The Multiverse in Ancient Cosmology | Unveiled

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The Multiverse in Ancient Cosmology</h4>

Observing the starry night sky, the ancients weaved many stories. They were wrought from their doubts, fears, and their wonder at humanity’s place in the seemingly vast cosmos. Many of these stories now comprise the religious cosmologies of modern-day cultures. In them, we can see how those of the past reflected on every aspect of the universe, from its creation to its final fate. The notion that there were infinite universes beyond our own, a multiverse, also has a major role to play.

This is Unveiled, and today we’re taking a closer look at the multiverse through the eyes of our predecessors.

The idea that there are many worlds goes back a long way. Some of the earliest mentions can be found in ancient Greek philosophy. During an era when seemingly everything was questioned, the quest to understand reality itself was ongoing and always expanding. From the 5th century BCE onward, for example, the Atomists first taught that matter was composed of indivisible particles. They then believed that the universe was an accident resulting from the collision of atoms in an infinite void. More than that, though, and given this void’s infinite nature, it was thought that atomic collisions would also give rise to an endless number of other worlds. Democritus, in particular, believed that a vast variety of worlds were out there, in different states of formation or dissolution - some of which could support life, and others not. It was one of the first truly paradigm-shifting takes on the structure of the universe, and one of the earliest forerunners for multiverse theory. 

The Stoics had their own perspective, though. They believed that ‘logos’, or reason, pervaded and guided the universe, deciding how it would unfold. The world - according to them - went through cycles in which it would be consumed by fire and then born anew - unfolding each time in the same way. While this isn’t the same as the existence of multiple, simultaneous worlds, it does still engender an infinite number of possible worlds in time - existing one after the other, after the other. And, actually, it’s a model perhaps more famously put forward elsewhere.

The concept of a cyclical universe is a familiar element of Eastern thought, especially in Hindu cosmology. Rather than seeing time as linear, Hinduism also understands it as cyclical, undergoing processes of creation, preservation, and destruction. According to Hindu scripture, it’s divided into epochs called  Yugas, with each one shorter and more morally degenerate than the last, until the cycle starts again. 

More specifically, sacred texts and traditions also refer to the existence of multiple worlds, inhabited by parallel versions of humans and gods. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana asks: “who will search through the wide infinities of space to count the universes side by side, each containing its Brahma, its Vishnu, its Shiva?” Multiplicity, then, is in many ways a central theme of Hindu cosmology and religion. The Bhagavata Purana refers to “countless universes” that wander around “like particles of dust blowing about in the sky”, but are also part of the self. It teaches that: “there are  innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called unlimited.” This finds common ground in Buddhist cosmology, as well, which also includes multiple worlds - many of which reflect various spiritual states. One interesting (and crucial) implication here, then, is that it might be possible to not only understand the multiverse… but also to tap into it.

More broadly, the traditions of Hindu cosmology are particularly striking in their similarities with modern scientific theories about the universe. For example, some Hindu traditions posit that the universe began (and will end) in a point, called a Bindu. This has a strong parallel to the scientific concept of a gravitational singularity - an infinitely dense point in spacetime. From this singularity came the Big Bang, as per the most accepted scientific model. And while it isn’t the most popular theory, it’s possible that our universe will collapse back into a singularity in the Big Crunch. Some scientists think it’s also possible that this could lead to a Big Bounce - another Big Bang where the universe is birthed anew, as part of a seemingly infinite series. Such a model, however, clearly recalls the cycle of creation and destruction of Hindu cosmology, guided again by the trinity of Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. 

While it may all sound a little chaotic, though, there is an element of order to the multiple realities of Hindu thought. Each universe is composed of Lokas, or planes of existence. The term “Trailokya” refers to the three worlds of Earth, heaven, and hell. The Puranas then describe fourteen worlds - seven higher and seven lower. Earth is the seventh world from the highest. The highest Loka, the Satya-Loka, is the home of Brahma the Creator deity. Descending into the lower Lokas, one moves from the realms of peace and order to those of chaos and torment, with the worst being Naga-loka, the home of demons, snake-people, and immorality. This hierarchy once again serves as a reflection of the human soul, which rises and falls through the different planes based on their moral choices and the karma that results. 

These ancient philosophies then either left little room for deities, or posited a multiplicity of them. They meditated upon an individual’s existence in the vast expanse of the cosmos, trying to make sense of it through variously more complex structures. Eventually, other traditions would connect one central figurehead (or force) to the multiverse. But, really, it has always stood as a major meeting point of ideas. Between religion and science; between spirituality and physics. Perhaps it simply taps into a human desire to always want to know more… and, maybe, to always suspect that there is more to be found.

The crossover into science began to really establish itself in the second millennium AD. In his treatise De Luce, written in 1225, the English scholar Robert Grosseteste discussed the metaphysical nature of light. He believed that the universe originated from a singular point of light - which has drawn modern analogies to the Big Bang. As it expanded, according to Grosseteste, the farthest layer of light thickened, becoming a firmament; light shining inward would also thicken, creating another sphere within the first; and so it would go on, with multiple shells nested inside each other. In this way, there are interpretations of the model to mean that it could birth endless, separate planes of existence. And, while this is quite different to our modern concept of a multiverse, it still has a unique and intriguing resonance. 

Elsewhere, in the late 16th century, the Italian philosopher and astronomer Giordano Bruno would also muse about the multiverse in his work On the Infinite Universe and Worlds. Contrary to the geocentric view, that the universe revolves around the Earth, Bruno would suggest that the universe had no center and no circumference, asserting that there “are an infinity of worlds of the same kind as our own.” The Church was very much at the center of intellectual thought during this time period, however, and a major proponent of the alternative; Aristotle’s geocentric view. Bruno’s cosmological ideas were deemed heretical by the Church as a result, and he was executed in 1600. To the modern mind, however, his comments foreshadow the contemporary multiverse debate. 

The multiverse is clearly a concept, then, that’s been explored by several cosmologies, with each proposing different versions of the idea. Apart from the schools of the ancient Greeks, Hindus, and medieval scholars, various other cultures have adopted the template of a multiverse to accompany specific esoteric practices. These range from traditions that focus on a purely spiritual plane of existence… to writings on other physical worlds or realms in Islamic, Judaic, Mormon, and New Age philosophies. Altogether, those traditions have spurred the growth of the multiverse as a concept in modern science and philosophy, into the multi-faceted field that it is today. So much so that it’s now an entirely mainstream belief, pushed forward no less by superhero movies and science fiction stories.

On this issue especially, society has come a long way. Once looked upon as an arcane notion, the concept of a multiverse is now featured in many modern cosmological theories. Originating from efforts to contextualize humanity’s place in the universe, the multiverse has evolved not only as a spiritual philosophy, but also as a physical model that could truly explain the mysteries of our universe as we see and experience it. 

Although we’ve made great advances in our understanding and of our place within recognisable reality, it could be argued that our predecessors paved the way. While their reliance on religious mythos crafted from their subjective experiences, imagination, and curiosity may seem unscientific… those same elements have enriched and motivated thinkers throughout the ages. By charting the trails of our past, we enable ourselves to pursue a greater understanding of our reality. And that’s what we can learn from the multiverse in ancient cosmology.