“In the beginning…”
– Moses, Book of Genesis, ~1600 B.C.
“To be or not to be, that is the question…”
– Shakespeare, Hamlet, ~1600 A.D.
Evolve
The Search for Truth
Aristotle wrote at the beginning of Politics that sometimes to understand something we have to go to its origins. For myself, an engineer and atheist who was curious to philosophical questions left unanswered during my studies and growth as a scientist and engineer, it was an important piece of advice not only for understanding cities but humanity. What my studies never offered was purpose or reason, just lots and lots of information. Useful information, but without meaning. Information without meaning is like a feast without feeding. My studies in science never resolved important human questions like why do we exist or what’s our purpose? And I realized that I need to rethink certain assumptions in my search for truth, and move beyond simply limiting myself to scientific answers and scientific endeavors, especially since they weren’t providing the answers I was looking for. I was wondering about eternity and everlasting. Science, constrained by space and time, had no answers for forever. But science has a methodology. And I thought I could possibly take my scientific training and engineering mindset and apply it to these philosophical (and almost religious) questions, in hopes of better understanding reality. And to do that, I needed to take Aristotle’s advice and start at the beginning.
Throughout history mankind has considered two general answers. One, the universe is eternally existent, existing from eternity past until today. Ancient Greeks, like Plato and Aristotle, thought the universe always existed, and thereby had no beginning. The gods simply shaped the chaos of the universe and gave it order. In short, the universe has always been here, it is here, and it will always be here. The second historical explanation was the universe is created and therefore had a beginning. Ancient Hebrews, like Moses and Isaiah, believed the universe had a beginning thanks to a Creator who is maker of heaven and earth, Lord of all. These ancient Hebrew writers believed God created the universe out of nothing. And these two explanations persisted for thousands of years.
There is a long-held human desire to know how our universe exists – why and how our universe has come to be. Let us consider this basic question about the origins of our universe – does it exist from eternity past or does it have a beginning? By understanding the origins of our universe, I could then begin to think through other developments. As Aristotle once said, “He who considers things in their first growth and origin, whether a state or anything else, will obtain the clearest view of them.” I needed a clearer view of humanity and our home in the universe, and I realized I need to understand, did our universe have a beginning? With the faith of a scientist in pursuit of knowledge and truth, I knew that contemplating this ancient question would reveal answers for us today.