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What Happened Before the Big Bang?
The Bad Astronomer writes to tell us that a recent advance in Loop Quantum Gravity theory appears to allow the mathematics of cosmology to be extended to the time before the Universe underwent the Big Bang. Bad Astronomer also attempts to simplify things a bit with his own explanation of the new discovery.
This is going to sound -1 Troll to most here, and I don't have much factual evidence behind any of it, but I think that there are many ways to look at time as a whole. In recent years we've all gotten accustomed to the concept of linear time - time that has a definitive beginning and end. It doesn't seem to make much sense beyond a few religious faiths, thus the whole BC/AD deal after "the son of God" was born. That's how much we've thought about it, yep. I've read before (can't site it) that in previous ages, time wasn't thought of as linear but as recycling seasons (Pagan?), such as the "circle of life" and nothing more. It would go in circles (as the year concept), but such emphasis on linear progression wasn't universally accepted until world economics and money came into play, with accruing interest on loans, etc.
I think if we explored other concepts and theories of "time" we would get a much broader perspective on where we might have come from, what happened "before" the big bang, etc...maybe that's what quantum theory is exploring..I have to get more into that to be able to argue any points. What I do know is that when I'm in meditation, there are many so-called "universal truths" that I realize, which cause me to question our current definitive concept of time.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Quite a bit of foreplay I would imagine!
42!
As if everyone here didn't already know that!
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K