The universe is made up of all visible and invisible matter and energy. The universe is made of everything that is perceivable and physically exists. It comprises the entirety of space and time, all sorts of matter and energy, and the physical laws that control them (Lurquin, 2003). In the course of history, man has gone through a great deal of thinking trying to explain how the universe came into being. With time, many thoughts and inferences have been considered in the quest to find out exactly how the universe was formed. Many of the ideas have been shown to be false while others are still undergoing scientific investigation. These ideas that are being investigated are called theories. Theories should not be accepted as truths, but should be carefully examined and scrutinized for reality (Lurquin, 2003).
Theists attribute the origin of the universe to some kind of transcendent, intelligent designer. Atheists attribute a natural, undirected process through which the universe sprang into existence. Prior to the 20th century, most atheists believed that the universe was eternal. The theories based on this belief changed with time when discoveries through out the 20th century proved that those views were indefensible (Lurquin, 2003).
Einsteins theory of gravity, which has been thoroughly investigated and proven to be valid, and Hubbles astronomical observations rule out the idea that the universe is eternal. There is scientific evidence that the universe started at a specific point in time. There are therefore two options that describe the origin of the universe intelligent design, where it is believed that someone created the universe and random chance where there is the belief that the universe made itself. Most of the scientific theories are based on the second option (Lurquin, 2003). The other option, that the universe has always been in place are no longer feasible. Scientific theories require reason that identifies that the universe could have instigated, designed, created and developed itself without any intelligent designer. This paper seeks to establish the main scientific theories that explain the origin of the universe and a defense of two of the theories.
Theories explaining the origin of the universe
There are very many theories and ideas brought forth to explain the origin of the universe. One of the theories is the steady state theory. The theory denied the special relativity suggested by Albert Einstein. The theory demands an absolute start of the universe. The universe was also considered eternal. The major problem with an eternal universe is that it was threatened to fall victim to entropy. Entropy is the second law of thermodynamics. The eternal universe according to the second law of thermodynamics would ultimately run out of energy. The scientists in support of the steady state theory argued that the problem would be handled by the fact that the universe was expanding.
They proposed that matter and energy were constantly forming into the universe to refill it. This theory was never fully accepted by scientist. The reason for this was that there was never evidence in support of it (Falk Smolin, 2007). Another common argument that supports the idea of universe being eternal is the oscillating universe theory. This is an eastern mystical theory of birth, death and rebirth. According to the theory, the universe would expand and then collapse on itself and later explode into existence again. Although this theory is scientific, it does not rule out Gods involvement in creation. The theory too fall victim to the entropy and the laws of gravity. The universe could only expand a few times before it went short of energy and quit expanding and contrasting. The universe is not eternal and has a beginning (Falk Smolin, 2007).
The big bang theory tries to explain the origin of everything from nothing. The theory explains the development of the universe over a time, through the process of cosmic evolution or cosmological evolution. Many scientists support the fact that the universe was created by the big bang. At the time of the big bang, there was no matter existing in the universe. The initial scientist to propose the big bang was Georges Lemaitre. He established a cosmological theory that comprised the belief that the universe has been increasing from an explosive moment of creation. Georges based his beliefs on Alexander Friedmans total solution of Albert Einsteins relativity equations. Therefore, the truth is that Einstein was the originator of the big bang. He came up with the theory of special relativity in1905, the one for general relativity in 1915, and cosmological theory in 1971 (Falk Smolin, 2007). The theory suggests that the universe came up as a result of a single cosmic explosion. The theory was suggested to explain the belief that all galaxies moved apart from one another, meaning that at one point in the past, they must have originated from a common place. The belief that the universe started from a particular point, went through an explosion, and has been moving apart from that point is widely believed.
The explosion in this sense is the expansion of space. It is the filling of space and all its particles moving away from one another. Whatever was happening before the explosion is completely unknown and remains a matter of speculation. The big bang is not believed to have happened at any point in time or space. It is the big bang that created space and time. Space, energy, time and mater all happened as a result of the big bang. Matter and antimatter started moving from one another through a vacuum where nothing had existed before, creating time and space. The original universe was very hot because as the matters moved away from one another they collided causing a lot of energy.
The universe was able to increase creating enough space for the matter to persevere and take over. After the universe had cooled, the matter that was initially produced started to produce common particles of matter that exists today, like neutrons, protons, electrons and quarks. At the time when the universe was created, particles like protons and neutrons were not produced because of the intense heat. Lighter particles were present but they could not react to create complex states of matter like elements. After like 2 minutes after the big bang, particles started to combine forming Hydrogen and Helium (Falk Smolin, 2007).
With the shortcomings and the ashes of the big bang theory, came the inflation theory. In the theory, the universe expands from a fleeting instant starting at a much higher speed than that supposed for the big bang. This is as a result of elementary particles that were not accounted for in the big bang theory. This epoch, also known as inflationary epoch, is a result of the nuclear force breaking apart from the electromagnetic forces that was connected to at higher temperatures in what is known as phase transition (Steinhardt, 2004). The phase is believed to have taken place 10-35 seconds after the formation of the universe. This filled the universe with a kind of energy known as vacuum energy. It is as a result of this vacuum energy density that gravitation became repulsive for about 10-32 seconds. During this time, the universe expanded at a very high rate raising its size scale by approximately 1050. When the phase was terminated, the universe cooled down into the big bang evolution already discussed. Prior to inflation, the portion of the universe was macroscopic (Steinhardt, 2004).
It is certain that the universe had a beginning. Though theories are usually speculative, most of them are proven through scientific investigation. The big bang theory and the inflation universe theory are the two central theories believed by the conventional scientific community. As the universe grows, we are able to better comprehend and become confident in its origin. The theories arose as a result of the study of the universe as it is presently, analyzing matter in the lab and making intelligent guesses based on the proof that can be observed. In 1929, a scientist calked Edwin Hubble found out that the universe is continually increasing and that galaxies move away from the universe at speeds that are proportional to their distance from us. Hubbles observation of redshift shows that the universe is expanding. Redshift refer to the process of visible light bending towards the red end of the spectrum. These are proof that the explosion as explained by the big bang and the inflation universe theories indeed took place (Steinhardt, 2004).
It is possible to find remnant of the heat proving that the universe was initially very hot. The profusion of the light element, Hydrogen and Helium evident in the universe that can be observed, is in support of the big bang theory of the origin of the universe. The experience of the gravitational force that has been proven from scientific investigations proves the idea that inflation really occurred. The two theories, big bang and inflation universe theories are the closest to answering the questions of the origin of the universe (Steinhardt, 2004).
Excellent photographs have been taken indicating the appearance and disappearance of supernovae. After the explosion, supernovae appeared to be brighter than all other stars in the galaxy. The decay of supernovae has also been investigated on quantitative bases. The decay has been found to follow the decay law of radioactive atoms. The younger stars have more heavy elements. The old stars came into being when few supernovae occurred. The younger stars were created from dust which had the debris of all precedent supernovae in the galaxy. This evidence of explosion is detailed by the big bang and inflation theories (Steinhardt, 2004).
Although most of the theories that try to explain the origin of the universe are widely accepted, they are continually under research, being updated and refined. There are many areas that the current theories cannot explain and variety of questions they cannot provide answers for. This is why scientists are always developing and testing new ideas and theories. Science is still very far from establishing a universal theory that will explain everything. There might never be a complete answer because each new idea and theory brings up new problems and questions.
Theists attribute the origin of the universe to some kind of transcendent, intelligent designer. Atheists attribute a natural, undirected process through which the universe sprang into existence. Prior to the 20th century, most atheists believed that the universe was eternal. The theories based on this belief changed with time when discoveries through out the 20th century proved that those views were indefensible (Lurquin, 2003).
Einsteins theory of gravity, which has been thoroughly investigated and proven to be valid, and Hubbles astronomical observations rule out the idea that the universe is eternal. There is scientific evidence that the universe started at a specific point in time. There are therefore two options that describe the origin of the universe intelligent design, where it is believed that someone created the universe and random chance where there is the belief that the universe made itself. Most of the scientific theories are based on the second option (Lurquin, 2003). The other option, that the universe has always been in place are no longer feasible. Scientific theories require reason that identifies that the universe could have instigated, designed, created and developed itself without any intelligent designer. This paper seeks to establish the main scientific theories that explain the origin of the universe and a defense of two of the theories.
Theories explaining the origin of the universe
There are very many theories and ideas brought forth to explain the origin of the universe. One of the theories is the steady state theory. The theory denied the special relativity suggested by Albert Einstein. The theory demands an absolute start of the universe. The universe was also considered eternal. The major problem with an eternal universe is that it was threatened to fall victim to entropy. Entropy is the second law of thermodynamics. The eternal universe according to the second law of thermodynamics would ultimately run out of energy. The scientists in support of the steady state theory argued that the problem would be handled by the fact that the universe was expanding.
They proposed that matter and energy were constantly forming into the universe to refill it. This theory was never fully accepted by scientist. The reason for this was that there was never evidence in support of it (Falk Smolin, 2007). Another common argument that supports the idea of universe being eternal is the oscillating universe theory. This is an eastern mystical theory of birth, death and rebirth. According to the theory, the universe would expand and then collapse on itself and later explode into existence again. Although this theory is scientific, it does not rule out Gods involvement in creation. The theory too fall victim to the entropy and the laws of gravity. The universe could only expand a few times before it went short of energy and quit expanding and contrasting. The universe is not eternal and has a beginning (Falk Smolin, 2007).
The big bang theory tries to explain the origin of everything from nothing. The theory explains the development of the universe over a time, through the process of cosmic evolution or cosmological evolution. Many scientists support the fact that the universe was created by the big bang. At the time of the big bang, there was no matter existing in the universe. The initial scientist to propose the big bang was Georges Lemaitre. He established a cosmological theory that comprised the belief that the universe has been increasing from an explosive moment of creation. Georges based his beliefs on Alexander Friedmans total solution of Albert Einsteins relativity equations. Therefore, the truth is that Einstein was the originator of the big bang. He came up with the theory of special relativity in1905, the one for general relativity in 1915, and cosmological theory in 1971 (Falk Smolin, 2007). The theory suggests that the universe came up as a result of a single cosmic explosion. The theory was suggested to explain the belief that all galaxies moved apart from one another, meaning that at one point in the past, they must have originated from a common place. The belief that the universe started from a particular point, went through an explosion, and has been moving apart from that point is widely believed.
The explosion in this sense is the expansion of space. It is the filling of space and all its particles moving away from one another. Whatever was happening before the explosion is completely unknown and remains a matter of speculation. The big bang is not believed to have happened at any point in time or space. It is the big bang that created space and time. Space, energy, time and mater all happened as a result of the big bang. Matter and antimatter started moving from one another through a vacuum where nothing had existed before, creating time and space. The original universe was very hot because as the matters moved away from one another they collided causing a lot of energy.
The universe was able to increase creating enough space for the matter to persevere and take over. After the universe had cooled, the matter that was initially produced started to produce common particles of matter that exists today, like neutrons, protons, electrons and quarks. At the time when the universe was created, particles like protons and neutrons were not produced because of the intense heat. Lighter particles were present but they could not react to create complex states of matter like elements. After like 2 minutes after the big bang, particles started to combine forming Hydrogen and Helium (Falk Smolin, 2007).
With the shortcomings and the ashes of the big bang theory, came the inflation theory. In the theory, the universe expands from a fleeting instant starting at a much higher speed than that supposed for the big bang. This is as a result of elementary particles that were not accounted for in the big bang theory. This epoch, also known as inflationary epoch, is a result of the nuclear force breaking apart from the electromagnetic forces that was connected to at higher temperatures in what is known as phase transition (Steinhardt, 2004). The phase is believed to have taken place 10-35 seconds after the formation of the universe. This filled the universe with a kind of energy known as vacuum energy. It is as a result of this vacuum energy density that gravitation became repulsive for about 10-32 seconds. During this time, the universe expanded at a very high rate raising its size scale by approximately 1050. When the phase was terminated, the universe cooled down into the big bang evolution already discussed. Prior to inflation, the portion of the universe was macroscopic (Steinhardt, 2004).
It is certain that the universe had a beginning. Though theories are usually speculative, most of them are proven through scientific investigation. The big bang theory and the inflation universe theory are the two central theories believed by the conventional scientific community. As the universe grows, we are able to better comprehend and become confident in its origin. The theories arose as a result of the study of the universe as it is presently, analyzing matter in the lab and making intelligent guesses based on the proof that can be observed. In 1929, a scientist calked Edwin Hubble found out that the universe is continually increasing and that galaxies move away from the universe at speeds that are proportional to their distance from us. Hubbles observation of redshift shows that the universe is expanding. Redshift refer to the process of visible light bending towards the red end of the spectrum. These are proof that the explosion as explained by the big bang and the inflation universe theories indeed took place (Steinhardt, 2004).
It is possible to find remnant of the heat proving that the universe was initially very hot. The profusion of the light element, Hydrogen and Helium evident in the universe that can be observed, is in support of the big bang theory of the origin of the universe. The experience of the gravitational force that has been proven from scientific investigations proves the idea that inflation really occurred. The two theories, big bang and inflation universe theories are the closest to answering the questions of the origin of the universe (Steinhardt, 2004).
Excellent photographs have been taken indicating the appearance and disappearance of supernovae. After the explosion, supernovae appeared to be brighter than all other stars in the galaxy. The decay of supernovae has also been investigated on quantitative bases. The decay has been found to follow the decay law of radioactive atoms. The younger stars have more heavy elements. The old stars came into being when few supernovae occurred. The younger stars were created from dust which had the debris of all precedent supernovae in the galaxy. This evidence of explosion is detailed by the big bang and inflation theories (Steinhardt, 2004).
Although most of the theories that try to explain the origin of the universe are widely accepted, they are continually under research, being updated and refined. There are many areas that the current theories cannot explain and variety of questions they cannot provide answers for. This is why scientists are always developing and testing new ideas and theories. Science is still very far from establishing a universal theory that will explain everything. There might never be a complete answer because each new idea and theory brings up new problems and questions.
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