Dimitri

A true Theory of Everything would have to be more compelling that a set of equations. The one thing theorists keep missing in such Ideas is the thing they use to create their Ideas--that is Mind. To have a Theory of Everything you would have to explain, show, or at least have an Idea of how Consciousness, or Mind entered into the universe. But Mind is the one universal factor and I suggest, the most fundamentally important factor of all, that needs to be explained. How is it that we Thinking Beings can contemplate the Idea of the universe, and formulate Ideas on how it all came about. Mind needs to be included, not excluded, in a true Theory of Everything, otherwise it is not a Theory of Everything. Science can only deal however with physical reality. It's limited in its scope. There needs to be a sensible, rational division here between what we can calll Science and what we can perhaps best call Philosophy, or speculative philosophy--and that takes us to metaphysics. I make room for both science and metaphysics, but the one must compliment, not undermine the other. It seems we're approaching close to a theory of everything however given that big bang cosmologists have overturned the Kantian antithesis that has it that the universe had no beginning in time (what Kant calls his First Antinomy). If Kant were alive today, he would have looked upon this finding in science as profoundly important. The idea that the universe had a beginning in time is crucially important not only to science, but to theology and metaphysics.

Seems to be some correction needed given some posts here: The speed at which the most furthest objects (quasars among them) are receding from us only approaches, does not exceed the speed of light. It's impossible is it not, as theorists/physicists understand, because when a massive object approaches the speed of light it takes on greater mass, and at the speed of light it becomes infinitely in mass; so while quasars can approach the speed of light they cannot attain it. Einstein's equation tells us that Mass accelerated to the speed of light becomes Energy. The speed of light is the tipping point where mass turns to energy and where energy at less than the speed of light turns to mass.

There is a conondrum in cosmology related to the 13.7 billion year estimate for the age of the universe. It is as follows: Quasars are estimated at distances approaching the age of the universe, and began emitting radiation (light) to our position close to 13 billion years ago. But according to big bang cosmology the universe had a beginning 13.7 billion years ago, space expanded along with the material from which Quasars were formed, and the universe was near its beginning compressed to a more confined, restricted dimension of space. The conundrum: How did Quasars escape from this earlier confined region of space to assume those position in space that the evidence (red shifts) indicate they occupied that long ago? They could not have been within this confined space and outside of it at the same time. Inflationary theory does not resolve this conondrum. Any suggestions?