>
>Richard Meic wrote to Mr. Rigor about Time and Again
 RM> 
 RM> Okay, ignore what we have just gone through.  
 RM> Question:  Leading theorists of our day claim that time began at the
 RM> Big Bang (the BB is something I still dispute).  Why does time have to
 RM> have a beginning?  IMO, claiming such is sheer speculation, built from
 RM> assumption.  
 RM> There starting from scratch.  Your turn.  ;)
 Time began at the Big Bang.  The reason this is the best natural explanation
 is not because "time" is an existant "thing" like a carpet or a wall; but
 because there must be a definition to support an abstract idea such as 
 "time".
 
 In order for "time" to be meaningful, there must be movement - or a context,
 if you will.  Since before the Big Bang we cannot theorize (we can 
speculate),
 then time is meaningless before the Big Bang because we can describe nothing
 that gives it a context in which to move- without a universe for it to move
 within.
 
 If there is no universe, (and for all practical purposes - before the Big
 Bang there was no universe), then there could be no time, because without
 a universe there can be no time.  Hmm, I think I just said that... ;)
 
 Alright, that's one explanation.  Given the theory that the universe 
 "always was", or did not have a beginning, such as what we think of when
 we think of "beginning" - then time is even less meaningful.  How does
 one measure something which is infinite in nature?  A mile is equal to
 a millimeter, an hour takes the same amount of time as a millenium.  
 Therefore, "time" loses its meaning in the context of infinity; because
 there is no contextual dimension with which we can _reliably_ claim
 any moment is definite.  
 
 How do you know you are how tall you are?  Because in _relation_ with
 your surroundings, you stay the same size all the time.  Hold a tape
 measure next to your body, and you can see how tall you are.  Mark the
 wall when you stand next to it, and the mark is definite, it does not
 move.  Now remove the wall, the tape measure, in fact, ever last thing
 in existence, then tell me how tall you are.  You cannot, because there
 is no contextual relationship between you and "existence".  In fact, 
 you are now incapable of even demonstrating that you exist at all.
 
 Time is part of our reality, but it is only a part of a reality as long
 as reality _is_ reality.  Remove time from reality, and you have no reality;
 remove all existent things from reality, and you have no time.  
 
 Now, let me pose a question: scientists have grasped hold of the idea that
 the universe is expanding.  What, pray tell, is the universe expanding 
 into?
 
 But before you answer that: let me see if you are capable of this thought
 experiment (Einstein loved those).  Imagine you are not Human.  In fact,
 imagine you've never seen any planets or stars - imagine you are a 
 disembodied entity - you have no form or measure - only pure thought.  You
 have never seen a clock, never heard a tick-tock, never seen numbers or
 a ruler, or conceived of a thing as being distant, and another thing as
 being nearby.  Perhaps you can imagine you are that thing into which
 the universe itself is expanding.  Or perhaps not.  It's up to you how to
 proceed.  By what measure do you use to judge distance?  By what 
 "clock" do you measure the elapsing intervals of moments?  By what method
 do you judge weightiness or vacuum or color or vibration?  
 
 If you are that into which the universe is expanding, how close is its
 edge to you?  Can you see it coming?  How fast is it moving?  Very fast?
 Or very slow?  
 
 That's step one.  Step two now is imagine that none of us has ever existed.
 None of us, though we all are conscious beings: have never seen a planet or
 a star, we are all disembodied entities, or perhaps we are all the same
 entity - without form or measure - only pure thought.  We have never seen
 a clock or heard a tick-tock, never seen numbers or a ruler, or conceived
 of a thing as being distant, and another thing as nearby.  Perhaps we
 are the thing into which the universe is expanding.  Or perhaps not.
 
 By what measure can we judge distance, or temperature, or the elapse of
 intervals of moments?  By what method can we judge weightiness or vacuum
 or color or vibration?
 
 How big is the universe now, which is encroaching into our "being", since
 we are that thing into which it is expanding.  How do we judge its size,
 its mass, its velocity of expansion?  How close is it to "us"?  What is
 it?
 
 
 
 
 
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