Friday, March 6, 2009
Infinity and Our Universe
A concept which has always fascinated me throughout life is the meaning of the word “infinity”. The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines it as “an unlimited extent of time, space, or quantity”. What does this actually mean? As humans we cannot comprehend the idea of something not having a beginning or end, not in nature, not even in our imagination. There is nothing on this planet that gives us an idea or shows what “infinity” really is. So why come up with a word for a term that clearly does not exist in our world? Or does it? Although I, a human being cannot grasp this idea of the infinite, I can see how everything on this planet and in our universe can be interrelated. I somewhat get a feeling that maybe everything in existence shares an essence or energy which has no time, has no gain and no loss it’s just “existence”. We came to the conclusion in class that “nature” somewhat related to some kind of order that is found everywhere in this universe. But what if this universe seized to exist? Would nature still be present? Does nature exceed this universe? I guess what I’m trying to find out is if; do we live in an infinite existence which is immeasurable and boundless in every form? Or is everything in existence finite? The reason this question is so important; is that, if we live in a infinite existence there is little meaning or purpose for our lives and we are merely part of a greater system which is essentially one constant being. However, if our existence is finite, this gives hope that there is some goal or purpose to our life that might someday be achieved. I know this is a confusing concept and I apologize I left you baffled but please take a second to think about this idea and leave any comments on this topic.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I was not left confused or baffled at all. This is something I often debate about as well. I believe that it would be impossible for our universe to be finite, that is unless you consider more universes than our own. If it was finite, what is at the end of it, does it go back to the beginning, or does it stop. But how could it stop, what would be beyond the end, there would have to be something else, right? That is where I am left to believe that it does not stop and continues on indefinitely, even though this is tough for the human race to grasp.
ReplyDelete