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The Multiverse in Ancient Cosmology | Unveiled
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9/27/2023
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00:00
Observing the starry night sky, the ancients weaved many stories. They were wrought from
00:04
their doubts, fears, and their wonder at humanity's place in the seemingly vast cosmos.
00:10
Many of these stories now comprise the religious cosmologies of modern-day cultures.
00:14
In them, we can see how those of the past reflected on every aspect of the universe,
00:19
from its creation to its final fate. The notion that there were infinite universes beyond our own,
00:25
a multiverse, also has a major role to play. This is Unveiled, and today we're taking a
00:30
closer look at the multiverse through the eyes of our predecessors.
00:34
The idea that there are many worlds goes back a long way. Some of the earliest mentions can
00:52
be found in ancient Greek philosophy, during an era when seemingly everything was questioned.
00:57
The quest to understand reality itself was ongoing and always expanding. From the 5th century BCE
01:03
onwards, for example, the atomists first taught that matter was composed of indivisible particles.
01:08
They then believed that the universe was an accident resulting from the collision of atoms
01:13
in an infinite void. More than that, though, and given this void's infinite nature, it was thought
01:18
that atomic collisions would also give rise to an endless number of other worlds. Democritus,
01:24
in particular, believed that a vast variety of worlds were out there, in different states of
01:28
formation or disillusion… some of which could support life, and others not. It was one of the
01:33
first truly paradigm-shifting takes on the structure of the universe, and one of the
01:38
earliest forerunners for multiverse theory. The Stoics had their own perspective, though.
01:43
They believed that logos, or reason, pervaded and guided the universe, deciding how it would
01:48
unfold. The world, according to them, went through cycles in which it would be consumed by fire and
01:53
then born anew, unfolding each time in the same way. While this isn't the same as the existence
01:59
of multiple, simultaneous worlds, it does still engender an infinite number of possible worlds in
02:04
time, existing one after the other after the other. And, actually, it's a model perhaps more
02:09
famously put forward elsewhere. The concept of a cyclical universe is a familiar element of
02:14
Eastern thought, especially in Hindu cosmology. Rather than seeing time as linear, Hinduism also
02:20
understands it as cyclical, undergoing processes of creation, preservation and destruction.
02:26
According to Hindu scripture, it's divided into epochs, called yugas, with each one shorter and
02:31
more morally degenerate than the last, until the cycle starts again. More specifically,
02:36
sacred texts and traditions also refer to the existence of multiple worlds, inhabited by
02:42
parallel versions of humans and gods. The Brahma-Bhavarta Purana asks "who will search
02:48
through the wide infinities of space to count the universes side by side, each containing its Brahma,
02:54
its Vishnu, its Shiva?" Multiplicity, then, is in many ways a central theme of Hindu cosmology
03:00
and religion. In fact, the Bhagavata Purana refers to countless universes that wander around
03:06
like particles of dust blowing about in the sky, but are also part of the self. It teaches that
03:12
"there are innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large,
03:18
they move about like atoms in you. Therefore you are called unlimited." This finds common ground
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in Buddhist cosmology, as well, which also includes multiple worlds, many of which reflect various
03:31
spiritual states. One interesting and crucial implication here, then, is that it might be
03:37
possible to not only understand the multiverse, but also to tap into it. More broadly, the traditions
03:42
of Hindu cosmology are particularly striking in their similarities with modern scientific theories
03:48
about the universe. For example, some Hindu traditions posit that the universe began and
03:54
will end in a point called a "bindu". This has a strong parallel to the scientific concept of a
03:59
gravitational singularity - an infinitely dense point in spacetime. From this singularity came
04:05
the Big Bang, as per the most accepted scientific model. And while it isn't the most popular theory,
04:11
it's possible that our universe will collapse back into a singularity in the Big Crunch.
04:16
Some scientists think it's also possible that this could lead to a Big Bounce - another Big Bang,
04:22
where the universe is birthed anew as part of a seemingly infinite series. Such a model, however,
04:28
clearly recalls the cycle of creation and destruction of Hindu cosmology, guided again by
04:33
the trinity of Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. While it may all sound a little chaotic,
04:39
though, there is an element of order to the multiple realities of Hindu thought. Each universe
04:43
is composed of "lokas", or planes of existence. The term "tralokya" refers to the three worlds of
04:49
Earth, Heaven and Hell. The Puranas then describe fourteen worlds, seven higher and seven lower.
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Earth is the seventh world from the highest. The highest loka, the Satyaloka, is the home of Brahma
05:01
the creator deity. Descending into the lower lokas, one moves from the realms of peace and
05:06
order to those of chaos and torment - with the worst being Nagaloka, the home of demons, snake
05:12
people and immorality. This hierarchy once again serves as a reflection of the human soul, which
05:18
rises and falls through the different planes based on their moral choices and the karma that results.
05:23
These ancient philosophies then either left little room for deities, or posited a multiplicity of
05:28
them. They meditated upon an individual's existence in the vast expanse of the cosmos,
05:33
trying to make sense of it through variously more complex structures. Eventually, other traditions
05:38
would connect one central figurehead or force to the multiverse. But, really, it has always stood
05:43
as a major meeting point of ideas - between religion and science, between spirituality
05:49
and physics. Perhaps it simply taps into a human desire to always want to know more,
05:54
and maybe to always suspect that there is more to be found.
05:58
The crossover into science really began to establish itself in the second millennium AD,
06:03
in his treatise, De Luce, written in 1225. The English scholar Robert Grosztest discussed the
06:10
metaphysical nature of light. He believed that the universe originated from a singular point of light,
06:16
which has drawn modern analogies to the Big Bang. As it expanded, according to Grosztest,
06:21
the farthest layer of light thickened, becoming a firmament. Light shining inward would also thicken,
06:26
creating another sphere within the first. And so on it would go, with multiple shells nested
06:32
inside each other. In this way, there are interpretations of the model to mean that it
06:36
could birth endless, separate planes of existence. And while this is quite different to our modern
06:41
concept of a multiverse, it still has a unique and intriguing resonance. Elsewhere, in the late
06:46
sixteenth century, the Italian philosopher and astronomer Giorgano Bruno would also muse about
06:52
the multiverse in his work On the Infinite Universe and Worlds. Contrary to the geocentric
06:58
view that the universe revolves around the Earth, Bruno would suggest that the universe had no
07:03
centre and no circumference, asserting that there "are an infinity of worlds of the same kind as our
07:09
own". The Church was very much at the centre of intellectual thought during this time period,
07:14
however, and a major proponent of the alternative, Aristotle's, geocentric view. Bruno's
07:21
cosmological ideas were deemed heretical by the Church as a result, and he was executed in 1600.
07:27
To the modern mind, however, his comments foreshadow the contemporary multiverse debate.
07:32
The multiverse is clearly a concept, then, that's been explored by several cosmologies,
07:37
with each proposing different versions of the idea. Apart from the schools of the ancient Greeks,
07:42
Hindus, and medieval scholars, various other cultures have adopted the template of a multiverse
07:46
to accompany specific, esoteric practices. These range from traditions that focus on a purely
07:52
spiritual plane of existence, to writings on other physical worlds or realms in Islamic,
07:58
Judaic, Mormon, and New Age philosophies. Altogether, those traditions have spurred
08:03
the growth of the multiverse as a concept in modern science and philosophy, into the
08:07
multi-faceted field that it is today. So much so that it's now an entirely mainstream belief,
08:13
pushed forward no less by superhero movies and science fiction stories. On this issue,
08:18
specifically, society has come a long way. Once looked upon as an arcane notion,
08:23
the concept of a multiverse is now featured in many modern cosmological theories, originating
08:28
from efforts to contextualise humanity's place in the universe. The multiverse has evolved,
08:33
not only as a spiritual philosophy, but also as a physical model that could truly explain
08:38
the mysteries of our universe as we see and experience it. Although we've made great advances
08:44
in our understanding of and our place within recognisable reality, it could be argued that
08:49
our predecessors paved the way. While their reliance on religious mythos, crafted from
08:54
their subjective experiences, imagination, and curiosity may seem unscientific, those same
09:00
elements have enriched and motivated thinkers throughout the ages. By charting the trails of
09:06
our past, we enable ourselves to pursue a greater understanding of our reality.
09:11
And that's what we can learn from the multiverse in ancient cosmology.
09:15
What do you think? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments,
09:19
check out these other clips from Unveiled, and make sure you subscribe and ring the bell
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