Brian Cox

As I said, we have never understood what it means for the universe to have a beginning. So we don't really know that. And so this is the same. I think it's just the same question. It's like, well, you ask, well... If it really is a network of qubits, it could have been there forever, that network of qubits. Actually, in quantum theory, it's more natural for it to be just eternal.

And it's an interesting question. I once gave a talk, actually, a conference of bishops. They were Catholic bishops. And they asked me to go and give a talk at their conference about cosmology. And so I gave the talk about cosmology, and they all listened. And we had a question thing afterwards. And I said to them, What happens if we discover the universe has always existed? Because it might have.

And it's an interesting question. I once gave a talk, actually, a conference of bishops. They were Catholic bishops. And they asked me to go and give a talk at their conference about cosmology. And so I gave the talk about cosmology, and they all listened. And we had a question thing afterwards. And I said to them, What happens if we discover the universe has always existed? Because it might have.

And it's an interesting question. I once gave a talk, actually, a conference of bishops. They were Catholic bishops. And they asked me to go and give a talk at their conference about cosmology. And so I gave the talk about cosmology, and they all listened. And we had a question thing afterwards. And I said to them, What happens if we discover the universe has always existed? Because it might have.

We know there's a thing called the Big Bang, but it might have been something that happened in a pre-existing universe. Maybe that's eternal. What does that mean for your sort of picture of a creator? Does it? I don't know. I was asking it. It's a genuine question. Right. How would you? And they really didn't. They thought it was a cool question and didn't have an answer. Right. But it but it is.

We know there's a thing called the Big Bang, but it might have been something that happened in a pre-existing universe. Maybe that's eternal. What does that mean for your sort of picture of a creator? Does it? I don't know. I was asking it. It's a genuine question. Right. How would you? And they really didn't. They thought it was a cool question and didn't have an answer. Right. But it but it is.

We know there's a thing called the Big Bang, but it might have been something that happened in a pre-existing universe. Maybe that's eternal. What does that mean for your sort of picture of a creator? Does it? I don't know. I was asking it. It's a genuine question. Right. How would you? And they really didn't. They thought it was a cool question and didn't have an answer. Right. But it but it is.

I think the idea that I was the question to you, actually, are we more comfortable with the universe that began or would we be more comfortable with the universe that had always existed?

I think the idea that I was the question to you, actually, are we more comfortable with the universe that began or would we be more comfortable with the universe that had always existed?

I think the idea that I was the question to you, actually, are we more comfortable with the universe that began or would we be more comfortable with the universe that had always existed?

And you're right. You've had Sean Carroll on the show. He always points out that this question, why is there something rather than nothing, presupposes that nothing is more likely than something.

And you're right. You've had Sean Carroll on the show. He always points out that this question, why is there something rather than nothing, presupposes that nothing is more likely than something.

And you're right. You've had Sean Carroll on the show. He always points out that this question, why is there something rather than nothing, presupposes that nothing is more likely than something.

Whereas it might be the other way around. Right, right. We don't even know that. Right.

Whereas it might be the other way around. Right, right. We don't even know that. Right.

Whereas it might be the other way around. Right, right. We don't even know that. Right.

That's the big one. The history, I think historically, you have, I think it's right to say that Einstein really felt, I think, that initially that an eternal universe was more natural. But it is also true to say that his theory, general relativity, really doesn't quite rule that out. But it's strongly suggestive of there being a beginning and or an end.

That's the big one. The history, I think historically, you have, I think it's right to say that Einstein really felt, I think, that initially that an eternal universe was more natural. But it is also true to say that his theory, general relativity, really doesn't quite rule that out. But it's strongly suggestive of there being a beginning and or an end.

That's the big one. The history, I think historically, you have, I think it's right to say that Einstein really felt, I think, that initially that an eternal universe was more natural. But it is also true to say that his theory, general relativity, really doesn't quite rule that out. But it's strongly suggestive of there being a beginning and or an end.

So the theory itself, historically speaking, strongly suggests that. And so he changed his mind. And then we saw the universe was expanding. We observed that. And then we've now seen the oldest light in the universe, the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the afterglow of the Big Bang. So we know that the universe was hot and dense 13.8 billion years ago.