What is The Purpose Of The Universe? | Unveiled

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What Is the Purpose of the Universe?</h4>

In many ways, you are amazing. You’re a complex and unique bundle of cells to make the bones and muscles and organs that form your body… and also to build and fuel the single most impressive thing you have, your brain. But still, from some loftier perspectives, you’re actually not that great, or interesting, or special at all. On the cosmological scale, human life is but a tiny fleck on an endless and unfathomable landscape. And that’s pretty daunting, but also quite inspiring.

So, this is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what’s the purpose of the universe?

What is the universe, really? From a purely physical point of view, it’s reasonably simple; it’s matter. Lots and lots and lots of matter. Some that gets clumped together, some that gets stretched out, and all of it moving around (and through) space all of the time, at variously immense speeds. Thankfully, in terms of us even beginning to understand it all, that matter does at least form some recognisable shapes and structures. Galaxies are comprised of planetary systems, which involve an indeterminate number of planets orbiting around a star, perhaps two stars, maybe more than two stars. Planets are joined by other astronomical entities like asteroids, occasionally black holes, quasars, magnetars, et cetera, et cetera. And all of the endless stuff combined is made up of rock, ice and gas. Of minerals and elements. Of molecules, atoms, and of subatomic particles.

But, clearly, the question of “what is the universe?” can take us in different directions, as well. And toward some of the deepest and greatest mysteries of all time. It can lead us to ask further questions like; what’s it all for? Why does any of it matter, in a non-physical sense? And why are we here to even think these thoughts about the universe, in the first place?

The theory of Cosmological Natural Selection was devised by the American theoretical physicist Lee Smolin in the 1990s. Smolin built the idea in the early part of the decade, before setting it out in full in his 1997 book, “The Life of the Cosmos”. It’s a theory that suggests pretty much exactly what it sounds like; that the universe is the way it is because it’s been honed and perfected to be that way. Away from cosmology, natural selection is the evolutionary process through which life adapts and grows to give itself the best chance of survival. What Smolin proposes, then, is that the universe behaves in the same way. As part of regular natural selection, however, there are inevitably life forms that don’t make it… that don’t change enough (or in time) and as a result they die off and disappear. So, how would that work in cosmological natural selection? Two words: black holes.

At the heart of Smolin’s theory is the suggestion that black holes act as a kind of facilitator for multiple universes, including this one. It’s said that a collapsing black hole is actually a birthing point for a new universe, which then emerges from the other side of that black hole. The theory argues, then, that any one universe is capable of reproducing as many new universes as there are black holes within it. What’s incredible is that, for our universe, that would mean that it has the potential to generate upwards of forty trillion new universes, going by just the more conservative estimates as to how many black holes there are. If we were to assume that our universe, itself, was also born out of a similar arrangement… and that that setup were to repeat over and over and over again… then we very quickly weave an incredibly intricate mesh of endlessly recalibrating matter; otherwise known as the true nature and structure of reality.

Cosmological Natural Selection isn’t without its pitfalls however. And, as clean and satisfying as it may all appear at first, many physicists have taken issue with one key element to it. The theory relies on there being some form of information transfer between the universe that’s hosting a black hole (the parent) and the universe that that black hole creates (the baby). For there to really be any kind of “selection” at play, there has to be reproduction, mutation, and some level of learning happening within the black hole. But nothing we know of would indicate that that is the case. As a standalone claim, then, the idea that black holes could double up as effective universe factories… just doesn’t hold up. Although, more broadly, black hole cosmology does endure as a wider, more general framework, proposing that our universe could still exist within a black hole. For as long as only part of it is observable (while the rest remains unobservable) there might always be an argument that this could be the case.

One thing that Cosmological Natural Selection does provide, to a point, is a purpose. If the universe really does exist within the model it lays out… then there seemingly is a kind of end goal to aim for. As it pulses its way through the endless stream of potential universes, we can imagine that reality is really always striving for the perfect one. Whether or not this universe is that perfect rendition… is probably impossible to tell from our lowly perspective. However, there are hints toward it being a pretty effective attempt at a universe, at least, such as the Fine Tuning Problem. This is the much debated concept that asks; why does this universe apparently work so particularly well? We have certain, fundamental conditions - such as the nature of gravity, of electromagnetism, and the structure of atoms - that, if changed in even a tiny way, would otherwise render our universe impossible. If we see the universe that we know as simply the product of natural selection, however, then it begins to make sense as to why all of those things exist as they do. Across all of the other universes until this point, the balance was never quite correct… but here it’s just right.

But still, just right… for what? Usually, we think of the Finely Tuned Universe as being the one (this one) that allows for life on Earth, or life as we know it. But can we ever be sure that life is what a universe (any universe) would want to happen? For more on this pretty ominous existential question in particular, be sure to check out our other recent video. But, for now, it’s a question that serves to further highlight just how unknowable the true power, scale and purpose of the universe really is. Because, consider for a moment that life actually isn’t part of what the perfect universe would be; what would that then mean for us? If multiple universes really were possible - and especially if they’re possible via Cosmological Natural Selection - then it would mean that we are inescapably doomed. And not only doomed from this universe, but also from all other successful universes that this one ultimately gives rise to. And, suddenly, the Fine Tuning Problem actually isn’t much of a problem at all… because, in this case, the universe got it wrong, not right. And all that we know is really just one of trillions of try-agains that ultimately get consigned to the cosmological scrapheap. Statistically speaking, it’s much more likely than not.

But, of course, no one can yet claim to definitely know the true nature of things. If they did (and they could) then they’d basically be a god. And there are various arguments that humankind has the concept of God in order to directly combat many of the great unknowns that we’ve touched upon in this video. Clearly there are some aspects to reality, to our conscious experience, that defy anything even close to a simple explanation… and so, God provides a kind of catch-all safety net for anything we don’t (or can’t) understand. But, even with God (or gods) to fall back on, perhaps the same questions still apply. Even if a god were to exist, and even if they did create the universe… then why?

Let us know what you think in the comments! Do you think we can ever hope to have a clear answer to something as immense as this? Should we even want to have a clear answer? For some, the pondering of higher mysteries is all a part of life, in itself. For others, the quest for answers is one that we all should be on. Into which camp do you fall?

The debate certainly doesn’t begin or end with only Cosmological Natural Selection or black hole cosmology. It represents just one direction we could head down in search of knowledge and clarity. But, for now, it does paint a compelling picture of what the true purpose of the universe might be.