The first early 10^−43 seconds, where time didn't actually exist? If time didn't exist, then how did the universe know when those 10^-43 seconds were up? Seri

The first early 10^−43 seconds, where time didn't actually exist? If time didn't exist, then how did the universe know when those 10^-43 seconds were up? Seriously, I think this discussion is proceeding at a level which probably shouldn't be attempted by non-cosmologists. We all probably have a bunch of misconceptions we've picked up from popularizations about the Big Bang, and would only embarrass ourselves if any cosmologists happen to show up.