What in the world is it all about?
In science, this is known as the "Multiverse Theory", which states that there may be multiple or even an infinite number of universes (including the universe we consistently experience) that together comprise everything that exists -- the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them. In this context, multiple universes are often referred to as parallel universes because they exist alongside our own.
The term was coined in 1895 by the American philosopher and psychologist William James. However, the scientific basis of it arose from the study of cosmological forces like black holes and problems arising out of the Big Bang theory.
In the scientific community, there is the unsavory truth that if a multiverse can never be falsified then it has no place in science. The fabric of the theory rests in ways where the results will either point us to a multiverse or disprove the theory altogether. Throughout all this, the important fact remains: theories must have a way to be tested and proven. Otherwise, in my view, you have nothing.
“It is hard to write theories that survive the proof of reality. Few survive. Utilizing this filter, we have been able to develop modern science, a technological society, to cure illness, to feed billions. All this works thanks to a simple idea: do not trust your fancies. Keep only the ideas that can be tested. If we stop doing so, we go back to the style of thinking of the Middle Ages.”
And so it goes with religion that there is an omniscient, nurturing God in the heavens and He beckons for followers with open arms. In this story we are protected and guided, our suffering has a purpose, our biggest questions needn’t be answered because some things are meant always to remain a mystery. In this story, a beautiful paradise awaits after death.
Then, of course, there are those who are neutral on the subject, not knowing what to believe -- or choosing not to believe anything they cannot see or comprehend. Universally speaking, in the overall scheme of things, they merely exist ever so temporarily in the present on this planet, like you and me and the rest of them out there.
“It is hard to write theories that survive the proof of reality. Few survive. Utilizing this filter, we have been able to develop modern science, a technological society, to cure illness, to feed billions. All this works thanks to a simple idea: do not trust your fancies. Keep only the ideas that can be tested. If we stop doing so, we go back to the style of thinking of the Middle Ages.”
~~ Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli.
This stretches to religion as well. I have no trouble with the idea of a Christian God, a Hindu God, an Islamic God. In fact, if these religions (as I believe) help people cope with life and if they inspire their followers to be gentler and kinder to one another then they are definitely beneficial to mankind.
This stretches to religion as well. I have no trouble with the idea of a Christian God, a Hindu God, an Islamic God. In fact, if these religions (as I believe) help people cope with life and if they inspire their followers to be gentler and kinder to one another then they are definitely beneficial to mankind.
You know the thinking...Pray for change and if it happens, it was God’s blessing upon you. Pray for change and if nothing happens, it was not in God’s design. What we know of the world is because God allowed us to know it. What we don’t yet know of the world is because God declared that we needn’t know it. Everything in life can be traced back to God and explained through him; everything in life serves only to strengthen a follower’s faith.
It is taught that one’s faith must remain strong in God even in times of great suffering. Yet it seems to me that the opposite is true in science — doubt is encouraged. It is only through doubt and through constant stressing of our scientific beliefs that we can arrive at the ultimate truth.
And, yet, perhaps the multiverse and God are alike in a way.
The idea of the multiverse is a dramatic display of fantasy. Every possibility manifests itself on some foreign version of this wet and flowery Earth. The many lives some of us lead can overwhelm us in the best sense of the word — we can spend hours imagining how the many versions of ourselves are choosing to spend their time, somewhere out in that incandescent cosmic ocean.
It is taught that one’s faith must remain strong in God even in times of great suffering. Yet it seems to me that the opposite is true in science — doubt is encouraged. It is only through doubt and through constant stressing of our scientific beliefs that we can arrive at the ultimate truth.
And, yet, perhaps the multiverse and God are alike in a way.
The idea of the multiverse is a dramatic display of fantasy. Every possibility manifests itself on some foreign version of this wet and flowery Earth. The many lives some of us lead can overwhelm us in the best sense of the word — we can spend hours imagining how the many versions of ourselves are choosing to spend their time, somewhere out in that incandescent cosmic ocean.
And so it goes with religion that there is an omniscient, nurturing God in the heavens and He beckons for followers with open arms. In this story we are protected and guided, our suffering has a purpose, our biggest questions needn’t be answered because some things are meant always to remain a mystery. In this story, a beautiful paradise awaits after death.
In a non-religious view of the world, nothing awaits us after death and no one is watching over us as a protector or parental figure. In both instances we live out our full and unpredictable lives, navigating its rough earthy terrain as best we can. In both instances, we approach death unsure of what to expect on the other side but hoping that it will bring us peace.
Which is the better story? That’s the one we tell ourselves, and that is the one we choose to believe.
Which is the better story? That’s the one we tell ourselves, and that is the one we choose to believe.
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