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What — Or Who? — Is the Singularity?

If you’re not familiar with Tulane University physicist Frank Tipler, you should get familiar with him. He is great. Watch this bonus video from Episode 4 of Science Uprising:

I had thought of the Singularity as an event, to which the universe — physical reality — traces back at the moment of the Big Bang, some 14 billion years ago. Tipler starts off his discussion by giving us a jolt, speaking of the Singularity not as a what but a who: “A supernatural being that created the universe out of nothing.”

And this makes sense. As he goes on to say, we have no rational reason, no reason beyond religious (or anti-religious) prejudice, to say the cosmic ultra-fine-tuning of the constants of physics originated other than from deliberate, intelligent choice. This choice was not made in the context of nature, since nature did not exist. So it is “supernatural,” “beyond nature,” and intelligent. It had existence, “being,” but the universe did not. It is, “A supernatural being that created the universe out of nothing.” Enjoy!

David Klinghoffer

Senior Fellow and Editor, Evolution News
David Klinghoffer is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and the editor of Evolution News & Science Today, the daily voice of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture, reporting on intelligent design, evolution, and the intersection of science and culture. Klinghoffer is also the author of six books, a former senior editor and literary editor at National Review magazine, and has written for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Seattle Times, Commentary, and other publications. Born in Santa Monica, California, he graduated from Brown University in 1987 with an A.B. magna cum laude in comparative literature and religious studies. David lives near Seattle, Washington, with his wife and children.

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Big Bangcosmic fine-tuningFrank Tiplerintelligent designphysical realityphysicsprejudiceSingularitysupernaturalTulane Universityuniverse