Replies

Thank you, Dear Sister, for that clarification!

Indeed, where I was headed was to expound on the apparent and observed anisotropy of our universe, as illustrated by the CMB measurements, and in its current state -- as observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey:

AND THEN, to marvel that our very survival depends on the fact that we are generally surrounded by an isotropic atmosphere, and that many things (including the water we require for life) also behave isotropically.

(Of course, our atmosphere can get a bit anisotropic at times (think, "F5 tornado")... '-)

Of course, if the "primordial soup" had remained isotropic ("without form and void"), this

could not be observed -- and we could not exist to observe it...

Yet... our very existence depends on local, isotropic conditions.

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Without anisotropy we could not exist;
without isotropy we cannot survive.

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Almost makes one tend to believe in "Divine Providence" or an "Intelligent Designer", eh?

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QUESTION: how can one explain (mathematically or otherwise) that both isotropy and anisotropy coexist in our universe -- without invoking an external "Cause"?

Wow, dear brother in Christ, thank you so very much for those outstanding insights!

Your reasoning will no doubt be seen again and again when we are conversing with atheists. As you say,

Without anisotropy we could not exist; without isotropy we cannot survive.

And yes, it certainly should cause people to recognize "Divine Providence" - i.e. that God is the Creator.

QUESTION: how can one explain (mathematically or otherwise) that both isotropy and anisotropy coexist in our universe -- without invoking an external "Cause"?

I don't see how they can explain it away. It would be interesting to watch and I'm pinging a few from a thread about atheism to solicit their response to the challenge, if they have a response.

BTW, one of the things I find quite annoying with multi-verse physical cosmology theory is the presumption that the physical laws and constants of this universe would apply to prior ones. That is a statement of faith not reason.

Thank you also for that beautiful link to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey!

Another comment for the discussion or any lurkers...

The webpage source for your second image from SDSS, BOSS: Dark Energy and the Geometry of Space explains the project as follows:

he SDSS-III's Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) will map the spatial distribution of luminous red galaxies (LRGs) and quasars to detect the characteristic scale imprinted by baryon acoustic oscillations in the early universe. Sound waves that propagate in the early universe, like spreading ripples in a pond, imprint a characteristic scale on cosmic microwave background fluctuations. These fluctuations have evolved into today's walls and voids of galaxies, meaning this baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) scale (about 150 Mpc) is visible among galaxies today.

The cosmic microwave radiation records the sound waves of the universe at the moment light was formed: Harmonics in the Early Universe. Scripture says:

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. - Genesis 1:3

Lurkers interested in hearing that sound should click here.