Was Our Universe Created in a Laboratory?

Astronomers and cosmologists commonly assert that the universe came into existence on its own. Recently, however, some scientists have started to question the logic behind the idea that something could arise from nothing without an external cause, and they are now exploring possible explanations. The question remains: are they investigating the right avenues?

The origins of the universe continue to spark the curiosity of scientists. While most researchers claim that the universe emerged 13.7 billion years ago through the Big Bang, there is little agreement on what precisely triggered this event. A variety of theories have been proposed.

On the other hand, some scientists maintain that behind the Big Bang—if indeed it was a Big Bang—lies a specific entity we refer to as God. However, many argue that such a conclusion is overly speculative, particularly given that ‘no one has proven the existence of God,’ as voiced by prominent figures like Stephen Hawking.¹

Thus, the belief that God created the universe endures primarily as a personal conviction held by a few scientists, such as the British mathematician John Lennox.²

A lab-grown universe?

Certain scientists propose that the universe may have been artificially created. In a recent article titled Was Our Universe Created in a Laboratory?, published in Scientific American, Dr. Avi Loeb explores this idea.³

At the outset, Dr. Loeb presents a number of theories about the universe’s origins, many of which are regarded with considerable seriousness by secular scientists.

• that the universe emerged as a result of a quantum vacuum fluctuation,
• that the appearance and collapse of the universe is a cyclical process,
• that the anthropic principle⁴ was revealed in this universe, according to string theory, which assumes the existence of a multiverse,
• that the universe emerged from the collapse of matter into a black hole in another universe.

Loeb proceeds to present his unorthodox hypothesis, proposing that the universe may have been created in a laboratory by a highly advanced cosmic civilisation. He argues that, given the universe’s flat geometry⁵ and its zero energy balance,⁶ it is conceivable that a civilisation of remarkable sophistication could have used quantum tunnelling to bring our universe into existence.⁷

Linking scientific theory with religion

Loeb proposed that his theory could reconcile the religious idea of a creator with the secular theory of quantum gravity. From a secular perspective, it might offer an explanation for the universe’s adherence to the anthropic principle. Moreover, Loeb suggests that these advanced beings may have designed our universe for civilizations similar to ours, though more advanced. Such civilizations, according to him, could potentially replicate the conditions that led to the creation of our universe and even generate new universes.

Loeb further argues that these civilizations might be responsible for driving the Darwinian process of natural selection and the progression of civilizations. This implies that all forms of existence—whether molecules, living beings, their societies, or entire universes—are subject to the principles of Darwinian natural selection.

A darwinian universe?

Any theory connected to Charles Darwin’s concept of evolution inherently challenges the notion of an eternal Creator of all existence. This issue also arises in the theory discussed above. Although it attempts to reconcile human religiosity with secular science, it becomes trapped in an endlessly repeating cycle of the creation of new material entities—whether universes or intelligent beings. If such beings were responsible for the creation of our universe, the inevitable question arises: who, then, created those beings and their universe? The only conceivable answer is that other beings from yet another universe were the creators. And so, the cycle could, in theory, continue without end.

In this manner, some scientists seek to entirely dismiss the notion of an eternal Creator. Alternatively, one might propose that there was once a God who created the first universe and the first intelligent beings. However, this would have occurred so far in the past that it would be considered irrelevant to the scientific inquiry at hand.

Thus, the theory outlined above presents us with two possibilities: either a form of total atheism, where we face an infinite cycle of successive universes, or, at best, deism, with a Creator who remains distant and removed from the creation of the first universe.

Atheism’s Occam’s Razor

From a scientific viewpoint, the existence of these super-intelligent beings is no more substantiated than the existence of God. This raises the question: why not simply acknowledge that the universe we inhabit was created by Him? The Bible explicitly states that God created everything that exists.⁸ Yet, as secular science has dismissed the concept of God as superfluous, we now find ourselves confronted with the proliferation of other, equally superfluous beings.⁹

In the philosophy of science, Occam’s Razor¹⁰ is a principle that suggests ‘entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity’ (often referred to as the principle of parsimony in reasoning). Atheists like Richard Dawkins often cite Occam’s Razor, arguing that the very idea of God contradicts this principle.¹¹

Yet, as we can see, they fall into their own contradiction. How much more does the idea of multiple creators and an infinite number of universes violate Occam’s Razor? From the standpoint of genuine scientific inquiry, one single God is more than sufficient to account for the creation of everything that exists. And this, the Bible confirms.

By the way, we recommend reading the articles:

• Did Pterosaurs Have Feathers?
• Homo Erectus – Ape or Human?
• DNA: Comparing Humans and Chimpanzees
• Can Scientists Prove That the Universe Cannot Be Eternal?
• Archaeological Discoveries in Galilee Confirming Biblical Accounts

Footnotes

1. Ducharme, J., 2018, ‘Stephen Hawking Was an Atheist. Here’s What He Said About God, Heaven, and His Own Death’, TIME, 14 March. Available at: https://time.com/5199149/stephen-hawking-death-god-atheist/.
2. Lennox, J.C., 2018, Czy nauka pogrzebała Boga?, trans. G. and A. Gomola, W drodze.
3. Loeb, A., 2021, ‘Was Our Universe Created in a Laboratory?’, Scientific American, 15 October. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/was-our-universe-created-in-a-laboratory/.
4. ‘The anthropic principle attempts to explain many facts about the universe by the presence of intelligent beings, that is, its observers.’ Available at: https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/zasada-antropiczna;3869978.html.
5. The term ‘flat universe’ refers to a universe geometry where no global curvature of its spacetime occurs, suggesting that the universe extends infinitely. If such curvature existed, the universe would be finite. Current theories and scientific data indicate a flat universe, but some new data suggest the universe may have some shape. See, e.g., Crane, L., 2019, ‘Cosmological crisis: We don’t know if the universe is round or flat’, NewScientist, 4 November. Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2222159-cosmological-crisis-we-dont-know-if-the-universe-is-round-or-flat/.
6. A zero-energy universe is one in which positive energy in the form of matter is balanced by negative energy in the form of gravity.
7. Loeb describes such a civilization as Class A, capable of environmental changes beyond the universe in which it originated. Class B civilizations could make environmental changes beyond their home planetary system (interstellar civilization). Class C civilizations would be limited to environmental changes on their own planet. According to this classification, Earth’s civilization would be a Class C civilization, or perhaps even Class D, considering humanity’s negative impact on the natural environment.
8. The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Acts 17:24-25.
9. Ham, K., 2021, ‘Astronomer: Was Our Universe Created in a Laboratory?’, Answers in Genesis, 25 October. Available at: https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/astronomer-our-universe-created-laboratory/.
10. Attributed to William of Ockham, a philosopher who lived in the 13th-14th century. However, the actual creator of this principle in the context of modern science was Johannes Clauberg, who lived in the 17th century. It is worth noting that, contrary to what Richard Dawkins would like, both were theists.
11. Glass, D.H. & McCartney, M., 2016, ‘Science, Ockham’s Razor & God’, Philosophy Now. Available at: https://philosophynow.org/issues/115/Science_Ockhams_Razor_and_God.

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Evolution of Thinking - Sebastian S.

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