The universe, then, is it infinite or finite? Perhaps it's both in the end?
According to my own view of things, it is definitely infinite and possibly finite. No, not purely finite.
What do I mean?
I will tell you about things you cannot imagine, because quite simply, we are not equipped with the sensory organs to perceive these concepts, and because we have a anthropocentric view of everything.
As humans, we have learned the beginning and the end, because that's how our life and the lives of the creatures around us are. That's how everything we observe is: rain, the daytime sun, the darkness of night... They don't last forever. So how could the universe that contains them exist forever and ever?
The universe is a superset, it has the properties of the smaller sets contained within it, but it also has other properties that the smaller sets do not.
Could we ever measure the matter of the universe? Here we can't even see it...
The limit of the universe is chronological: we can see as far back in time as it took for light to reach our eye/telescope from there. However, even then, how do we know if there was more light from further away that has either passed us by or hasn't reached us yet because it takes a lot more time to get to us?
So, at least chronologically, the universe is finite for our data, as we perceive time sequentially moving from past to future, without even perceiving the present.
But dimensions don't have a beginning... We cannot say that length starts "here" and not a little further, similarly, time does not have a beginning. How can something without a beginning have an end?
So the universe as observed is chronologically finite, because light takes some time to reach us and be seen.
However, spatially, we know it's expanding, as we have observed that the space between galaxies is increasing in size, so the universe probably resembles a balloon with paintings on it. As we inflate the balloon, which when deflated is small, and the paintings close to each other, the balloon and the distance between the paintings increase.
Let's think about the possibility of an infinite universe. Without end. With infinite matter. Infinite void. Infinite time for light to travel from one distant area to another.
In an infinite universe, with an infinite number of galaxies, stars, and planets, it is theoretically possible that there are regions where the conditions favor the existence of individuals with similar genetic composition, life experiences, and identities as yours.
It is important to note, however, that the inexhaustible dimension of the universe and the complexity of the factors that created you make the exact duplication of individuals like you extremely unlikely. While there may be regions with conditions somewhat similar to those on Earth, with similar forms of life, the precise reproduction of a person with all their unique characteristics is extremely improbable. However, not impossible. So in an infinite universe with infinite space and time, this extremely rare phenomenon could occur countless times! It's just that the universe would be infinitely larger compared to the countless repetitions of our creation.
Moreover, the concept of parallel universes or multiple universes, where different versions of reality coexist, adds another layer of complexity to this issue. In some interpretations of the theory of multiple universes, it is assumed that there could be universes with conditions similar to ours, but with discrete differences that could lead to variations of the individuals within them.
However, no matter how many variations of ourselves may exist in terms of matter, in terms of consciousness we can probably perceive only one version (at this point in history and evolution). So, make the best of it for everyone around you, for yourselves. And that's because, no matter how many times we live after all, we only perceive one. So make it worth it.
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