Quotes about Universe

We have seen in this chapter how, in less than half a century, man's view of the universe, formed over millennia, has been transformed.

Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to observe it. Antiparticle:

Now, if you believe that the universe is not arbitrary, but is governed by definite laws, you ultimately have to combine the partial theories into a complete unified theory that will describe everything in the universe.

When you look at the vast size of the universe, and how insignificant and accidental human life is in it, that seems most implausible.

In fact, according to quantum physics, each particle has some probability of being found anywhere in the universe.

All the known particles in the universe can be divided into two groups: particles of spin ½, which make up the matter in the universe, and particles of spin 0, 1, and 2, which, as we shall see, give rise to forces between the matter particles.

One could define God as the embodiment of the laws of nature.

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, seized on the big bang model and in 1951 officially pronounced it to be in accordance with the Bible.) There

These laws may have originally been decreed by God, but it appears that he has since left the universe to evolve according to them and does not now intervene in it.

Our very existence imposes rules determining from where and at what time it is possible for us to observe the universe. That is, the fact of our being restricts the characteristics of the kind of environment in which we find ourselves. That principle is called the weak anthropic principle.

What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?

Today we still yearn to know why we are here and where we came from. Humanity's deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in.