Cosmologic philosophy: Egnor on Big Bang, etc. (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, September 29, 2021, 15:56 (940 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: I think we now agree. I hadn't considered the possibility of prior BB's seventeen years ago. With that point made, it is obvious there was prior time within prior possible BB's.

dhw: Thank you. I’m glad we agree.

DAVID: Since Guth hadn't considered prior BB's Guth made no mistake.

dhw: No “thank you”. Apparently pre-Copernicans didn’t make a mistake when they believed the sun went round the earth. They just hadn’t considered the possibility that the earth went round the sun.

DAVID: And Darwin made lots of mistakes, because He didn't know better like we now do. I've said not his fault!!! Your Guth-illogic damns Darwin.

dhw: You did not say “not his fault”. You said “Guth made no mistake”, and by extension, presumably you made no mistake when you informed me with confident authority in July that time did not exist before our BB. Guth was wrong and you were wrong! And Darwin was also wrong when he was wrong! But the comparison is silly. His mistakes have been revealed through the advance of scientific knowledge. Since 17 years ago, science has not suddenly revealed new facts about possible prior BBs! You in July and Guth 17 years ago simply didn’t think of the possibility of BBs or anything else before our own BB. Your problem was woolly thinking. Why have you suddenly decided that anyone who makes a mistake is “damned”? We all make mistakes. But some of us are slow to admit it.

I am unchanged. Your bolded comment makes the point. We do not know of any prior BB's. Our BB may be the only one ever!!! In the context of what Guth was considering, i.e., the origin of our BB, he was absolutely correct. Invented possible prior BB's do not change that fact . Guth's only point was time started with our BB.