I didn't know it was a Thought Experiment... I might not have participated... How do I know these things? I look inside myself. Or around... and about... and within... and without... I know shit appears and disappears based on simple direct observation. I see this computer now... but later I'll do some other shit and the computer won't be around... it might aswell not even exist... I certainly won't be concerned with it. "All the stars in the sky... yet man burns them out by covering his eyes." The Universe began and it will end. But there's a way (Tao) things were (or weren't) before that and a way things will be (or won't be) after that. ^I know this just like you know you're gonna die... which is impossible, BTW. You can't be dead. --- Scream ahh, I would say no-thing is the only thing. It's where every-thing is heading anyway... no-where.
1 thing consisting of everything. Even when everything within that 1 thing dies, that 1 thing still remains. But 'everything' doesn't die, it just changes. There's nowhere to go, it's already here.
But the one thing is not a thing. If there was one thing, then there would actually be two things... the thing and not-the thing. "The Tao gives birth to one, One gives birth to two, Two gives birth to three, Three gives birth to the myriad of things" Boom. Nowhere to go. Nothing to prove. Nothing lacking. No becoming.
But the not-the thing is only an idea that the thing has. What is outside the box, is actually an idea that comes from within the 'box' Only experience
Yes, the universe is a "thing" by definition. It consists of space, time, and matter. "That something", however, must transcend these known elements in order to cause their existence. In my opinion this makes it eternal by it's own nature. Those two are very different concepts. North and south both have their own boundaries in our perception, the Big Bang does not. He's basically telling us to abstain from this question which limits our capability of understanding cosmology. To me, this is essentially a cop-out for "not knowing" and goes against modern, intellectual thought. The big rip theory does not justify belief in an eternal universe, in my understanding. I agree with your last statement completely.
What is there to transcend? Everything that exists in the universe has been here and just progresses, changes and evolves into grander versions of itself, whether containing more intelligence or less. It wasn't just created by some God. It creates itself. Its doesnt stop creating new. Saying it was created is saying 'something' brought it into existence. What 'something' brought it to existence, God? No, it was never created into existence, it(the universe) is existence. This is it. this is existence. How else could it be? How else could it make sense.. literally make sense. there is no separation. There is only the whole of existence. Anything you think, any idea in your head exists here, not some other dimension or other 'place'. So what else is there to experience? Some formless existence of pure love and acceptance. Sounds like a 'heaven', sounds like a dream.
Eternal/Infinite Universe + Consciousness= "God" "God" = Laws of the Universe Laws of the universe= Reality Reality= "God" I'm just a (stoned) agnostic atheist.