hold a grain of truth under any circumstances: the fact that energy can't just poof into existence.

Feeling petulant, are we? When did I mention General Relativity?

The fact is, simply by mentioning the beginning of the universe, you are admitting that the universe had a beginning, which remains true even if we don't understand that beginning.

The implication of the Big Bang is that the universe came into existence, and has not existed forever.

[Diogenes]

energy can't just poof into existence

the universe had a beginning

Actually you're both right.

Energy can't just poof into existence...but the universe, being an object, can have a beginning and an end...the energy used to create it however can't.

[Angry Citizen]

The fact is, simply by mentioning the beginning of the universe, you are admitting that the universe had a beginning

There's beginnings and then there's 'beginnings'. For all intents and purposes, our current state of existence came about as a direct result of the conditions at the Big Bang. Thus, our universe could be said to have begun at the Big Bang; but whether the universe began at the Big Bang is a complete mystery.

[Peter]

Can't vote. Don't know yet. What's the rush?

[Senor Hoint]

There's beginnings and then there's 'beginnings'. For all intents and purposes, our current state of existence came about as a direct result of the conditions at the Big Bang. Thus, our universe could be said to have begun at the Big Bang; but whether the universe began at the Big Bang is a complete mystery.

Alright, there's nothing here I disagree with. Although "the universe" might be the multiverse or the quantum foam, or whatever the fuck.

[BlackSheep]

The difficulty with this question is the definition of universe and beginning.

The Universe as time space seems to have had a beginning, but what is beyond we don't know. Is that part of the universe?

Second time is part of our universe. What does beginning mean without time?

[notthecheatr]

I wish I didn't have to keep swatting this down. The fact is, the beginning of the universe is unexplained, and general relativity doesn't say anything meaningful about the actual event. Personally, I vote no beginning, based solely on the law of conservation of energy. It is the one thing that I think can hold a grain of truth under any circumstances: the fact that energy can't just poof into existence.

I don't think that's what the big bang theory states. Nobody is saying energy poofed into existence, we're simply saying that space and time expanded out of a singularity. If time began at the moment of the big bang, then the universe does indeed have a beginning. Unless we find evidence that time existed before/outside of the big bang, we must assume that, at least with respect to our position from inside of the universe, time began when the big bang occurred.