My New Toy!

[xander]

(I happen to believe that the observable universe is just about all there is, and that science has the potential to give us a near perfect understanding of that universe, but that isn't true of all scientists.)

I hope that is just ropey understanding/wording, rather than you saying that you don't believe there is a larger section of the universe which the light from has not yet reached us.

Of course there is a larger section of the universe that we have not yet observed. That doesn't mean that we won't be able to observe it at some point in the future. And a "near perfect" model is still allowed to be off. That is why it is only near perfect, and not perfect.

xander

[wwarnick]

Though we may see everything in the universe, it doesn't mean we'll have a near-perfect understanding of it. You may be right, xander, but what if what we thought would solve all the mysteries of the universe only uncovered more mysteries (as is the current rule). Right now we may not be able to imagine what else there could be, but 100 years ago we couldn't imagine half the stuff we've discovered in recent years. Basically, what if the universe isn't finite?

wwarnick