According to Stephen Hawking and Thomas Hertog, “quantum physics forbids a single history.” Which is to say that when the universe began, all possible histories existed simultaneously. Apparently, the possible histories that wouldn’t have led us to where we are now kind of died off as time went on. Of course, this makes no sense to me, but neither does quantum physics. What are you gonna do?
In other news, Pope John Paul II once told Hawking and other cosmologists that they shouldn’t study the beginning of the universe because that was the work of God. Though for a religious leader, that’s a suprisingly progressive stance to take. Give credit where it’s due: at least John Paul actually thought the cosmologists knew what they were talking about. If only american christians had that much respect for biologists.