Our universe keeps expanding. But why? | Lee Cronin

**🌌 What If the Universe Expands Because of… Selection?** Sounds wild? It is. But maybe it’s not nonsense. Let’s dive into this provocative idea — that **life, selection, and novelty** might be *fueling* the Universe’s expansion. ### 🌀 The Setup: A Universe in Motion The Universe, as far as we can tell, has been **expanding** ever since the Big Bang. Not just drifting outward — **accelerating**. But **why** is it expanding faster? And what’s it expanding *into*? (Trick question — probably *nothing*. There’s no “outside” to space-time.) ### ❓ A Bigger Question: What If Selection Drives Expansion? Now for the bold idea: > **Could the Universe be expanding because of selection?** Not natural selection in the Darwinian sense, but a **broader concept**: - Wherever **matter interacts**, - Wherever **patterns emerge**, - Wherever **choices are made**, there’s **selection** — and selection may be the engine of **novelty**. ### 🧠 Here’s the Thought Experiment: 1. **Big Bang** happens → universe starts expanding. 2. **Complexity arises** — atoms, molecules, stars, life. 3. **Life generates novelty**, explores possibilities, selects paths. 4. **Selection** becomes embedded in physical processes. 5. That selection might be **linked to the flow of time** — and maybe even **fuels the expansion**. Think of it as: > **The more selection, the more expansion.** Wherever *stuff* interacts and selects — from particles to consciousness — **space inflates** to accommodate complexity. ### 🔄 But What Even *Is* Time? Time, in this view, isn’t just a backdrop — it’s **active**, driven by **irreversible change**, the one-way arrow of causality. And if time is real — and not reversible — then maybe **selection through matter** is what keeps the clock ticking. And keeps the cosmos stretching. ### 🔬 Is It Testable? No, not yet. Maybe not ever. But maybe we’ve been asking the wrong questions. Instead of: > “What force is driving expansion?” Try asking: > “What role does *novelty* play in the evolution of the cosmos?” ### 🧬 Life as Localized Selection If selection per unit volume = life, then maybe **life isn’t separate from the cosmos** — it’s just **one expression of the Universe’s selection process**. That means: - Even if no humans exist, - Even if no Earth exists, - **Wherever there’s interaction, there’s selection.** And **where there’s selection… the Universe expands**. ### 🤯 Final Thought This isn’t settled science. It might even be nonsense. But **isn’t it thrilling** to wonder if your thoughts, your choices, your very existence are *not just observers of the cosmos* — but **contributors to its expansion**? > What if we’re not just in the Universe… > **What if we’re part of what keeps it growing?** --------------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices