DCK--
Somewhere around here, Boris and I traded ideas on differentiation of matter and energy, variance in density, and methods of accretion.
Now ... that's somewhere in these 180+ posts; I yield to Boris' constructions regarding these ideas.
However, recent findings suggest an open, infinite, continuously expanding Universe, as opposed to a closed, eventually-retracting Universe, or the fixed-volume
Primum mobile of medieval thought, which contained the Universe, which reached just beyond the planets we could see with the naked eye. Overall, academia's call for an infinite, expanding Universe is compelling, and Dave has stated a fine case in the event of a finite universe.
Now, check those numbers (Dave's) as a starting-point to infinity. Consider Einstein and General Relativity.
Differentiation of density, and 'twixt matter and energy, happened early after the Big Bang. If the Universe has an
infinite opportunity to combine and balance matter and energy, it must
necessarily get around to the combination that equals organic life.
You can throw as astronomically huge numbers into the mix as you want, or as quantum-tiny as you like. But what do any of those numbers mean as a fraction of infinity? It might be one in a billion odds that something happens, but what about the
probability that it will happen, having infinite opportunity to try?
When you talk about odds, you're looking for a single event. It's like rolling, say, a billion-sided die. Every specific roll means that there is a 1/1,000,000,000 chance that you will hit the number 6. But what about the idea of hitting the number 6
once within the set of ten-billion rolls of the die?
Okay--you are the Universe, on vacation in Monte Carlo. You roll the Big Die; only one result will win. But you're the Universe, and have no bankroll to account for, so you can throw as many times as you like.
(Daddy needs a new pair of shoes!)
thanx,
Tiassa
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The whole business with the fossilized dinosaur eggs was a joke the paleontologists haven't seen yet. (
Good Omens, Gaiman & Pratchett)