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I certainly didn't claim to know. But at this point in history, if you want to have the highest chance of making the right guess: I would strongly suggest you g

I certainly didn't claim to know. But at this point in history, if you want to have the highest chance of making the right guess: I would strongly suggest you go with the scientific consensus that the universe began with a Big Bang and is therefore not infinite, and the consensus of physicists that the observable evidence suggests the universe is not infinite for other reasons as well. I kinda have to assume you didn't connect the facts that an infinite universe rejects the Big Bang model? Because there is definitely plenty of evidence for that model. Yes, there are epistemic limits to science, that does not mean it's not evidence. And an infinite anything is an extraordinary claim. It's practically the most extraordinary claim.

ajkjk 10y ago
My understanding is that the Big Bang model is compatible with an infinite universe. That's still my understanding after some cursory googling to make sure I didn't totally forget something from college.
- freshhawk 10y ago
  Fair enough, with the right distinction between universe and observable universe they are certainly compatible. Any discussion of the characteristics of the universe outside the observable universe runs into some interesting epistemic problems around what constitutes evidence. Maybe it's turtles all the way down, or teapots. Good luck trying to estimate the prior probability of an infinite number of possibilities with an ape brain that evolved to hunt and gather on the Savannah. I find a lot of pop science at the fringes of our knowledge (QM and astrophysics) relies a lot on infinities to justify cool stoner ideas that are unfalsifiable and chosen entirely based on human biases of what would be "awesome". I do have a very strong bias against these because of this obvious element of wishful thinking. The infinite-alternate-realities-of-the-gaps argument is just the god-of-the-gaps argument for the "I fucking love science" crowd.
jsprogrammer 10y ago
I believe big bang theories rely on an initial infinitesimal.
- ajkjk 10y ago
  Er?

ajkjk 10y ago

My understanding is that the Big Bang model is compatible with an infinite universe. That's still my understanding after some cursory googling to make sure I didn't totally forget something from college.

freshhawk 10y ago
Fair enough, with the right distinction between universe and observable universe they are certainly compatible. Any discussion of the characteristics of the universe outside the observable universe runs into some interesting epistemic problems around what constitutes evidence. Maybe it's turtles all the way down, or teapots. Good luck trying to estimate the prior probability of an infinite number of possibilities with an ape brain that evolved to hunt and gather on the Savannah. I find a lot of pop science at the fringes of our knowledge (QM and astrophysics) relies a lot on infinities to justify cool stoner ideas that are unfalsifiable and chosen entirely based on human biases of what would be "awesome". I do have a very strong bias against these because of this obvious element of wishful thinking. The infinite-alternate-realities-of-the-gaps argument is just the god-of-the-gaps argument for the "I fucking love science" crowd.

jsprogrammer 10y ago

I believe big bang theories rely on an initial infinitesimal.

ajkjk 10y ago
Er?