Objection · Case 09 · Atheism
The Hartle-Hawking no-boundary proposal and Penrose’s conformal cyclic cosmology are live models. Isn’t a single paragraph dismissing them too thin?
One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
Response
The main models deserve naming: Hartle-Hawking’s no-boundary proposal, Penrose’s conformal cyclic cosmology, the Steinhardt-Turok ekpyrotic model, and loop quantum cosmology bounces. Each faces specific criticisms: the no-boundary proposal’s imaginary time is a mathematical device whose physical meaning is disputed, cyclic models face entropy accumulation over infinite cycles, and bounce models require physics that has not been confirmed. The general point stands: none has achieved consensus, and several have been shown to require a beginning or to break down over infinite cycles. The question is not closed, and it should not be presented as if it were.
About this exhibit
This objection is to Eternal and cyclic cosmological models.
If the universe has no beginning, it needs no cause of its beginning. Some cosmologists explore cyclic, bouncing, or otherwise past-extended models, and some simply treat the universe as a brute…
Under Claim 01: The universe began to exist a finite time ago, which points to a cause beyond space, time, and matter.