The string theory belong to a domain of theories with less solid science than mathematical allegory. In another word fictions created as a response to challenges in our world. The string theory opened space up adding extra hidden dimensions as a mathematical abstract. I believe the string theory doesn't necessarily suggest multitude of universes, regardless multiverse provide theoretical frame work of the universe of universes each with its own laws of physics. the values of constants we see in our world would simply be an accident as matter of statistics of other infinite imagined universes.
Critics stated that these theories don't explain but on the contrary explain away. Both the unseen universes in multiverse and unseen dimensions in string theory are fictions that drain the reality out of the actual reality we experience. What is solid till now is the fact that there is no experimental evidence that hidden dimensions or alternate universes exist.
That does not really matter. What matters is that alternative Universes with different constants are possible, at least in principle.
And by the way, even if they were only speculative and not falsifiable, they would not be less speculative and falsifiable than God. Which should suffice to exclude the character of necessity of God or other non naturalistic explanations, if we really insist in looking for explanations of why the constants have the value they have.
No. It's like saying a car without engine, transmition, wheels and body is still a car. it's not. The stars were only an example but it's also planets and galaxies. Even matter depended on the constants. A universe collapsing on itself with no astronomical structures is not a universe. In fact,even collapse is not really accurate because it wouldn't have a chance to form to begin with.
To say that a universe collapsing on itself is not a universe is self contradictory. The conclusion falsifies the premise. What was then? You can call it alternative reality if you want, or unstable universe. And your assumption that it is not possible to have (stable) universes with other variables has no evidence whatsoever.
Lets go back to your original point "What are those constants describing if there is no Universe based on them". I am simply say, both the constants and the universe are inseparable. You can't have one in isolation of the other. In an example of non existent universe, you would also consider non existent constants.
Well, it is a chicken egg problem. What comes first: universe generating constants, or Universes that are described by some constants? You say they are inseparable, like a circle has a constant ratio between its circumference and its radius, I presume. Fine. But that does not solve you problem. LIke in geometry, you can have perfectly plausible, albeit different, universes with different constants.
It sure did. about 14 billion years ago. In fact, some scientists claim the starting point can be calculated to a fraction of a second.
Ah. That is what you read in popular science. And no serious physicist can tell you how old the Universe is without first specifying what she really means by that. For instance, time is relative, not absolute, so any talks of age is in the eyes of the beholder. What is absolute is spacetime.
And if you think about it for a moment, it appears meaningless to talk of age, beginings, evolution, expansion, whatever, of spacetime. All these are concepts that make sense within spacetime, and cannot be applied to it as a whole, since they all require a temporal context that trascends spacetime itself. At what time was time born is an absurd question. Is like asking where space started.
I agree. You are absolutely correct. But what I meant was that we see the hands of God all around us not only in the universe but even in our own being and our immediate environment. In both macro and micro scales.
Then I suggest that you stick to this sort of "evidence" instead of venturing in relativistic cosmology in order to prove God. If you see God in the beauty of nature and in things like the Ebola virus and parasitic wasps, then well..good for you.
No. The context here was the dependency of our non existent universe on already existing original external influence to force the universe to existence. If you describe such influence, then it has to be eternal (beyond spacetime). If eternal, then it has no dependency on any other influence to create it (because it has no beginning). It has to be extreme intelligent powerfull self aware origin that gave definition to every thing. It has to be God.
No. As I said, spacetime intended as a 4-dimensional block, satisfies the same requirements. It is eternal, by definition, and things like cause-effect are unapplicable to it when taken as a whole. And even if we do not invoke relativistic block universes, you still have multiverses, eternal inflation, etc. which can explain things as well, and have, at worst, the same evidence of god, gods, spirits, etc.
No God required.
Ciao
- viole