From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Dec 09 2002 - 21:36:28 MST
Samantha Atkins <samantha@objectent.com> wrote:
> The question of why this bubble of space-time came
> into being or how is not at all unreasonable to
> ask. That we are dependent on its existence does
> not mean we cannot ask the question or work
> toward and possible find answer[s].
I don't mean to suggest that our dependence on the
existence of the universe is reason for not asking a
question about its cause.
I mean that we cannot conceive of anything less than
its existence, which makes questions about its cause
meaningless.
Here is an example of a question we would all consider
meaningful:
"What caused the Hubble telescope to exist?"
We can consider this question about the Hubble
meaningful because we can conceive of the Hubble
telescope not existing. That the Hubble exists, given
that it might not have existed, demands an
explanation.
The same is not true for the question...
"What caused the universe to exist?"
We can conceive of the Hubble not existing but we
cannot conceive of the universe not existing.
Non-existence of the universe = NULL. We can
manipulate "null" as a word, but the word has no
referent. We cannot have a null conception.
-gts
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