PRE-SINGULARITY THEORY: What existed before the Big Bang?

Author: Robert King   |   Posted on: April 04, 2018

Disclaimer:  The following is a paper I produced for a Philosophy class many moons ago (2003) while I was in college.  All work is my own and sources are properly cited.

Introduction

Cosmologists theorize that the universe was created from a singularity, one mass that eventually exploded spewing out our planets, suns and all other objects that form our universe.  The scientific community generally accepts this phenomenon, known as the Big Bang theory.  Little is known about the mass that started it all or where it came from.  Theology implies that the “mass” and everything to follow was the work of a Supreme Being.  If there was a point prior to singularity, would that prove or disprove the existence of a Supreme Being?

In attempting to explore another possibility of where this “mass” originated, comparisons of other similar phenomenon will be explored to obtain a view which is as objective as possible.  A layman’s knowledge of science, religious belief and the current published views of our universe limit this paper to being nothing but a thought about alternatives.

Our Universe

In 1922, Soviet mathematician Alexandre Friedmann^[1] demonstrated that the universe is in a state of large-scale expansion that could continue forever if enough matter didn’t exist to exert sufficient gravitational force to slow it down.  These experiments imply that the universe could be spherical rather than two-dimensional (planar).  By extrapolating backward from the present-day expanding Universe to the time before galaxies formed, cosmologists have traced the origin of the Universe to a singularity: a state of apparent infinite density.  The singularity represents the origin of space and time perhaps 10 billion years ago^[2].  The singularity, would then be the center (core) of our universe. The Big Bang, in addition to producing planets, galaxies and other cosmic bodies, also produced massive amounts of energy. It is theorized that once critical density has been reached, the universe will contract and eventually attain singularity again.

Galaxies are large-scale aggregates of stars, gas and dust, having one of a group of more or less definite overall structures. Millions of galaxies have already been observed and they are defined as being either spiral or elliptical.  Galaxies emit light of every wavelength, from long radio and microwave to the short, gamma and x-rays.

Black holes are the endpoints of stars more massive than the sun.  After a star that large undergoes a supernova explosion, its burned out remnant has no outward forces to counteract gravitational forces which causes it to collapse into itself. Black holes are non-viewable phenomenon with a hypothetical surface in which matter and light rays are confined by gravity. According to Professor of Astronomy and Physics, Joseph Silk, the singularity of black holes are similar to the cosmic singularity because of its characteristics.  Paul Davies also explains that black holes are complete breakdown of physics and that singularities are expected to exist within black holes.

By definition, an atom^[3] is anything considered an irreducible constituent of a specified system.  Atoms are spherical in nature and have a nucleus (core) which is orbited by nuclear particles (electrons, protons, etc.).  The atom is considered a source of nuclear energy.  When an atomic device is detonated, it will explode with intensity enough to create heat, electromagnetic pulses and radiation.  This explosion continues until critical density is reached at which time it contracts creating the mushroom cloud with which we are all familiar.  Nuclear particles are held in orbit by gravitational attraction from the core.

In comparing any objects, we must look at commonalties.  If we were to compare a watermelon, apple and grape, we would note that they all possess seeds, an outer skin and an origin from seed bearing plants.  Objective research would define these subjects as all being fruit even though they are of various sizes. Aristotle wrote that we recognize that all men are men in spite of their different sizes, colors or ages.  Something about each concretely different man makes him a man in spite of the unique characteristics that make him this particular man^[4].  Our previously mentioned cosmic structures also possess commonalties. In studying the atom, black holes, galaxies and the universe, we can conclude that they are similar in that they all contain a core, emit energy, are surrounded by other masses which are affected by gravitational forces, can be defined in terms of circular dimensions (planar, spiral and elliptical) and they are all in different stages of expansion or contraction.  We can extrapolate, based on evidence presented, that the examples used could represent various sized models of the same structure. The hypothesis would then be that our universe is a smaller version of a much greater structure.  Can we also assume that the universe is structured in such a way that the primary function of all mass is to play out the minor role as a producer of energy in that greater structure?  Is it possible that our universe is orbiting some larger object, a Megaverse?     

Man may never be able to accept these possibilities because to do this would be to demean the status of both mankind and God.  Christian religious theory asserts that God is the creator and would have existed prior to singularity.  One of the ways in which St. Thomas Aquinas, in Summa Theologica, demonstrates the existence of God is by explaining that for everything that is, a cause is required and the first cause would be God.   In accepting the pre-singularity theory of a Megaverse, God would then have to be represented by the Megaverse or that which controls the Megaverse.  Our homocentric views would be in jeopardy because that would place additional degrees of separation between the Supreme Being and us. It would be that God did not create man, he created the singularity, and man could be considered no more than the coincidental outcropping of life that occurs frequently on our planet due to favorable conditions, much like the moss that grows on trees due to the proper combinations of light and moisture.  We would not have been created in his image.

Pre-singularity theory would present gravity as a function of the singularity.  Gravity would be the “rubber band” that allows our universe to expand only to snap back after reaching its limits, thus allowing for the creation of energy for Megaversal rolls.  St Thomas Aquinas’ theory of the unmoved mover would be ineffectual.  His thought that in order for the universe to be in motion it had to have had an initial “mover” would be thought of as philosophical evidence for existence of the Megaverse.

Theorizing that we are no more than an insignificant portion in the greater function of a Megaverse brings other questions to bear.  Assuming that this hypothesis is correct, then that would also mean that:

1.   The concept of time itself would be based on size and density.  In our minds, an electron orbits its nucleus in microseconds, we could then conclude that our universes’ orbit would be but a fraction of a second as measured using a Megaversal yardstick.  Time is relative to us only from our human perspective.  

2.   Cosmological philosophizing would be passe. As Jean-Paul Sarte stated, “man is only what he wills himself to be^[5]”.  To speculate on what part of a larger structure we represent loses its romance and intrigue.  Man would concentrate more on individual rolls and situations within his lifetime rather than the quest for knowledge of distant events, existentialism would flourish.

3.   Mans highest purpose is to live.  Man is nothing more than the right combination of conditions which, by happenstance, met in some cosmic soup millions of years ago.  Only by evolution and natural selection are we separate and distinct from other life forms.  The knowledge that we are powerless to affect the condition of the universe any more than a singular electron can control us allows no other option.  In this regard, Marx’s belief that labor is the highest expression of humanism would be factual since there would be no need to rise beyond the material self.

4.   The representation of God would have to be redefined.  The Supreme Being would have to be, as stated previously, the Megaverse, that which controls the Megaverse or consequently, a form within our known universe.  The latter means that this form would also be subject to the laws of physics and therefore could not be omnipotent.  Rene Descartes, despite his profession of the belief in a Supreme Being, came to the conclusion that the material world is subject to physical laws.

In exploring the plausibility of pre-singularity theory and the existence of a Megaverse we come to the conclusion that, given the similarities in evidence, the possibility exists.  Other theories to explain the origin of the Universe, such as that of quantum tunneling^[6] and inflation theory^[7], may also be plausible.  Those theories, however, still has the Universe erupting out of nothing.  The thought that we may be nothing more than “an atom in some other beings shoe” is fascinating.  While gazing at the stars one evening, Copernicus concluded that the sun does not revolve around us, his theory was later confirmed by Galileo.  Is it so far-flung that our universe is not the central figure in the bigger picture? 

Bibliography:

1. Davies, P.C.W., and Brown, J.R. The Ghost in the Atom. Massachusetts: Cambridge Press, 1986

2. Parker, Barry. Search for a Supertheory: from Atoms to Superstrings.  New York: Plenum Press, 1987

3. Silk, Joseph. Cosmic Enigmas.  New York: AIP Press, 1994.

4. Stumpf, Samuel E. Elements of Philosophy: An Introduction. 3^rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.     

5. Weinberg, Steven.  The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe.  New York: Basic Books, 1977.