“Well, there could be a “timeline” outside of ours, from which we are a consequence. As an analogy, an author has his own timeline, independent of the one in a book that he wrote. He’s free to read it from the beginning, middle or end as he chooses.”
Even if this were the case, it wouldn’t invalidate my point. In order for our universe to change from a pre-Big Bang state to a post-Big Bang state, time must have existed in our timeline, not just in an outside one.
“In order for our universe to change from a pre-Big Bang state to a post-Big Bang state, time must have existed in our timeline, not just in an outside one.”
I suppose you’re saying here that “time” exists independently of a timeline started with a big bang. I don’t think Big Bang theory disallows that notion. Also, I don’t think that sort of time need be deterministic, the way we experience ours.