Week 2: Did the Universe Have a Beginning?
The central theme of this week will proceed from the question: what is the significance of a beginning in physics and cosmology? This topic will explore the point at which the universe came into existence, the axiom “from nothing, only nothing comes” as well as the relationships between “a beginning” and a creator/transcendent power. Non-standard speculations about a pre-Big-Bang universe will also be considered including the oscillating universe theory and the multiverse theory.