Is the "Big Bang" theory flawed in that it asks us to conceptualize "nothingness" and an absence of time?

Question

How can there be such a thing as "nothing"? We have no way to understand that in our world, no matter where you go, there is always "something" there - atoms, molecules, whatever.

And how can we imagine a point before which time existed? That's pretty hard to get into.

What do you think?

Answer 1

your understanding is flawed.

the big bang theory is well-established and extensively supported by experimental data. only creationist cranks question it.

Answer 2

You just have to get drunk and think about it... It is impossible to know what was before the Big Bang, it is impossible to know if the Big Bang really happened, even with the Dark Energy and Dark Matter "present" as "evidence" we will never know, unless we associate God as being the Big Bang and then we have to start think were God came from and we have to get drunk again and think about it :)

Yeah I agree with Ethan people should stop insulting... I mean if somebody in this WORLD can explain what was before the Big Bang please go to every physicist grave and whisper the answer, they will all resurrect!

Answer 3

not in any way, shape or form.

the big bang theory simply states how the universe most likely started. the fact that we cannot conceptualize the fact that there was no prior to the big bang, or the fact that if there were there would be a nothingness we couldnt even imagine, isnt evidence of flaws in the big bang theory. it is evidence of flaws in ourselves.

really, look at it this way. the universe doesnt care about our feelings, it does not care about our mental capabilities, it does not care about what we can comprehend and what we cant.

why should we throw out a theory that we cant 100% understand if its true? because the universe certainly doesnt care if we understand it or not, it still happened.

Answer 4

I don't know if its flawed or not. I know that its pretty much accepted by all the top researchers though. I know they are in a better position than me to talk about the big bang, but I still have a hard time wrapping my head around a nothingness...... that....... exploded.

Humanities best and brightest have been wrong before. Manhattan project and the whole flat earth business some to mind. Though in fairness one was science and the other was religious based.

People who think they are so highly intelligent that they must speak down to people need to stop. When someone asks a question on here you don't have to be rude.

If you look closely you can see at the end of his question he said "What do you think", and not  " Try your best to sound like a pompous a$$"

Answer 5

No, because the Big Bang theory doesn't "ask" us to do anything.  It is totally indifferent as to whether we understand it or not.  It is rather like asking "where was I before I was born?"  (Forget the period between conception and birth).  The answer is "nowhere", you didn't exist.  I agree it is a pretty hard thing to comprehend, but nevertheless, some of us spend our working lives thinking about it.  Whether we will ever come up with a definitive answer is very debatable, but we shouldn't stop trying just because it is difficult.

Answer 6

The so-called "big bang" theory does NOT ask you to conceptualize "nothingness".   The scientific name is "Lambda - Cold Dark Matter" (LCDB) model, and it starts at time T = 10^-43 seconds, with a LOT of stuff in the universe.  That is a very small time, but it is not zero.

Discussions of time "before" T = 10^-43 seconds are just wild talk, not real science.  M-brane people not withstanding, we just don't have any really concept of what "before" and "after" mean at that level.

Answer 7

"We have no way to understand..."

Yes we do.

The Big Bang theory does have flaws, but they have nothing to do with what you imply.  They are minor mismatches between predictions and observations.

Like any theory, it is based on a hypothesis (the original version was called the Primordial Atom Hypothesis) and the application of our scientific knowledge (physics, chemistry, etc.) to the conditions given in the hypothesis.

It does NOT ask anyone to conceptualize nothingness nor absence of time.  These are the result of the application of another theory (General Theory) to conditions that may have led to the "primordial atom".

When one applies the equations of space-time to a completely empty universe, one discovers that time does not flow.  This is not because of Big Bang, this is simply the application of a mathematical equation.

The Big Bang theory does not even try to describe nor explain what came before the initial condition of extreme energy density (a.k.a. temperature).  It is very good at explaining what happens once a universe in a state of extreme energy density is allowed to expand.  The explanations do fit very well with what we actually see in the universe (except for some minor details).

----

Big Bang's biggest flaw, according to Fred Hoyle and other proponents of the Steady State theory, is that it was created by a priest to try and give God a role in the creation of the Universe.

Answer 8

Just because humans can't understand "nothing" doesn't mean that "nothing" couldn't be a reality.

And just because we can't understand "before time existed" doesn't mean that "before time" couldn't have been a reality.

There are a lot of things that are possibly true that we can't understand, but that doesn't mean those things aren't valid.

Answer 9

A theory is not flawed simply because it is behind your ability to comprehend it.

Answer 10

maybe the end of this big bang is a big crunch, where the total mass of the universe compressed into itself is the max ammount a black hole can hold and explodes in an intense explosion that wont cool down for another 20 billion years.. hmm a cycle perhaps

Answer 11

I think that you missed some key words...

The theory of the Big Bang says that almost everything you see out there in Space originated with the Big Bang...a giant explosion...some 13 Billion Years ago.

Note that special word "ALMOST." There were other things out there.

It was not a "NOTHING."

Who is to say that it did or did not happen that way? What possible difference does it make today? Not a single bit of difference. We are here now and that is our situation.

You would do yourself a lot better service learning about the things that we can see and understand right now, today, in Astronomy than to dwell endlessly on something like before the begining and after the end...There are no real answers to things like that...No solutions...no secrets to be unveiled...no great discoveries to be made...no witnesses to the events of 13 Billion Years ago...no hidden documented texts...nothing? Yet there are volumes and volumes of information to be learned about what is out there today that you can see and observe.  

Answer 12

Well absolute nothing should be placed alongside infinity and eternity, as we cannot comprehend their true meaning either! the human mind has no way to comprehend those three conditions. what do you think?