It’s turtles all the way down

Is the universe infinite?

In our earthen lives, we are used to finite things. We can number them; perform calculations with them; sort them into neat tables and graphs. When an infinte concept is introduced, we are often flummoxed — and rightfully so. How can something exist without a limit?

Long-awaited space exploration game No Man’s Sky just released. In it, the player finds itself on a random planet in a procedurally generated universe described as infinite. The preface is amazing for a computer game, but it is a lie: we possess no computer with enough power to generate a truly infinite simulation. The world in No Man’s Sky can only exist within the limitations of the servers hosting it.

The idea of infinite regression (everything that exists is contained within something else) dates back to the 17th century. It is no more a physics or math problem, than it is a philosophical one. Standing alongside other known problems like the Chicken or Egg causality dilemma, or the logical fallacy of circular arguments, it can quickly become overwhelming.

In Hindu mythology, the world is flat, and stands upon four elephants. They in turn stand upon a giant World Turtle. That idea begs the question, “what does the World Turtle stand on?”

Well, it is turtles all the way down.