Is there an edge to the cosmos?

There are three possibilities as regards the universe's size and shape.

Figure 'A': It is infinite & unbounded.

The space you can roam around on (in this example, a line) is unlimited. And if you move in one direction you'll never bump into an edge (boundary).

Figure 'B': It is finite & bounded.

The space you can move on is limited. And if you move in one direction, eventually you'll meet an edge.

Figure 'C': It is finite & unbounded.

The space you can move on is limited (in the example, the rim). But you can keep on going and will never be stopped by a boundary. You'll just end up where you started.

The balloon analogy is also used. An ant crawling on the balloon's [finite] surface will never reach an edge.

Big Bang cosmology comes in flavors 'A' or 'C'.

Naturalistic thinking [without necessarily equating Big Bang to atheism or materialism] excludes 'B' because an edge would imply a 'neighbor' [God].

Furthermore, if the universe is the summation of everything, they say that to speak of something outside of the cosmos would be a logical absurdity.

Christian cosmology traditionally holds 'B'. And the Bible is replete with passages saying that God is transcendent. That is, God as the creator surpasses (and is independent of) time, space, matter, & energy.

[Image by Cosmology Curiosity]

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Comments

[R.J.]

Incredible! I wonder what the wall/boundary looks like? Is it stone or something like bandwidth(like colliding into an invisible wall in a video game)?