Bernard Carr - Is the Universe Religiously Ambiguous?

Does God exist or not exist? How can so many people be so absolutely sure? Maybe that's the point! Maybe 'God' and 'No God' are both defensible. Could it be that the universe is somehow structured on a knife's edge, such that athiests and theists can both espouse their opposite views with equal conviction? What would such ambiguity mean?



Bernard J. Carr is a Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary, University of London. His research interests include the early universe, dark matter, general relativity, primordial black holes, and the anthropic principle.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[robertprokop]

One of the earliest proponents of the (modern understanding of the) multiverse concept was British philosopher Olaf Stapledon. In his book Star Maker, he postulated a Creator God, who created not one, but an infinite number of universes. So yes, the idea of multiverse is quite consistent with belief in God.

[spacesciencelab]

In my pondering and studies I've came to the conclusion that the universe must have a very interesting fundamental feature which is that something has to always exist because nothing doesn't exist. Even when the last black holes evaporate they'll be quantum fluctuations left over that's still somethings. We look around and we see somethings and never no things, so nothing must be a human concept. This is why I personally think that reductionism won't find the answer because there isn't a rock bottom. Fractals.

[spacesciencelab]

I love this channel and its community. Love reading others views. Great place to converse in fascinating discussions. Great vibes. In my pondering and studies I've came to the conclusion that the universe must have a very interesting fundamental feature which is that something has to always exist because nothing doesn't exist. Even when the last black holes evaporate they'll be quantum fluctuations left over that's still somethings. We look around and we see somethings and never no things, so nothing must be a human concept. This is why I personally think that reductionism won't find the answer because there isn't a rock bottom. Fractals.

[hispsychicemanationsflowed]

Atheism is a coping mechanism we employ to keep ourselves from having to embrace the terrifying enigma of reality. A mechanical universe is a lot of wondrous things, but it’s not alive.

[Nunya_Bidness_]

The universe is like a sequence of letters spelling "GODISNOWHERE" which you can either read as "God is nowhere" or "God is now here". I'd say its a test. 🧐

[spacesciencelab]

5:30 Wait what! A multiverse would make it so that a God has very high odds to exist!

[physicstheoryofmetinaridasir]

There is no place to put my WILL among the things, and I didn't create it, so, I am the will, but I didn't create myself. Who is the WILL which is shared by all living species?

[vickiecarnes]

For me the existence of anything is my proof for God. I don’t believe in religion or a personal God but I do believe that universe and life are God. All existence is God just my opinion

[shadadalshad]

I think Robert Kuhn could be considered as the God of curiosity and wisdom

[spacesciencelab]

Im rather shocked that the majority of people, in regards to the multiverse, would make it so to eliminate the possibility of a God. Wouldn't many many other universes actually raise the odds exponentially for a God to exist? I'm thinking so.

[allhere]

Saying there is a God or designer only pushed the same problem back one step because where did god come from? It doesn't explain why there is something rather than nothing because a God is a something.

[Nunya_Bidness_]

As for the multiverse:

A. It can never be proven to be anything but a conjectural hypothesis, because there is no way for information to transfer between universes due to event horizons.

B. Any universe adhering to standard theory begins with a singularity, wherein there is no time space matter or energy, and would require a metaphysical cause for the expansion.

[dckfg]

“… what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20 NIV)

[chayanbosu]

Our existence consist of 3 levels 1.Gross body 2.Subtle body i.e. mind, intelligence and ego and 3.Soul . Now as per Bhagbat Gita we are soul at our core and we have free will but tiny and little at the same time we are part and parcel of absolute concious being i.e Lord Krishna who has absolute free will.

[Meditation]

Bernard Carr is awesome. There is something about that man that I absolutely appreciate and really love!! He is such a brilliant mind!! 🙏💕

[kallianpublico]

Isn't science all about consistency? Repeatable outcomes? What does that have to do with Religion or God? Is Religion a "surety"?
I suppose there are some who would say yes, but only upto a point beyond which they would fear for their soul. Others would say there is no ambiguity but there is also forgiveness.
To a scientist a religious person might ask: is the universe scientifically concise? Is science forgiving? Should we look to atheism for mercy?

[ingenuity]

The universe is a mystery, God or no God.

[dongshengdi]

The multiverse problem.
By Paul Davies, a cosmologist not bound by any tradition.

"I usually say two cheers for the multiverse because there are good reasons of physics and cosmology for supposing that what we see may not be all you get. That there may be other regions of space and time that could be different. So it's not an unreasonable speculation. However, it falls far short of being a complete theory of existence, which is often presented as. That as if there's a multiverse, then we can forget about all the mysteries of the universe because it's all explained. Everything is out there somewhere. End of story.

Well, it's simply not true, because to get a multiverse, you need a universe-generating mechanism. Something has got to make all those big bangs go bang. So you're going to need some laws of physics to do that. And you can say, well, where do they all come from? So all you've done is shift the problem of existence up from the level of universe to the level of multiverse, but you haven't explained it.

I suppose, for me, the main problem is that what we're trying to do is explain why the universe is as it is by appealing to something outside of it. In this case an infinite number of universes outside of it. That, to me, is no better than traditional religion that appeals to an unseen unexplained God that is outside of the universe.

I'm prepared to accept that what we see isn't the totality, that there may be regions of space and time, other universes, if you like, that could be rather different from what we observe. But I certainly don't believe that all possible universes are out there, and that the explanation for the universe that we see is because everything imaginable exists, and that this particular one we see, just because it happens to be one that we live in. I think that falls far short of a proper explanation. Indeed, I think it's contradictory and absurd."
.
If all is random and our universe is the only universe, the chance existence of human awareness would seem incredible. Because the laws of physics would have to be so carefully calibrated to enable stars and planets to form and life to emerge, it would seem to require some kind of design. But there are other explanations.
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Infinity does not compute .
especially because everything We know is contingent .

[sgs]

Just from the first few sentences - it is a question of our dispositions then (some believe, choose to see; others the opposite). So the explanation should be sought in our dispositions.

[atmanbrahman]

not really. Quite obvious that God exists. Only rebellious people who hate God find silly excuses for themselves.