Big Bang cosmology supports atheism over theism.

Ave.I'd like to thank Philo for accepting. I'm actually going to appear on his excellent and informing DDO TV show for an interview. This debate should give us something to talk about for a while! Here's a link to his latest episode if you are interested in watching: http://www.debate.org...I want to make some important notes before I begin. It is not necessary for me to show that Big Bang cosmology absolutely disproves the existence of god. Rather, I only need to show that Big Bang cosmology tips the scales towards atheism as opposed to theism. My opponent has the burden of doing the opposite. I want to remind the audience that I am not arguing for a universe that was uncaused, or existed eternally. No, my argument is much different from that. I accept the casual principle (everything that begins to exist has a cause) and the metaphysical principle that out of nothing, nothing comes. I will try to demonstrate that, even if the universe had a beginning, and these principles are true, Big Bang cosmology still favors atheism over theismIt will be my position that Big Bang cosmology supports the idea of the universe causing itself. I do not mean this in the sense that X caused X. It is logically impossible for the universe to have caused itself in that way. Rather, I am arguing that the universe caused itself in the sense that Z was caused by Y, which was caused by X, which was caused by W, ad infinitum. Allow me to state the premises of my argument, which is based on Quentin Smith and what is called 'cosmological atheology'. [1]1: Every state of the universe is caused by another state.2: If every state of the universe if caused by another state, then an initial state is logically impossible.3: From 1 and 2, an initial state is logically impossible.4: From 3, there can be no cause of the initial state.5: According to the definition of god, god cannot exist.1: Every state of the universe is caused by another state. Assume that each of these are a state of the universe, where time equals something different in each state. T=4 is caused by T=3. T-3 is caused by T=2. T=2 is caused by T=1. T=1 is caused by T=.9, ad infinitum.* If you assume that we are living in the trillionth state, or some such large number, you can perform the same exercise, but I prefer to keep this simple. The conclusion of this argument is that there is something because there is something else to cause that something, there is no initial state for god to cause, and therefore, god cannot have caused the universe.Theists argue that the BB singularity represents a state where T is 0, so there is indeed an initial state that cannot be explained by prior states. They point to the Hawking-Penrose theorem which posits a singularity that the universe came from. However, Hawking and Penrose have withdrawn this theorem a long time ago. Why? They realized that, once you take quantum mechanics into account, there is no need for a singularity. Hawking has this to say in his book A Brief History of Time. [2]“It is perhaps ironic that, having changed my mind, I am now trying to convince other physicists that there was in fact no singularity at the beginning of the universe--as we shall see later, it can disappear once quantum effects are taken into account.”Quentin Smith, professor of the philosophy of physics as West Michigan University, also says more."The cosmic singularity is a hypothetical time t=0 at which all the laws of nature, space and time break down. It is hypothetical or merely imaginary because if it did exist, it would be a physically impossible state, due to the breakdown of all laws, even the laws required for time to exist. This breakdown at the hypothetical t=0 implies there is no first instant t=0 of the finitely old time-series and that each instant is preceded by earlier instants." [3]Therefore, there is no T=0. As you move backward in time, you arrive to a place where there are an infinite number of states that are less than one but not exactly zero. This is because there is no 'first decimal' that comes after zero. Any first state you can think of would, in fact, be preceded by another state, because you can keep halving the number. Consider the first state of the universe, where T=1. There is also a state where T=1/2. Then there is a state where T=1/4. Then there is a state where T=1/8. Then there is a state where T=1/16. You never actually approach an initial state, because this exercise can be performed forever.One may ask how, if the universe began to exist, such an infinite regress of states is possible. I believe that this question can be satisfactorily answered. The universe began in the sense that there is no state that existed before thirteen billion years ago. There are states that existed after thirteen billion years, but there is no state that existed before thirteen billion years ago. That is the sense in which the universe began to exist.2: If every state of the universe if caused by another state, then an initial state is logically impossible.The initial state is a state of the universe. It is distinct from the other states because it is the first one. We’ve established in premise one that every state is caused by another state. It logically follows from this that there cannot be a state that exists which was not caused by another state. If an initial state existed, it would not be caused by another other state. Therefore, an initial state is logically impossible.(This is my support for premise three as well.)4: From three, there can be no cause of the initial state.God is defined as the cause of the initial state of the universe. The initial state is logically impossible given the other premises. God couldn’t have caused the initial state because the initial state is a logically impossible state. In fact, there is nothing that could have caused the initial state, because it’s a logically impossible state.5: According to the definition of god, god cannot exist.God is defined as the cause of the initial state. From 4, no such cause can exist. Therefore, god can not exist.ConclusionBB cosmology removes the need for a singularity, or a T=0 state. This allows every state of the universe to be cauesd by another state, since there is no initial state that requires explanation. This means that it is logically impossible for god to exist, because there is no initial state for god to create. It also means that the universe is explained naturalistically. Once you have explained every part of the universe, you have explained the whole of the universe. My argument does such a thing without reference to god. Therefore, BB cosmology makes god logically impossible, and allows the universe to be explained naturalistically.Vale.References1: http://plato.stanford.edu...2: http://en.wikipedia.org...3: http://www.infidels.org...Notes* This is because S4 is contingent upon S3, which is contingent upon S2, which is contingent upon S1, ad infinitum. Each state can only exist if the prior state existed.