Are You Really Reading This?

According to a report in The New York Times, some cosmologists claim this universe may be an illusion of your brain.1 At least, that is the conclusion if you carry out the logic of the big bang theory.

The most popular version of the big bang says that the universe popped into existence from a quantum fluctuation. But since it is more likely for quantum fluctuations to produce simpler things, it is more likely that your solitary brain popped into existence from a quantum fluctuation. (After all, if the big bang could produce a universe filled with billions of brains, producing one brain with false memories is much simpler.)

While most big bang supporters do not actually believe such a conclusion, it is the logical outcome of the theory.

Dr. Jason Lisle, an astrophysicist working at Answers in Genesis, notes that self-refutation is a common defect in nonbiblical worldviews. “If a theory leads to conclusions that are contrary to the theory,” Lisle notes, “then the theory refutes itself. If the big bang were true, it would lead to a conclusion that is not true!”