Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
With a science paper published after his death, Stephen Hawking has revived debate on a deeply divisive question for cosmologists: Is our Universe just one of many in an infinite, ever-expanding "multiverse"? According to one school of thought, the cosmos started expanding exponentially after the Big Bang. In most parts, this expansion or "inflation" continues eternally, except for a few pockets where it stops. These pockets are where universes like ours are formed -- multitudes of them that are often likened to "bubbles" in an ever-expanding ocean dubbed the multiverse. Many scientists don't like the idea, including Hawking, who said in an interview last year: "I have never been a fan of the multiverse."
Thank you for viewing this presentation. The Archive appreciates your time and encourages you to explore our channel.
Help support our channel and receive exclusive bonuses!
Patreon Supporters: patreon.com/ancientarchive
Archive YouTube Memberships: youtube.com/channel/UCq4G66-BL1PvZtW6RLXCjBg/join
Subscribe here: youtube.com/ancientastronautarchive
Website: ancientastronautarchive.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AncientAstronautArchive
0:00 Introduction
0:20 STEPHEN HAWKING'S LAST THEORY
3:43 The problem with the usual account of eternal inflation is that it assumes an existing background universe that evolves according to Einstein's theory of general relativity and treats the quantum effects as small fluctuations around this
4:00 However, the dynamics of eternal inflation wipes out the separation between classical and quantum physics. As a consequence, Einstein's theory breaks down in eternal inflation.
5:13 When we trace the evolution of our universe backwards in time, at some point we arrive at the threshold of eternal inflation, where our familiar notion of time ceases to have any meaning.
6:03 We predict that our universe, on the largest scales, is reasonably smooth and globally finite. So it is not a fractal structure.
With a science paper published after his death, Stephen Hawking has revived debate on a deeply divisive question for cosmologists: Is our Universe just one of many in an infinite, ever-expanding "multiverse"? According to one school of thought, the cosmos started expanding exponentially after the Big Bang. In most parts, this expansion or "inflation" continues eternally, except for a few pockets where it stops. These pockets are where universes like ours are formed -- multitudes of them that are often likened to "bubbles" in an ever-expanding ocean dubbed the multiverse. Many scientists don't like the idea, including Hawking, who said in an interview last year: "I have never been a fan of the multiverse."
Thank you for viewing this presentation. The Archive appreciates your time and encourages you to explore our channel.
Help support our channel and receive exclusive bonuses!
Patreon Supporters: patreon.com/ancientarchive
Archive YouTube Memberships: youtube.com/channel/UCq4G66-BL1PvZtW6RLXCjBg/join
Subscribe here: youtube.com/ancientastronautarchive
Website: ancientastronautarchive.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AncientAstronautArchive
0:00 Introduction
0:20 STEPHEN HAWKING'S LAST THEORY
3:43 The problem with the usual account of eternal inflation is that it assumes an existing background universe that evolves according to Einstein's theory of general relativity and treats the quantum effects as small fluctuations around this
4:00 However, the dynamics of eternal inflation wipes out the separation between classical and quantum physics. As a consequence, Einstein's theory breaks down in eternal inflation.
5:13 When we trace the evolution of our universe backwards in time, at some point we arrive at the threshold of eternal inflation, where our familiar notion of time ceases to have any meaning.
6:03 We predict that our universe, on the largest scales, is reasonably smooth and globally finite. So it is not a fractal structure.
