- Oct 13, 2019
- 10
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- Argentina
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Most of you probably know that astrophysical observations of vastly different kinds have consistently shown since 1998 that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, actually that it has been accelerating since a time roughly midway between now and "big bang". I want to point out that this already established fact has apologetic value for monotheistic faiths holding creation ex nihilo. This is so because there are several plausible mechanisms whereby a contracting universe would not contract all the way into a singularity, i.e. a state of truly infinite density, but at some maximum density would "bounce" and start to expand. Therefore, in principle it is possible that the universe would undergo a cycle of indefinite duration (both from an infinite past and into an infinite future) consisting of the phases:
... big bounce - decelerated expansion - stop at max size - accelerated contraction - big bounce ...
Since such a cyclic universe would fit neatly the cyclic cosmologies of hinduism and buddhism, it is very good that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, as it invalidates this case. The reason of this invalidation is quite simple: let us assume that the universe indeed undergoes cycles. On the other hand, we know that the present cycle will not stop its expansion and then turn into contraction, but rather will expand forever and moreover in an accelerated way. Now, what could have changed between the previous cycles, in which the universe expanded to a maximum size/minimum density and then started to contract, and the present cycle? The only logical answer is that nothing could have changed, there were just no previous cycles.
... big bounce - decelerated expansion - stop at max size - accelerated contraction - big bounce ...
Since such a cyclic universe would fit neatly the cyclic cosmologies of hinduism and buddhism, it is very good that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, as it invalidates this case. The reason of this invalidation is quite simple: let us assume that the universe indeed undergoes cycles. On the other hand, we know that the present cycle will not stop its expansion and then turn into contraction, but rather will expand forever and moreover in an accelerated way. Now, what could have changed between the previous cycles, in which the universe expanded to a maximum size/minimum density and then started to contract, and the present cycle? The only logical answer is that nothing could have changed, there were just no previous cycles.