Paul Davies - Are There Multiple Universes?

Multiple universes? The idea sounds astounding. Our universe is immense by itself. How could there be more than one?

[jhm]

Such a short and simple statement that clarifies so much. Hats off to Paul Davies and also to Robert Kuhn for always getting right to the point.

[psychvision]

Paul looks like he found an awesome hair-do and glasses in the 70's and just stuck with it.

[davidaustin]

Most people don't know Davies was one of the first ontological thinkers, 40 years ago or more, to propose a multiverse as a solution to the problem of fine tuning. I've been a big fan of him for many years (even though he would "wish a pock mark" upon me for my thinking on this subject - :D). It's been a fascinating experience watching him over the years rethink his theories and objectively analyze them with respect to the latest theory du jour. In this case, the multiverse was soundly rejected when he first forwarded it, and now it is the darling of cosmological physicists, and he once again stands alone against the madness of scientific trends.

[MaloPiloto]

Well said Mr. Davies! At this point, the idea of the Multiverse isn’t much more than “pie in the sky” in my view….

[Gatorbeaux]

love both these guys! very interesting---

[totalfreedom]

Swedish-American MIT physicist Max Tegmark thinks we are ALONE not only in our universe but in the infinite number of universes in the four-staged multiverse. Read his well-organized, easy-to-understand, beautiful book Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality (2014).

Chapter 12 (The Level IV Multiverse) and Chapter 13 (Life, Our Universe and Everything) are the last two chapters and the best. :D

[captainandthelady]

Could a universe come into existence inside of another universe? Wouldn't that make for a fine sci-fi movie?

[rubenmartinez]

Multiple Universes is one of the doctrines of scientism.

[jamesruscheinski]

If there are multiple universes, probably exist above and below our universe, not in direction of our vastly expanding universe. As our universe is flat or near flat, it might not be that improbable to observe universes above and below ours sometime in future. Dark energy of universe may be spherical and could bridge other universes above and below ours. Since dark energy is involved in cosmological constant, if spherical it could be involved in cosmological constants of other universes which may then also be fine tuned in some way, not necessarily like ours. Multiple fine tuned parallel universes seems likely if dark energy is spherical.

[jamesruscheinski]

Could information and consciousness be developed, through computers and other, to learn about beginning and end of universe as well as beyond universe in ways as good or better than physics / science?

[GSicKz]

the problem with his statement is that how can we explain how the big bang happened that created our universe? by looking only from "within", how can we explain what caused the big bang, because it happened somewhere and was also caused by something that somehow must be "before" or "outside" our universe, right? hence, we have to look outside of our universe to find answers to the question "where does the big bang come from?"

[tomdrowry]

It would be more amazing if just one universe was created, why just one?  People used to believe that Earth was the only planet, now we know their are billions

[jamesruscheinski]

What would it mean if this universe could be demonstrated to be finite within an infinite cosmos?

[mauriziosorelli]

Old school. You have to think GREAT if you want to explain why extremely improbable events like our biosphere have occurred

[BradHolkesvig]

There could be an infinite number of computer generated simulations that were produced before the simulation we're living in. It's very possible that real universes exist, too, but our Creator hasn't taught me about those things yet. All He taught me was about how He created the simulation we're experiencing.

[hasanshirazi]

Why is it that whenever atheists are faced with the question of creation of universe, they end up with either infinite multiverses or eternal universe? While they are averse to an infinite eternal Creator.

[bizzee]

I don't think that you can say that a multiverse with infinite universes with random constants is as complex and extraordinary of a claim as an infinity knowledgeable and powerful universe creator being, because the random multiverse lacks the property of conscious intent and forethought. So, I think Davies is drawing a false equivalency there.

Also, the multiverse hypothesis doesn't just kick the can down the road. Postulating that our universe was "fine tuned" for us by a creator being when 99.9999% of it is deadly to us is an absurdly inefficient way of making a universe for us, but an alleged creator being "fine tuning" a multiverse to only randomly create a universe for us with innumerable uninhabitable universes as the byproduct is even more inefficient. So, if there is in fact a multiverse in which there are innumerable uninhabitable universes for our one universe, that makes intelligent, fine tuning by a creator being even more unreasonable to believe.

[M.H.I.A.F.T.]

I like listening to these interviews with real scientists like Davies and Susskind, not when they interview evangelist schmucks like William 'Wrong Lane' Craig.

[Mountshilol]

Not philosophical but scientific explanation lol no difference

[zippidydado]

He makes a grossly idiotic comment in saying that an explanation of the universe based on an unseen multiverse is no different from an explanation based on an unseen deity. The concept of a multiverse derives from mathematical and physical theory whereas the concept of deities derives from the mindset of ancient ignorant superstitious peasants.