Ch 28: The Age of the Universe
Introduction
The determination of the age of the universe is in some sense straightforward in modern cosmology, with an answer somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 billion years. Yet, as we shall see below, in other more subtle senses it is perhaps impossible to actually determine the age of the universe,.
The weight of scientific evidence points to the origin of the universe in a big bang billions of years ago. Nevertheless, as we have seen quantum metaphysics points to the possibility that the big bang and subsequent events occurred in a 'superposition of states', with the universe beginning its true physical existence only when there emerged within it the first free-willed consciousness, and so the emergence of the universe and the emergence of a moral being are juxtaposed.
This result of quantum metaphysics also implies that the universe is essentially only as old as the first moral being, and since the earliest moral being we know of would be some version of modern humans, the age of the universe would be computed in the thousands of years (probably between five thousand and a hundred thousand years) rather than in billions of years.
From the viewpoint of Genesis and of standard cosmology - and as opposed to the view of Aristotle and Spinoza - the universe began some finite time ago, rather than being eternal. How long ago? The answer depends on the perspective: if of standard cosmology then the universe began in a big bang fifteen or so billion years ago; if of quantum metaphysics combined with Genesis, it began with the emergence of moral humanity some thousands of years ago.
Alternative Definitions of Time passage
Even from the standpoint of standard cosmology, the question of the age of the universe is a difficult one for various subtle reasons.
One such reason has to do with the idea of a clock. There can be only one universe, since by definition of the word universe we mean 'everything that exists'. But if there is nothing other than the universe, then the clock which tells us how old the universe is must be part of the universe itself.
A clock can keep time, and we can use it to measure the amount of elapsed time since it was first put into operation - but we would need a second clock to determine how much time had elapsed from the time of the creation of the first clock until its initial operation, and so on and on...... Furthermore, no actual clock could have existed in the conditions obtaining in the early universe (extreme high temperatures etc.) and progressively more sophisticated clocks would be required the closer to the origin that one wished to probe. In any case, at the earliest time, when all was chaotic energy, matter as we know it did not exist, and certainly no known type of clock existed.
In addition, since no clock can exist independent of the universe, then whichever type of 'clock' will be used to tell the age of the universe, it must necessarily be part of the universe itself. There is therefore a problem in defining the age of the universe. Scientific estimates place it at about fifteen billion years, but the closer one gets to the origin of the universe, about fifteen billion years ago, the fuzzier the definition of the elapsed time.
Time, Consciousness, and Creation
Even the definition of the elapsed time since the big bang is not necessarily an objective one. Color is a mental sensation, subjective, and would not exist in a universe without mind. So too the very idea of a flow of time may be subjective, a property of consciousness rather than of the universe in of itself.
Take a film-movie of the universe from big bang to the end and then lay it out on a surface and view all the frames simultaneously. There is no time, all is simultaneous. Cut the film into separate frames and then shuffle them and number them in the new order, and then show the movie. Nothing in the history of the universe has changed, only the order in which the events are viewed by the viewer. The change is in the consciousness of the viewer not in the universe.
The equations of physics are symmetric with respect to time reversal - they are the same whether we suppose time flows forwards or backwards. In fact, from the laws of nature themselves there is no reason to suppose that there is a flow of time at all - no past present and future - but rather all of space-time exists as a whole.
Time is not a true parameter in physics - it is inserted by consciousness, which perceives the universe within the conceptual framework of time. As a result, in a real sense it can be said that when consciousness did not exist, time did not exist, so that the universe-clock can be said to have begun ticking only when consciousness arose within it.
There was in this sense no time before there was conscious life in the universe, so that the the universe can be said to have 'begun' when it was first perceived by a conscious being.
How old were you when you were born?
If the universe indeed emerged into existence as postulated by Wheeler, how old is it? How old was it when it was born? One second after the initial observation of the moral being was it one second old or was it fifteen billion years old?
If the universe emerged into existence with the first observation of the first moral being, does the 'time' that 'passed' in the non-full-reality of the quantum superposed states count as real time? Do we count the age of the universe from the emergence of the moral being or do we add 15 billion years to this?
If the flow of time, the division into past present and future, is a mode of perception of consciousness rather than an objective feature of the universe, then is there any meaning to assigning a flow of time prior to the emergence of consciousness?
Metaphysical Definitions of "The Age of the Universe"
From the perspective of scientific cause and effect and step by step development - the standard origin theory - the universe begins with the big bang even if this big bang can emerge into existence only with the emergence of moral humanity, especially as from this perspective moral humanity is an incidental development, not designed, and the universe is therefore 15 billion years old. However, from the perspective of the Bible, since the universe was created as a purposive one, and begins to have purpose and meaning with the emergence of the first moral being, the universe can be said to be only as old as moral humanity, as in Genesis - especially as moral humanity served as the template for the blueprint of the universe and the big bang.
From the metaphysical perspective, the universe begins when non-simulatatable, non-extrapolatable history begins and so it is only as old as the amount of time elapsed since this primary stage. To determine the age of the universe from this metaphysical perspective, we must therefore determine at what point the universe began its real - non-extrapolatable - existence, and isolate the true primary stage of the universe.
The Onset of Non-Extrapolatable Existence
In a universe without free will, in theory the big bang can be extrapolated using the laws of nature to compute the paths of possible histories up to the end of the universe. However, in a universe in which free will emerges, the extrapolation can continue only up to the point of emergence of free will. Beyond that point, it is impossible to predict what paths the universe can take, or what probabilities to assign to these paths.
A universe which is extrapolated past this point contains a history of events which may seem to have been free willed, and for which Man was morally responsible, but were actually neither real nor free.
Thus the latest point at which an extrapolated universe would optimally begin to unfold in reality - rather than as an extrapolation - is that at which free will emerges, or when the first free-willed choice is executed.
Furthermore, as we have seen, since purposive meaningful activity begins only with the emergence of a moral being, prior existence of the universe would be meaningless from the perspective of the creator, and therefore the point at which a moral being emerges is also the earliest point for a purposive extrapolated universe to begin its existence.
From this perspective, the universe is only as old as the time elapsed since the emergence of moral beings within it, that is, thousands of years rather than billions.
The Initial Stage of Existence: Four Perspectives
There is no objective meaning or purpose to existence other than that which life creates for itself, free-willed consciousness is a side effect of the development of the universe, and the universe begins with a random big bang fifteen billion years ago.
quantum metaphysics: the universe begins actual physical existence only upon the emergence of a moral being (just as Genesis implies); therefore this emergence is the first stage of the existence of the universe and the universe is one or several hundred thousand years old.
the strong (religious) anthropic principle: The primary stage in the creation of the universe is that of the design of the moral being, which then serves as the template for the design of the universe as a whole; laws of nature, and initial conditions (big bang). This design did not occur 'in time' but is 'logically prior' to the creation; no 'date' can be set for it, and the 'age' of the universe has no quantitative meaning in this sense.
[From the perspective of the anthropic principle, the universe is designed to produce moral beings, and therefore in a teleological sense the onset of its true existence is at the emergence of the first moral beings; the universe is said to exist telologically speaking only since the emergence of the first moral beings (perhaps a mutant form of Cro Magnon between 100,000 and 5,000 years ago) just as Genesis implies that the universe is only as old as the first moral beings to arise in it, Adam and Eve (who are implied to have lived about 6,000 years ago).]
Biblical perspective: there is objective purpose to existence and meaning to life, the big bang was designed to produce life, to produce moral beings. At the level of ideation, intention, and design, the moral stage of the universe - symbolized in Genesis by Adam in the Garden of Eden - precedes the big bang, and serves to specify the design of the big bang. The true initial stage in the creation of the universe is that of the design of the moral being, and the creation and Eden accounts can be the description of the construction of this design, and also of the creation of the universe from this description. The big bang itself and all its development until the emergence of the first moral being are teleologically secondary, and in a sense thematically irrelevant, and would not be part of a description of creation. The true first stage of existence of the universe as a teleological and purposive entity is that of the emergence of the moral stage, and it is this event which would take central place in any creation account. The universe 'began' immediately after the emergence of the first moral being, and so in Genesis the creation and Eden accounts are juxtaposed .
[the true history of the universe begins - as in Genesis - with the onset of moral history, with the emergence of the first moral beings]
……………………..MESH………………….
Designing the Big Bang: God’s Choice: Einstein, though he didn’t really believe in a Creator, wrote: “What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world”[14]. Our universe could not have emerged from just any big bang - only a very specific type would lead to a universe with human beings. Similarly, from the Biblical perspective, since a central purpose of the created being is its exercise of free-willed moral choice, the universe would have been designed to contain morally meaningful situations and dilemmas. If God were to create the universe via a big bang, its design would be carefully worked out in advance [15] to give rise to the desired opportunities for moral choice.[16][2]
Creating the blueprint of the universe: From the Traditional perspective it is therefore the eventual human moral challenges that prescribe the universal blueprint; since the Torah prescribes these moral challenges, it sets the parameters for the design of the universe and humanity. As the Midrash says: “God looked into the Torah and created the universe.”[17] Only after assembling a complete picture of a moral being and an appropriate universe would there begin the design of the big bang and laws of nature leading to their emergence.
In this scenario the process of divine creation began not with the big bang but rather with the prior idea to create a being with moral responsibility, and the mental picture of this moral being and the universe it would inhabit. Prior to physical creation there would be a mental assembly of the desired main ingredients of the universe, the design of everything necessary to produce a moral being. We can interpreting Genesis in this light as describing the creation of this blueprint one stage at a time. After each stage"God saw … that it was good”[18] and proceeded to the next stage. The end product is the desgin of a being created in the Divine image, and integrated into the rest of the Creation, after which“God saw ... that all… was very good.”[19] Only then,[20] given the entire functioning integrated blueprint of a universe containing moral beings, would a big bang be designed and programmed to teleologically produce them.[21] Studying the universe from the scientific perspective would yield a description not of the blueprint described in Genesis but rather of the big bang designed to actualize it.
……………
Solipsism of the Moment
We saw that the past exists only in our memory, and although the universe exists now as you read this it is possible that it did not exist any time in the past i.e. that the universe was created just now, or at any point in 'the past'.
Indeed, according to quantum physics, there is a non-zero probability - non-zero but so close to it that it is virtually indistinguishable from zero to most intents and purposes - that a universe such as our own would pop into existence spontaneously without any prior cause, complete and developped as it is now, with all its artifacts, fossils, memories and so on, and then cease to exist spontaneously immediately thereafter. There is no way for us to know that we are not inhabiting such an ephemeral universe.
The age of the universe is then indeterminate, since it can logically have begun its existence right now or at any time in the past. From the scientific perspecrive of course there is no particular eason to suppose that the universe originated other than in the big bang 15 billion years ago, while from the Biblical perspective it might be reasonable to suppose that the universe originated at the onset of meaning and purpose from the perspective of the creator - specifically at the moral stage, with the onset of free-willed moral choice.
As there is no operational distinction between the two, there is effectively no conflict betweeen the two perspectives.
From the scientific perspective it is irrelevant and scientifically meaningless to ask when the universe 'actually' began its existence, since all is exactly as though it arose in a big bang15 billion years ago - the universe is 'big-bang-emergent' - so that we must employ the big bang model to learn scientific facts about the universe.
From the Biblical perspective on the other hand, the question of whether or not our universe is big-bang-emergent is not as relevant as the issues of moral choice and of moral responsibility, which are central to the issue of meaning and purpose of the existence of the universe - especially so as the big bang itself which science describes is in this perspective a derivative stage - the specifications of the big bang are teleoderived from the moral stage.
For all intents and purposes, from the scientific perspactive the universe is 15 billion years old whereas from the Biblical perpspective it is only as old as the existence of free moral choice.
The Scientific and Biblical Perspective [Merge this with previous section]
As we saw in the discussion of solipsism and Occam's razor,the question of whether other minds exist is unanswerable as there are no observable consequences of either possibility, and therefore the issue is irrelevant to science. Similarly, whether or not there exists a creator is unanswerable as there are no observable consequences of either possibility - the universe could have been created in any manner at all, and then subsequently manipulated by a sufficiently advanced being into the universe as it is now, with this performed in such a manner as to have left no trace of these manipulations accessible to human scientific investigation.
As a result, the question of when actually the universe emerged into existence in not truly a scientific question, as it is clear that the universe could have emerged into existence right now or at any previous time either spontaneously or via the action of a creator, without our being able to detect how it emerged or when.
What is instead of relevance, what is a meaningful question, is what the evidence available to scientific inquiry implies as to the origin and development of the universe, and the elapsed time since this origin. Science has found that all the evidence available to scientific investigation - as opposed to evidence gained via other possible means such as revelation - reveals that the universe emerged from a big bang billions of years ago, and has evolved into the universe as we now know it in the intervening time.
Accounts of the origin and development of the universe as related from the understandings of other perspectives, relying on knowledge obtained from other sources than scientific investigation - as for example is the case with the Biblical creation and Eden accounts - are of no relevance to science, and neither conflict nor support science, as they relate to a different realm of discourse.
Summary and Conclusion : The question of the age of the universe is therefore more one of metaphysics than of physics - indeed, there is no scientific means of distinguishing between a universe created this very instant, one which emerged from a big bang fifteen billion years ago, or one which emerged retroactively upon the observation of a moral being .
Ch 29: God as Quantum Observer
Introduction
Our exploration of quantum metaphysics familiarized us with the idea that it is conscious observation which brings into true physical reality that which was previously only existent as a quantum probability wave, and that in the cosmological context the universe can be said to have begun its true physical existence only upon the emergence within it of a conscious observer.
This idea has other cosmological implications as well: since no human consciousness can observe the entire universe, the reality status of the large part of the universe not being humanly observed is cast into doubt. Inevitably, large parts of the universe will be left 'unrealized' unless there is some mind which can observe the entirety, and with this implication quantum metaphysics may seem to point in the direction of a mind 'outside' the physical universe.
Is such an entity then within the purview of science?
Science deals with that which can be tested, with phenomena which can be verified by scientists in various countries independently of their beliefs or their culture or language. This is not to say that scientists consider all else uninteresting or insignificant. Rather, science limits itself to certain types of phenomena, and makes no judgment or indeed reference to matters outside its purview. No unequivocal demonstration of the existence of a such a Mind has ever been presented that convinced scientists everywhere, no experiment has been devised which would point to its existence in a manner convincing to all laboratory workers, and therefore the subject of such a Mind is not considered generally to be of relevance to scientific endeavor. The topic therefore remains within the bounds of speculative quantum metaphysics rather than of physics itself.
From the Biblical perspective however, there is a Mind which is creator of the universe and of all laws of nature, encompassing all of its creation, and sustaining its existence.
Schroedinger's Cat and Wigner's Friend
The eminent physicist Erwin Schroedinger, one of the founders of quantum physics, suggested an interesting mental exercise, of the type termed by scientists a 'thought experiment', designed to illustrate some of the interesting ramifications of quantum theory.
In order not to alienate cat lovers, we stress that this is recommended only as a thought-experiment: put a cat into a closed box containing a poison and a triggering mechanism to release the poison. The trigger's activation depends on the outcome of a random quantum event in the box, so that poison is released or not released into the cat's body depending on the outcome of the inherently random quantum event.
Since the state of the cat is dependent on a quantum event, its state can only be described by quantum physics. In terns of physics, the totality of information regarding the cat is contained in its quatum wavefunction. While in the box, this wavefunction is the sum of two other wavefunctions - the wavefunction for the state of being dead by injection of poison plus the wavefunction for the state of being alive.
Of course when the box is opened, the cat will be seen to be either dead or alive - that is, the wavefunction has been collapsed to assume one of its possible components. The wavefunction of the cat is either one corresponding to 'dead already ten minutes', or 'alive but angry at being locked up in a box for ten minutes'. However, relative to those outside the box, the cat was in a combined state of 'dead plus alive' until the box was actually opened.
Wigner then asked what would be if a person [later dubbed 'Wigner's friend'] were in the box. As we have seen, the wave function of a sysem is collapsed when the state of the system is measured, or observed by a conscious being. Of course the person in the box would know if he were alive, and he would not feel himself to be in a combination of states. However, for those outside the box, he is in a combination of states until they open the box.
Similarly, for anyone who enters the room ten minutes after the box is opened. Until they are apprised of the result, relative to them the original observers are in the following combination of states: 'saw ten minutes ago that the person in the box was dead' plus 'saw ten minutes ago that he was alive'.
The person who was in the box and the observers in the room, form a quantum state in regards to the observer waiting outside the room. Just before the one outside the room is apprised of the result, the people inside the room comprise the state: 'the person in the box has been dead twenty minutes with the others mourning him already for ten minutes' plus 'the person who was in the box is alive and joking for the last ten minutes with his friends who opened the box ten minutes ago'. However, as soon as those outside the room are told the result, the wavefunction is collapsed to only one of its components.
Since all events are at their most fundamental level quantum events, all chains of events must be described by quantum wavefunctions. Until the result of a chain is known, the wavefunction is a combination of all the possible wavefunctions and as seen in the previous example, the chain can easily lead to large scale phenomena involving many people. As a result, all events are quantum events - not only microscopic events involving fundamental particles, but even events involving many people have to be described by the wavefunctions of quantum physics.
Universal Consciousness
Since all physical interactions extend out to all distances, everything in the universe interacts with every other part. As we have seen, Bell's inequality has shown the interconnectedness of the most distant parts of the cosmos. Thus the entire universe is a system, with all parts interacting in an inseparable manner. As Rambam put it: "Know that this universe, in its entirety, is nothing else but one individual being."
Since the universe is one interconnected whole, the universe as a whole can possibly be considered as a quantum wave function. One could then ask what then collapses the wave function of the entire universe - what measurement can there be which can measure the state of the entire universe. Some scientists have speculated that it is a network of observations of conscious beings, and therefore that the universe can reach full physical reality only when there exists within it a society of conscious beings able to observe the entire universe - perhaps by being so numerous and thoroughly spread out that they can in the totality of their observations encompass the entire universe.
Within the Biblical perspective, this is indeed part of the mission of humanity: as the blessing to humanity and the summation at the conclusion of the creation account states - in its midrashic and kabbalistic interpretation: "be fruitful and multiply and fill the physical universe....which God created for humanity to complete"
Creation as the "Observation" of Gd
We have seen previously that "the wave function" is collapsed only when a measurement is made and recorded. However, from the perspective of the Bible, prior to the emergence of man and his technology, only Gd could made such a 'measurement'. As a result, one could postulate that it is Gd's 'observation' of the universe which would cause it to emerge into reality. Indeed, according to Midrash :
INSERT HEBREW TEXT:
`nlr `xae `ziixe`a lkzqd. Gd "looked" into the creation blueprint - the Torah - and thereby created the universe. That is, the universe emerged into existence via an observation by Gd on the pseudo-real blueprint-universe.
The Torah is the blueprint of creation, and it is the Torah which governs the functioning of the universe: by looking at the Torah - observing - Gd created the universe. Each act of observation maintains the universe's existence, so that the universe is constantly being created anew - as the Midrash states, "Gd renews the creation every passing moment".
This idea was also proposed hundreds of years ago by the philosopher Berkeley, who considered all of reality to be existent only in that it was perceived by God, however now there is a motivation for this idea not only for philosophical reasons but also from quantum metaphysics.
"And God Saw That it was Very Good"
After creation of the big bang, the universe - as a quantum system - could be only in a "superposition of states". It would not emerge into true reality until Gd chose to 'observe' it. Thus the universe would develop simultaneously along all possible paths until God 'observed' it.
This 'observational creation' can take place at the big bang or at a later stage, however there is a particular point at which the collapse into a unique history is most likely to occur: when the universe has developed to the point at which the desired moral being has evolved on the optimal path. God could then pick out this desired potential universe from among all its parallel paths, and cause only it to emerge into existence by observing it. This would be the genuine act of creation - creation of 'the best of all possible worlds'. As the end of the creation account states: "and God saw all that He had done, and it was very good".
The emergence of the universe into existence would then have taken place with the emergence of the first moral being - as implied in the juxtaposition of the creation account referring to the emergence of the universe, and the Eden account referring to the emergence of the first moral beings.
Traditional Jewish Sources
The idea of Gd bringing the universe into existence via the operation of an act of observation can alo be found in other traditional Jewish sources. According to the Zohar, the universe was created and is maintained via Gd "self-observing". Rambam states that Gd is the "ground of being' of the universe and "knowing self, Gd knows all" .
According to Ramban, there are various levels of physical reality: the bringing forth into actual reality was accomplished via Gd's 'words', or 'verbal commands' ["let there be ..."] whereas the permanence of the things called into existence was granted by Gd's 'seeing' them ["and Gd saw that it was good..."]. The terminology also indicates, continues Ramban, that the coming into existence of all creation was via an act of Will, and the continuing existence of all creation is dependent on Gd's Will. Should there be a lack of the Divine will regarding the existence of some entity, it fortwith ceases to exist.
This of course parallels the quantum metaphysical concept of the bringing of the universe into actuality via free-willed observation .
The Universe of the Spiritual Forms and Man's Free Will
Introduction
Creation consists of two parts: the physical and the spiritual. There is a parallel between the two: the transcendental forces of the spiritual realm are the roots of all that is in the physical realm, and the two can interact via acts of man's free will. These spiritual Forces were created first; the existence of the physical universe emanates from them. Therefore, it was only after the creation of the spiritual 'forms', and after their methodology of interaction was set, that the corresponding physical universe and its physical law could be created.
The Creation Accounts
We can in fact interpret the first creation account as a description of the creation of these forces - that is, a description of the creation of the universe of spiritual forms. The second account then tells of the emergence of the active ingredient which can uniquely manipulate this realm - free will. Free will is that which connects the spiritual and the physical, and it is free will which allows and causes the emergence of the physical universe from its spiritual counterpart.
The third account then states that the physical realm was created.
The Universe of Spiritual Forms, Free Will, and Potentiality
The universe of spiritual forms was the "blueprint" of the physical universe, and thus it was created first. The only process which can directly affect the spiritual forms, are acts of human free will: it is only a free willed being which can cause the potentially existing physical universe to emerge into existence from its blueprint universe of spiritual forms, just as is the case with the observer bringing the physical universe into reality from within the potential universe of quantum pseudo-reality.
As stated above, the blueprint for the creation of the universe is the universe of the spiritual forms and their interactions. The physical entity corresponding to this blueprint is the Torah, which gives the rules of interaction between the physical and spiritual universes.
Gd created a parallelism between the spiritual and physical universes:
"He made this world corresponding to the world above, and everything which is above has its counterpart here below...and yet all constitute a unity."
These 'Forces' are 'Potential Forces': concepts are conceived potentially among the Forces and are then translated into physical actuality. The universe of the Forces is therefore known as the universe of thought.
The Forces are the ground of existence of the universe .
Thus, the most basic level of reality is that of the universe of thought, of potentiality. The physical universe derives its reality from this thought-universe of potentia - and the connection between the two is man's free will. Indeed, only an act of free will by a moral being can bring the physical universe into existence.
AR: MESH?
Creation, and the Creation Accounts
The universe of spiritual forms was the "blueprint" of the physical universe, and thus it was created first. The existence of the physical universe and natural law came about as an 'emanation' from the spiritual Forms.
As part of the parallelism between the two realms, there is also a physical entity corresponding to this blueprint - the Torah. The Torah gives the rules of interaction between the physical and spiritual universes, based upon the operation of moral consciousness, and it begins with the creation and Eden accounts as preface.
Rather than being a description of the creation of the physical universe, therefore, the creation account can be interpreted as a description of the creation of the universe of spiritual forms, while the Eden account relates to the emergence of the active ingredient which can uniquely manipulate this realm - free will.
Free will is then that which both catalyzes the emergence of the physical universe from its spiritual counterpart, and which serves as the connecting link between the two realms, so that it is natural that the creation and Eden accounts are juxtaposed.
Man's Free Will as Catalyst of Creation:
Traditional Jewish Sources
Genesis tells us that Gd rested, after creation, from all His work "which he created to do". The midrash explains that the words "to do" [zeyrl] means "everything that Gd created, requires the 'doing' of man". Thus man is partner in creation and in our scenario his free will - and role as observer - brings into actuality the universe created by Gd.
Another source relates to the Tree of Knowledge. According to our speculations here, the universe emerged into full existence when human free will emerged, symbolized by the partaking of the Tree of Knowledge. That eating of the Tree of Knowledge could enable man to bring an entire universe into existence is an idea actually found in the Midrash. There we are told of the Rabbinic opinion that the snake tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree by telling them that "from this tree Gd ate and created the universe" and that "Gd does not want you to eat of the Tree because he does not want you to create other worlds".
Summary
Since it is only free will which can bring forth the physical universe from the potentiality of the universe of the spiritual forms, the universe cannot emerge into physical reality until the emergence of a moral being.
Both quantum metaphysics and the Kabballah therefore indicate that the universe would begin its existence at the emergence of the first true moral being - giving a creation scenario entirely parallel to that portrayed in Genesis.
............
In addition to the physical universe, Gd created man, and did so "in the image of Gd" - i.e. possessing free will, which is the Gdly attribute of transcending causal necessity. Free will is thus the cause of the existence of the universe both in potential (Gd's Will) and in actuality (man's free will).
............
Man is created in the image of GOd, and the physical universe is the image of the Spiritual Forms. (The mishkan is the image of the higher mishkan, and of the physical universe etc)
Instantaneous creation via the Will of Gd
INSERT HEBREW TEXT
z` dyr mini zyy ik mlerl `id ze` l`xyi ipa oiae ipia" :fi :`l zeny
."ytpie zay iriayd meiae ux`d z`e minyd
that which He wished had come into existence = "ytpie"
"Guide": very end of I:67: (`n) epx`a xake ,ytp on lrtp `id ytpie :fq :` lk ly lrtl d`ivie evtg znlyd epipr didie ,oevxde dxhnd epiprye ytp.oipr `id dlrzi eil` qgia dxn`py ytp oexkf lke" :`n :` epevx
ivtga epipr ,dyri iytpae iaal xy`k exn`a (hl) epl miiwy itk oevxd
.ipevxe
According to Ramban and Rambam, the universe first existed in a state of non-form, with a potential for physical existence.
Furthermore, as stated above Ramban teaches that Gd's word brought things into existence, while Gd's observation gave full reality of concrete existence to the entities created previously only in Mind - and all this was an expression of the Free Will of Gd.
The Universe As Gd's Will
The Divine Will is both the 'cause' of the existence of the universe, and also its 'ground of being'. If Gd actively Wills the universe to cease to exist, it of necessity automatically does so. Further, if it is not Gd's Will that the universe exist, the universe has no ground of being, and does not exist.
We can speculate that there is a connection between the universe having been infused with free will and that as an emanation of Divine Will, the universe itself is, in its essence, Will.
Humans, although ostensibly physical beings, bear within themselves the 'breath' of Gd, and are created in the 'image' of Gd, in a universe created out of the Will of Gd; it is fitting that seemingly-physical humans can possess free will.
The universe emerged into existence as the actualization of Gd's Will. The purpose of the creation involved the activity of a being infused with the Divine ability to employ free will. Fittingly it would be the emergence of free will in this being which would provide concrete reality to the universe created from Gd's Will.
Perhaps therefore, it is the purpose of man to return the cosmos to its former state: To restore the exclusivity of the Divine Will by developing one's own will to conform to the Divine Will - thus realizing fully one's status of a being 'in the image of Gd'; to restore the Divine unity by "cleaving unto Gd" "with all one's one's heart, with all one's soul, and with all one's might", by "walking in My ways"and by "being Holy as I [Gd] am Holy".
Transcendant Realms
The nature of the fundamental reality underlying all of existence has intrigued philosophers, scientists, and mystics throughout the ages. Some have claimed that it is fundamentally physical, some that it is spiritual, others that it is a thought in the mind of an intelligent being, and more recent speculations have likened it to software (computer programs). or pure information.
[AR: Can mesh this with previos section on Godel]
Godel, as we have seen, felt that his discoveries regarding the fundamentals of logic, mathematics and human intuition indicated that "sets and concepts exist externally to any individual's activities", an idea similar to that of the ancient Platonists regarding the independent existence of certain Truths. Indeed, he wrote a paper discussing how one could "prove the consistency of mathematics by assuming that mental objects have an objective existence".
According to Gödel, although "…rational thought can never penetrate to the final, ultimate truth", nevertheless man can interact with these truths. These truths manifest themselves in the human intuition and "
In this conception there exists a realm of 'reality' beyond the physical in which there resides the truths of mathematics and logic, but these truths are not accessible to the rational mind, nor to sensory perception, nor to formal computational systems. Instead there is some unique aspect of the human being which allows a connection to the underlying reality behind the physical universe, beyond that perceived by the rational mind and by sensory perception.
As we have seen, the human brain is unique in that it possesses a free-willed consciousness, and a creative intelligence - which may derive from the self-causative nature of its free-willed consciousness - allowing it to transcend the limitations of entropy and information to initiate creative activity. Further, as we have seen, it is this property of free-willed consciousness which allows the human mind to transcend determinism and randomness, and which may be connected to the transformation of the physical universe from pseudo-physical to full reality. It is perhaps also the acausal nature of the human mind which endows it with the ability to transcend the physical universe and connect with the realm of the absolute truths postulated by Plato and Godel.
The Spiritual Universe
The idea of the existence of a transcendant realm beyond the physical, a realm which is accessible to humans, is also present in the Kabbalah, and there it is stated more explicitly that the critical faculty which allows humans to connect to this realm is their free-willed consciousness.
According to the Kabbalah, and as explained in the teachings of Ramkhal, creation consists of two parts - the physical and the spiritual - and there is a parallel between the two:
"(God) made this world corresponding to the world above, and everything which is above has its counterpart here below...and yet all constitute a unity."
The spiritual cosmos is a universe of 'forms', of potential forces, where concepts are conceived potentially and then translated into physical actuality. The universe of the forms is therefore known as the universe of thought, and the forms or forces are the ground of existence of the physical universe . The only processes in the physical universe which can directly affect the spiritual forms, are acts of human free will
Thus, the most basic level of reality is that of the universe of thought, of potentiality, and it is from this thought-universe of potentia that the physical universe derives its reality.
The Shadow Universe
As we have seen, according to Jewish mystical teachings the basis of all of physical existence is the cosmos of spiritual reality. Free willed actions in the physical universe affect the spiritual cosmos, however not all that is to be achieved in the spiritual realm can be comprehended when viewed from the limited perspective of its shadow realm, the physical universe.
That the physical universe is the "shadow" of the spiritual realm is an old idea - indeed some kabbalistic sources state that the expression "tzel sha-dai" "the shadow of the Lord" refers to nature. One can further connect "tzelem elokim" "the image of God" to "tzel Elokim" "the shadow of God".
According to the "Nefesh Hachayim", "tzelem Elokim" refers to humans' ability to construct and give life to spiritual realms above them.
The interaction between the physical and spiritual realm can be allegorized by a shadow - the shadow and that which casts it do not interact, yet the shadow imitates all of its motions. Only when the entire context is seen, the light source and the area around the shadow, can one understand that the shadow represents a lack of interaction relative to the lit area surrounding it. In this allegory, the light is the spiritual realm, the shadow is the physical, and that which casts the shadow is the soul and free-will, and the spiritual and physical realm interact only in the sense that the physical is the absence of the spiritual - a form of tzimtzum.
The universe was created from the blueprint provided by the Torah, and derives its existence from the spiritual level above, and the Way specified by the Torah is the means whereby free-willed beings can affect this spiritual level to further the goal of creation.
Summary: According to our speculations, only free will can actualize the physical from the potentiality of the spiritual forms - the universe cannot emerge into physical reality until the emergence of a moral being, just as is the case of quantum physics, as discussed earlier.
Both quantum metaphysics and the Kabballah therefore indicate that the universe would begin its true existence at the emergence of the first moral being - giving a creation scenario parallel to that portrayed in Genesis, and providing a thematic link between the creation and Eden accountsCh 30: The Anthropic principle
and the Maximization of Existence
Introduction
The anthropic principle sets humanity as the measure of all things, and the strong anthropic principle goes even further and sees free-willed consciousness as being that which brings the universe into full physical existence. If such is the case, then both the design of the big bang and the very existence of the universe itself are specified by the requirement that it be capable of eventually producing a free-willed conscious being.
Therefore, according to the anthropic principles, the existence of free willed conscious biological beings is both a necessary and sufficient condition for the specification of the universe and also for its initiation into full physical reality.
Similarly, in Biblical philosophy God is both the necessary and sufficient agent for the existence of the universe and of free willed conscious beings. The anthropic principles therefore provide an extension to man of the idea of God as creator and ground of being, which is highly appropriate for the being created in the image of its creator.
A created universe in which the big bang is designed so as to eventually produce free willed beings is here termed 'a teleoderived universe', that is, derived from the teleologically-prior stage of the emergence of a moral being, the 'moral stage' of universal development. In such a universe, all entities and life-forms which eventually evolve from the big bang owe their existence to the fact that a big bang designed to produce moral beings also produced them. This idea can shed some light on traditional Jewish views regarding the purpose of existence of the universe and of its constituent elements.
Rambam's Views on Existence
According to Rambam, the Torah teaches that the universe was designed so as to specifically include man. He then points out that many people, feeling that this teaching implies that all was created for man, ask why spiders detrimental to man were created, and why Gd created the distant stars if they are out of man's reach.
In response, Rambam states that it is simply not true that all was created for Man. Rather, existence is a good in of itself, and the reason that harmful and useless entities were created is that it is Gd's Will that these entities exist, and because Gd wanted to grant the good of existence to all possible beings.
As stated previously, according to the anthropic principle, and from the Biblical perspective, the conditions of the big-bang are determined by the teleological consideration that it must eventually develop into a universe containing a moral being. A big bang which is designed to give rise to human beings will need to be of a very specific type.
This type of teleologically derived big bang, on the way to producing moral beings as it is designed to, will produce many other species - from amoebas through amphibians to apes. All these other beings - animals, insects and so on - which derive from the resultant teleoderived big-bang, can be seen as the "possible" beings Rambam speaks of. They are then given actual existence through Gd's creation of a big bang.
As Rambam pointed out, Adam could have been created without the rest of the universe (Guide III:13):
"We who believe in the creation must admit that God coud have created the universe in a different manner...the principal object, man, could have been brought into existence without the rest of the creation."
However, in order to give the good of existence to the maximum amount of beings within the context of a moral universe, the initial state was teleoderived from the moral stage to form a big bang which would produce all the beings inherent in the design of the moral being rather than simply the moral being itself.
There is thus not only a deep link between the physical characteristics of man and the fundamental physical structure of the universe, but the universe also contains virtually all that is implied by this interconnection - specifically, the physical and biological links between a big bang which would produce a human, and the human itself.
A Big-Bang-Emergent Universe: Maximizing the Amount of Existence
According to the Midrash, all was created in potentia in one act of creation, and the entire universe developed from this one state. We are also told by the Midrash that Adam was first a shapeless mass of clay, and was shaped into Man during a certain period, finally receiving the Divine "image" on the sixth "day". One can then say that the initial creation contained the rudiments of Adam, and the passing of time brought closer the development of this entity to being "Adam".
On the basis of this one can construct the following image: All beings which were links in the evolutionary chain leading to man can be considered as one continuously existent being, taking on various transient shapes, each one more complex than the last, until the final shape is achieved - that of man.
Since the big bang was teleoderived from the design of the moral-being, it of necessity contains within it the potential development of man's evolutionary predecessors, including of course his near 'ancestor' the monkey/ape.
The sole raison d'etre of the monkeys and apes in a teleological sense are as the logically necessary evolutionary predecessors of man. The monkey is a transient being in the evolutionary sense since it eventually mutates to become man, and in the teleological sense because after the appearance of man, its existence no longer serves a teleological purpose - thus both the species and its teleological importance are transient.
Even more so, all species which developed along branches of the evolutionary chain unrelated to man - species unnecessary as steps towards the eventual emergence of man - are not only teleologically purposeless now that man exists, but always were so; nevertheless, their existence is guaranteed by the fact that they are inherent in the big bang which is designed to produce moral beings.
As outlined previously, Rambam provides us with a reason for why rather than creating Adam alone, instead God created the universe in a big-bang-emergent state, containing the full variety of beings inherent in the big bang. According to Rambam, existence in itself is a great good . As a result, Gd wished to give existence to all beings whose existence is possible. In our context, this would mean not only to give existence to man, as the purpose of the evolutionary process, but also to all those other beings who would exist as a result of that process.
Thus it was Gd's Will to create the moral universe not with only moral humanity inhabiting it, but also with all the creatures implied in the form of Man. That is , Gd wished to give the benefit of existence to all the creatures which would exist in a universe designed to produce a moral being, all the creatures which would develop from a big bang-emergent universe teleoderived from the design of a moral being.
This then sheds light on the fact that in the creation account although after virtually every stage of the creation it is commented that "and God saw that it was good", after the creation of man there is no such comment, whereas immediately after the creation of humanity, which heralded the completion of creation as a whole, it is said that "God saw all that He had done and it was very good". In our terms, the whole was derived from the design of man, and therefore the maximal good came not simply from the creation of man, but rather from the creation as a whole, with all that was inherent in the design of man.
Existence is a good in of itself
According to the Rambam it is wrong to assume that if a being exists, it does so to serve man, or for man's benefit. Instead, they exist because Gd wanted to give existence to all that could exist, including and especially the transiently-purposeful transient being which evolved into man - the monkey. In the words of Rambam :
"no notice need be taken of the nonsensical idea that monkeys were created for our pastime [i.e. for man's benefit]. Such opinions originate only in man's ignorance of the nature of transient beings, and in his overlooking the principle that it was intended by the Creator to produce in its present form everything whose existence is possible".
Conclusion
From the Traditional perspective existence is good, and therefore creation proceded in a manner designed to produce maximal rather than minimal existent entities. Thus, rather than a universe containing only humanity and a minimum of other entities, the universe was instead created with all that is implied in the existence of a human being - all that follows logically from a self-consistent system designed to eventually produce a moral being.
This is the metaphysical teleological motivation for creation to have resulted in the big-bang-emergent universe we inhabit.
That there exist parts of the universe which are seemingly useless to humans - for example the distant stars or some of the millions of insect species, and so on - indicates that they do not exist because of - that is, to serve - humanity. However, since all these parts exist only in order that the universe be in a self-consistent big bang emergent state teleoderived from the state containing moral humanity, then all that exists does exist because of humanity, that is, because humanity exists.
As the Mishna in Sanhedrin states, humans must say "Bishvili nivra ha'olam" - 'because of me was the world created'. So, the universe is designed for Humanity, and any being living in it exists only because they are part of the chain of being which stretches from the first creation to the first moral people. However, they were not created for the purpose of serving humans, but rather they were created because Gd wished to give the Goodness of existence to all those possible beings whose existence was implied in the chain. That is, they exist because of humanity, not for hmanity; Ie because it was desired/necessary to create man, they were created also.
From the traditional Biblical perspective, the universe is designed to produce moral beings, while all other entities no matter how vast or numerous, if they are not free-willed conscious beings, exist because they are inherent in the teleologically designed big bang.
Humanity is therefore told in the creation account that the sun moon and stars, lofty and huge though they may be, will be convenient time-pieces; humanity is enjoined by the Bible to make use of the resources of the world, to harness the power of the animals and of the forces of nature, to channel all towards the purpose of moral action for the betterment of self, of the lot of others, and the worship of God. However, there are limits to the exploitation of nature - cutting down fruit trees, causing unneeded pain to animals, wanton destruction - since the universe and all it contains were not created simply to serve humanity's needs.
Humanity is instead to face the challenges inherent in its ability to discern the moral aspect of events and situations, and to utilize its free will to make the proper choices - that very free-willed consciousness which sets the tone for the design of the universe, which gives it full physical reality, and whose parameters define the extent of all possible existent beings.
Appendix: Possible Beings and Rambam
When we say that Gd wished to give existence to all possible beings, it is obviously not meant all beings which can possibly be imagined since that would be an infinite number, and since in any case it is clear that many imaginable beings were not created. Clearly then "all possible beings" means 'all beings possible which fulfil a certain criterion' - the criterion being logical self-consistency and consistency with the rest of creation. As Rambam says: (adapted to our interpretation) 'All beings which would arise along all the possible branches of evolution' (rather than just the existence of their teleological end, man).
"Possible beings" are those which are present in the big-bang-emergent universe, and the big-bang-emergent universe arises from a big bang teleoderived from the moral stage. Thus it is the characteristics of the moral stage, and particularly of the moral being, which determine the forms of all "possible being". In contrast, the existence of any form of being not derived in this way from the moral stage is "impossible". Since the moral stage is that which is directly designed according to the purpose which Gd's Wisdom has decreed for the universe, one can say that the existence and form of all possible beings is dependent on the original decree of the Divine Wisdom.
We can now read the continuation if the above passage by the Rambam:
"... a different form was not decreed by the Divine Wisdom, and the existence [of objects of a different form] is therefore impossible, because the existence of all things depends on the decree of Gd's Wisdom".
Thus, the universe exists in a big bang-emergent state because existence is a good in of itself, and Gd wished to bestow the intrinsic good of existence on all "possible beings". This truth is not obvious to man only because man erroneously believes that the whole universe exists only to serve his purposes, and that all created entities achieve their purpose only through their being of use to him. Because of this delusion, when they find no use for some of creation, they erroneously assume that these creations resulted from trivial, purposeless, or vain action on the part of Gd: as the Rambam says (translation):
"Know that the difficulties which lead to confusion in the question what is the purpose of the universe or of any of its parts, arise from two causes; first, humans have an erroneous idea of themselves, and believe that the whole world exists only for their sake; secondly they are ignorant both about the nature of the sublunary world, and about the Creator's intention to give existence to all beings whose existence is possible, because existence is undoubtedly good. The consequences of that error and of the ignorance about the two things named, are doubts and confusions, which lead many to imagine that some of Gd's works are trivial, others purposeless, and others in vain."
Ch 30b: The Evolution of Life:
from Amoeba to Adam
One of the most fascinating questions addressed by science is that of the origin of life, and more specifically, the origin of humanity.
In addition to the interest of the question as part of a quest for theoretical understanding, there are practical dimensions as well. Certainly one would expect that the process whereby life and huhumanity arose left its traces in humanity, and that an understanding of this process would allow us greater understanding of self. Furthermore, an understanding of the process might allow us to simulate it and become creators on our own.
The question of origins has indeed occupied great thinkers for millenia, and has culminated in the theory of origins presented by modern science, including genetics, radioactivity and its genetic effects, the idea of random mutations, selection of the fittest, paleontology, geology, anthropology etc.
Origin Theory, Creation, and the Emergence of Humanity
One can claim that if correctly presented, the scientific origin theory cannot be untrue.
The scientific origin theory is based on assumptions, observations and logical reasoning. Indeed scientific knowledge in general is not a list of facts, but rather a compendium of assumptions, observations, and the conclusions reached on the basis of these assumptions and observations. If the assumptions are untrue, or the observations inaccurate, or the logic faulty, then of course the conclusions may well be untrue.
A scientific statement should perhaps really be formulated as follows: 'if the following assumptions are valid, and the following observations accurately represent the reality, and the logic is valid, then the conclusion is that....(and if these are not valid, then the conclusion may be invalid.)".
When completely and precisely formulated in such a manner, any such scientific statement should be incapable of being untrue.
Astronomical observations, calculations, assumptions and extrapolations have revealed that there is a pattern to the motions of the stars - they are all receding from each other. This, together with other data and certain assumptions has led to the conclusion that the large scale structure of the physical universe is dynamic, and that it was different in the distant past than it is now. Similarly, geological and paleontological discoveries have led to the conclusion that long ago the earth and its inhabitants were quite different than they are now.
These conclusions lead to the further conclusion that the earth did not always exist, and that it did not always contain humans.
If one assumes that humans are purely natural beings rather than possesing a soul, or perhaps even without free will or even true consciousness, and one adds the assumption that all events follow patterns - 'natural law' - then the conclusion from all these observations and assumptions is that humans arose via the actions of natural law alone.
Given this conclusion, one naturally begins to seek the mechanism whereby this can occur within the framework of the operation of the laws of nature.
The answer was found in the laws of probability, physics, and genetics, and in logical reasoning. From probability, it is seen that given sufficient time and scope, almost anything physically possible can and will happen. In particular, given the conditions prevalent on earth long ago, atoms would eventually combine to form various types of combinations of atoms - molecules - and with enough time available self-replicating molecules will form.
Common sense shows that non-viable molecules will produce fewer and less successful copies of themselves, and eventually the more viable will dominate. Due to the nature of quantum physics, and other mechanisms, some of these copies will be inexact. Most of these inexact copies will be nonviable, and will not produce copies, but a very few here and there will be even better than the original, more developed, more successful.
If one cuts out all the letters on the page of a book, and throws them repeatedly into the air, each time a different combination will result, the vast majority of these combinations being meaningless. However, eventually the original order will reappear. It may require a few billion years of throws, but it will eventually occur. Similarly, given sufficient time, throwing scrabble letters together will eventually result in a meaningful combination.
Analogously, under the appropriate conditions and with sufficient time available, it is almost inevitable that beings with the physical qualities of humans would eventually emerge.
This is however not meant to imply that humans did necessarily emerge in this way, or that science even claims that they necessarily did. Rather, one can state that given the assumptions that humans did not always exist, that they arose according to the laws of nature, that self-replicating molecules arose naturally, that the laws of physics as we know them are accurate, that there was sufficient time, and so on, then humans would arise as a result of the operation of natural law.
This formulation is then merely a matter of stating certain observations made on the universe about us, some assumptions about these and about the nature of reality, and certain conclusions based on these assumptions. It entirely sidesteps the question of whether or not some agency may have created the universe and perhaps designed natural law to achieve the result of human development, and the question of whether or not the assumptions are correct, and therefore whether the conclusions are in fact correct. Formulated in such a manner, the origin theory cannot be untrue, and therefore cannot conflict with anything.
Even if it were the fact that the universe was created and designed by God, and that humans are the product of a special act of creation, it may nevertheless be the case that the universe was designed in such a way that even had such a special creation not taken place, nevertheless humans would eventually have arisen 'naturally'. If this is so, then one could say that although human origin was actually not via the mechanism of evolution, the theory of evolution is nevertheless in fact quite correct.
Furthermore, even if one maintains that humans possess a non-physical component which could not possibly arise through the action of natural law - such as a soul or perhaps even a consciousness or free will - nevertheless the theory of evolution could still be a correct description of how the physical aspect of a human being could arise naturally - a theory of the evolution of the body and brain rather than of the mind and soul.
Emergence of Existence: Purpose and Chance
The Religionist view
We mentioned the religionist view of the universe and laws designed to produce beings with properties needed to guarantee the eventual development of intelligent life, consciousness and moral beings .
As illustrated by the anthropic principle, there are argument which can be put forward to butress support for the belief in a design to creation, and there are counterarguments employing opposite reasoning as applied to the identical data. The question of the underlying orign of life and existence in general does not seem answerable via the mechanism of publicly communicable unambiguous conclusions of rational thought. The conclusions reached - even the questions asked - will depend on opinions and beliefs which are formulated on evidence and sources of knowlege or understanding not accessible to scientific arbitration.
Conclusion
From a perspective in which there is no objective meaning or purpose to existence other than that which life creates for itself, and which investigates only that which can be measured objectively, the answer to the question of the origin of life can be provided only by knowledge gained from the physical universe, by the evidence which can be measured and independently verified by others. From this perspective it is clear that the universe begins with a random big bang, and that life evolved by chance.
From the perspective of quantum metaphysics, the existence of beings such as humans is indispensable to the existence of the universe itself, as the universe begins actual physical existence only upon the emergence of a moral being.
From the perspective of the teleological anthropic principle and of the Bible, life is programmed into the universe - indeed the universe is designed to produce moral beings.
From the perspective of a search for meaning and purpose, and an inquiry into the 'why' of existence, the questions addressed by science and the scientific method of obtaining answers may not be relevant. It is only relevant in that it is interesting to know what type of conclusions would be reached by different types of inquiry. However, the truly relevant questions and answers are those which address the fundamental questions of 'why' which science excludes from its purview, and which access sources of understanding which are outside the realm of acceptable sources which scientific inquiry has established for itself.
Neither of these three perspectives can be proven by employing scientific means of analysis, inquiry, and proof, and the three are compatible in the sense that acceptance of all perspectives simultaneously leads to no physically measureable contradiction. Nevertheless, obviously accounts of the origin of life and of humanity which are written from the different perspectives will necessarily differ, and a comparison of these is meaningful only when the fundamental perspective underlying the various accounts is given appropriate consideration.
The Biblical creation and Eden accounts are in this perspective not meant as substitutes for other approaches to the same subject - they instaed represent a particular perspaective on these issues - the perspactive of a document communicated to humanity by a creator of a purposive teleo-derived moral universe.