Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Big Bang, small pop, and the Daodejing


In memory of Stephen Hawkins (1942-2018)

The Big Bang has only been a small pop in the beginning. I’m quite surprised that everybody is interested in the Big Bang and not so much in the preceding small pop.

The Big Bang describes the early hot and dense phase of the universe, which explodes and in doing so, allows this universe to act according to the laws of physics. What existed before the Big Bang is unclear. Physics cannot describe this period of time. The small pop (a feeble plink) was enough to direct the singularity to develop into this universe.

The Daodejing starts: 道可道,非常道。名可名,非常名。无名天地之始;有名万物之母。The Dao (way) that can be walked [also talked] upon, is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be given, is not the eternal name. What has no name is the beginning of the universe, what has a name is the beginning of the 10,000 things.

I’m surprised that Stephen Hawkins never talked about the small pop.

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