Newsday | Most people have completely misunderstood the Big Bang

Can we really understand the universe? Science journalist Jovert Schilling takes into account that it is not. We do not expect a turtle to understand the theory of relativity. Maybe something like this would apply to us as well, if we want to understand the Big Bang.

At the moment, it is not yet clear what time it is, for example. Until we are clear, it is not at all certain whether the question of what was before the Big Bang means anything at all. But, why is it so important to know what caused that huge explosion? “Maybe there are two reasons,” says Schilling. “We are beings – on our own little planet – and we’re all very concerned with our environment. Kind of a natural urgency actually, because as a little kid you’re curious about what’s going on behind the front door. As a kid you want to know what’s going on in the next village, and in Ultimately you want to know your place in the universe.

He continues: “Of course, we don’t do it every day and you don’t necessarily need it to do your job, but it’s kind of a basic understanding of what we mean in the big picture and what it all means. I think it is important that you know that. A lot of people know very little about it, but when I talk about it with someone – during the day or under the stars – it turns out that almost everyone has some kind of fascination with it. People want to know what it is, whether the universe has an advantage and how looking back in time works.