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Is the Big Bang myth or reality?
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Is the Big Bang myth or reality?
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pantodragon
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Is the Big Bang myth or reality?
«
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11/02/2013 15:12:52 »
In other posts I have explored the parallels between modern scientific theories and those of the Ancient Greeks, and the parallels between the modern scientific theories and mythology. This is a continuation.
When one reads mythology, especially creation myths, one finds certain patterns emerge, certain similarities between different cultures. If one treats the Big Bang and evolution of the universe as a myth then one finds it fits in very well with the existing patterns.
Firstly, most mythologies have a world formed from chaos. That is, the world/universe has an origin in chaos rather than being eternal with no beginning and no end.
A creator god then sets to work and puts things into order. In the Big Bang it is not only space, time and matter and energy that are formed, but also the laws of physics. (It is thought that many universes might form but not survive because the laws of physics that they generate are not capable of sustaining a universe.) So, instead of a creator god bringing order, we have the laws of physics doing the job.
The creator god makes the sky, the earth, the seas and then plants, then animals, and, finally, people. The laws of physics ‘create’, or give rise to, things in exactly the same order, culminating in the evolution of people.
According to the Ancient Egyptian myths, at the dawn of time, the creator god, Ra, gave birth to himself – this sounds VERY close to the Big Bang. The Big Bang is the ‘dawn of time’ i.e. time is created by the Big Bang; and the god giving birth to himself has that same mysterious nothing appearing out of nothing quality that the Big Bang has.
Some time after the birth of Ra, a ‘foe’ appears in the form of the Chaos Serpent, Apep. Ra, who is the sun, spends every night in combat with Apep. It was believed by some that Apep would eventually defeat Ra, and by others it was believed that Ra would eventually grow old and tired and would forget who he was and that all he had created would come to nothing.
This parallels the conflict between the laws of physics and entropy. Roughly speaking, entropy is ‘disorder’, or chaos. In thermodynamics it represents the idea that disorder is always and inevitably on the increase in the universe. So, while the laws of physics are working to create order entropy is working ‘against’ them and creating disorder.
Just as there are 2 possible outcomes from the fight between Apep and Ra, our universe has 2 possible ends: it might collapse in on itself = return to the chaos of the Big Bang = Apep defeats Ra, or, it might expand and grow colder until it ‘dies’ of cold = Ra grows old and forgets who he is. (Actually, there is a third option in physics: if the universe contains just the right amount of matter then it could reach a balance point and go on forever.)
Egyptian myth also suggests that Ra might give birth to himself again = when the universe collapses the final implosion might give rise to a new Big Bang.
That the story of the universe according to physics is particularly close to the myths of Ancient Egypt is not surprising: the birth of science is credited to the Ancient Greeks, and the Ancient Greeks had a great admiration for the Ancient Egyptians and there was much interaction between the two.
It is interesting to note, too, that the Ancient Egyptians used something like the scientific method in their medical practices: ‘doctors’ were expected to treat every case as a kind of experiment. The patient was prodded and poked and questioned and detailed notes of their condition plus the diagnosis and treatment were made. Thereafter the patient was monitored and notes made concerning their progress, their response to treatment, and any changes in the treatment etc. These careful observations were then used to improve diagnostics and treatments (which included drugs that are still considered to be effective.).
Could these close parallels be mere coincidence? If more than coincidence, then what do they suggest? Could the Ancient Egyptians have had an intuitive knowledge of the universe, or does it imply something not quite authentic about the Big Bang theory?
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lean bean
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Re: Is the Big Bang myth or reality?
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Reply #1 on:
11/02/2013 19:50:14 »
Have you found a scientis who would say the big bang theory is fact for sure ?
It's a model on a good logical foundation.
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JP
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Re: Is the Big Bang myth or reality?
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Reply #2 on:
12/02/2013 13:26:24 »
Cross posted and also not science.
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