Q&A: The Problem of Infinite Regression
The Problem of Infinite Regression
Question
Have a good week,
I happened to hear you several times in different discussions about God saying that you do not accept infinite regression because it is not logical, and because it is impossible to get from the infinite to our present.
Is that really a justification for rejecting it?
After all, as proof that infinity ♾️ is possible, we have the number line, which is also infinite, yet it is still possible to get from 1 to 0, for example. And in general, the time before the Big Bang is unclear—how it behaved, if it behaved at all, and what was actually there—so why assume that it is impossible? At most, one could say that it is less likely, perhaps.
Thank you and good evening.
Answer
You didn’t happen to hear me say that several times. I don’t recall saying this, except perhaps once as an illustration of the problematic nature of concrete infinity and people’s mistakes regarding it. On the number line, you cannot start from minus infinity and arrive at some point on the line. What does that have to do with getting from 0 to 1?
Discussion on Answer
I talked about infinity, but not about getting from minus infinity to us. Everything else you wrote is Chinese to me.
What do you mean, Chinese? Isn’t it possible that we—the universe, planet Earth, or whatever you want to call it—are on an infinite timeline? I don’t even have advanced high-school physics, so if I understand, you surely understand.
You talked about infinity in the debate with Aviv Franco—that assuming you do not accept it, we are left with a beginning to the universe, and therefore it has a creator. Not that it isn’t a rational or logical move; I just wanted to understand why you actually don’t accept the idea.
0 to 1 is just an example. The idea here is that within infinity you can move from point to point, and in practice we are located at some point on the universe’s infinite timeline—is that not possible?