Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion Physics Forum Is the physical world real?

Yes as it stood your statement would have been incorrect and its the same for the bucket with hole argument.

The setup with the bucket is by definition at science an infinite cycle your decision to impose constraints is what makes it go from infinite to finite. The argument then becomes well there isn't that much water, or you cant have imfinite time etc etc so you are imposing the limits. The original experimental setup was indeed infinite you changed the conditions to make it finite. It's a simple viewpoint change that is nothing earth shattering about the change.

So back to the universe.

From a matter, energy point of view the universe is indeed finite, I don't think you can argue anything but that. From a movement, navigation, observational aspect the universe is infinite because of the speed of light restriction. See point of view or context changes the perception. Depending why you were asking the question I may give you a different answer.

I agree with you infinite is a concept abstraction born from a given context it is never a physical reality and the universe is no different to anything else in that regard.

The real question to me is what is the hang up about the universe being infinite?

Even if the universe was the good old static ball model say like finiters there are contexts in which it will appear infinite. See even in finiters world things are moving, the speed of light is a speed limit, so if you start out from one point to circum-navigate the universe thing will move by the time you get back to the start it will look different and so you will sail on never knowing where the start point is so the universe still appears infinite ... see context.

So I would say the universe is finite.
However in certain contexts like movement and observation it is infinite.

None of that is exactly earth shattering.

So I guess my question is why whether the universe infinite or finite causing such a fuss.