All our science is just a cookery book, with an orthodox theory of cooking that nobody's allowed to question, and a list of recipes that mustn't be added to except by special permission from the head cook.
Aldous HuxleyRead
We have never observed infinity in nature. Whenever you have infinities in a theory, that's where the theory fails as a description of nature. And if space was born in the Big Bang, yet is infinite now, we are forced to believe that it's instantaneously, infinitely big. It seems absurd.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote discusses the paradoxes of infinity in the context of scientific theories about the universe.
Janna Levin highlights the challenges that arise when trying to reconcile the concept of infinity with our understanding of nature. In scientific theories, the presence of infinite quantities often leads to contradictions, especially when considering the origins of space in the Big Bang theory. Levin points out the absurdity of contemplating an infinite universe arising from a singular event, suggesting that these infinities indicate limitations in our theories rather than realities of nature.
Themes
InfinityScienceTheoryNatureBig Bang
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on modern cosmology, this quote could illustrate the complex nature of scientific theories.
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