DON BOSCO TECHNICAL INSTITUTE OF VICTORIAS INC.

VICMICO, Victorias City, 6119 Negros Occidental, Philippines

Senior High School Department | School Year 2022–2023

THEORIES ON THE
ORIGIN OF THE
UNIVERSE

Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics 11
Chapter 1: Earth and Space
Prepared by: Lord William B. Pacurib
 OBJECTIVES
Theories on the Origin of the Universe

• Describe the historical development of theories that

explain the origin of the universe
• Compare and contrast the perspectives on the origin
of the universe as presented in various religious
traditions.
• Analyze the philosophical underpinnings of different
schools of thought regarding the universe's origin.
• Examine the evolution of scientific theories about
the origin of the universe.

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 MOTIVATION
Theories on the Origin of the Universe

The countless number of stars, a few visible

planets, and the moon in the night sky are all
fascinating sights.
• Have you ever wondered how these
celestial bodies came about?
• How are these things connected to you?
• What would you gain from understanding
their origin?

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INTRODUCTION
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
Humankind has always been curious as to what
makes up the universe and how it was created.
• Countless theories have been put up to try
answer questions regarding the nature and
mysteries of the cosmos in an attempt to
understand how the universe began.
• Understanding how the universe began helps
in learning Earth, its beginning, and its
processes.

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INTRODUCTION
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
The origin of the universe has been a long
debate among thinkers and scientists.
• Scientists estimate that the universe
originated about 13.7 billion years ago.
• The solar system, on the other hand,
is believed to have formed about 4.5
billion years ago.

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 REVIEW
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
The universe is a vast place filled with objects. Can you identify the
following heavenly bodies?

I'm a celestial city of

stars, a cosmic spiral
dance, what am I?
Galaxy

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 REVIEW
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
The universe is a vast place filled with objects. Can you identify the
following heavenly bodies?

I am a cosmic cloud of
mystery and beauty, where
stars are born in a dance of
colors and light – what am I?

Nebula

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 REVIEW
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
The universe is a vast place filled with objects. Can you identify the
following heavenly bodies?

I twinkle in the night sky,

a distant fire born from
ages gone by. What am I?

Star

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 REVIEW
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
The universe is a vast place filled with objects. Can you identify the
following heavenly bodies?

I dance 'round the sun in a

cosmic ballet, with Mercury's
swift waltz and Neptune's
slow sway—what am I?

Planet

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 REVIEW
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
The universe is a vast place filled with objects. Can you identify the
following heavenly bodies?

I rise in the east, casting

warmth and light, a celestial
dancer in the sky's vast
expanse—what am I?

Sun

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 LESSON PROPER
Religious Traditions
Religion attempts to explain the
origin of the universe through divine
creation, attributing its existence to the
will or actions of a higher power or deity.

In Abrahamic religions, the world is

often believed to have been created by a
single, divine God who shaped and
brought forth all of creation.

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 LESSON PROPER
Religious Traditions
1. Hindu Creation Myth: The universe
emerges from the cosmic dance of Lord
Shiva and the primordial sound "Om,"
evolving through cycles of creation,
preservation, and dissolution.
2. Mesopotamian Creation Myth (Enuma
Elish): The goddess Tiamat's body forms
the heavens and earth after her defeat by
the god Marduk, symbolizing the triumph
of order over chaos.

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 LESSON PROPER
Religious Traditions
3. Norse Creation Myth (Poetic Edda): The
primordial giants Ymir and Audhumla
contribute to the creation of the world,
with Ymir's body shaping the land and
Audhumla's nurturing enabling life.
4. Egyptian Creation Myth (Heliopolitan):
The god Atum emerges from the
primordial waters and brings the
universe into being through self-
creation and the spoken word.

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 LESSON PROPER
Religious Traditions
5. Chinese Creation Myth (Pangu): The
giant Pangu forms the world by
separating the chaos of yin and yang, as
he grows and supports the heavens and
earth over 18,000 years.
6. Aboriginal Dreamtime Creation Myth:
Ancestral beings travel the land, shaping
the terrain and natural features as they
sing and dance, creating the world's
physical and spiritual landscape.

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 LESSON PROPER
Religious Traditions
7. Mayan Creation Myth (Popol Vuh): The
gods create humanity from maize
dough after failed attempts with mud
and wood, imbuing humans with the
essence of their divine origins.
8. Japanese Creation Myth (Kojiki): The
gods Izanagi and Izanami stir the ocean
with a spear, giving birth to the
Japanese islands and numerous deities
as they create the world.

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 LESSON PROPER
Philosophical Thoughts
Philosophy seeks to explain the
origin of the universe through diverse
conceptual frameworks, ranging from
divine intellects and fundamental
elements to eternal principles and
metaphysical entities, offering insights
into the nature of existence and its
underlying principles.

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 LESSON PROPER
Philosophical Thoughts
1. Anaxagoras: The universe's origin
was driven by a cosmic mind or Nous,
a single divine intellect that set the
universe into motion and order.
2. Democritus: The universe emerged
from the collision and arrangement of
indivisible atoms in an infinite void.

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 LESSON PROPER
Philosophical Thoughts
3. Heraclitus: The universe's origin was a
result of perpetual change and
constant flux, driven by the principle of
panta rhei or "everything flows."
4. Parmenides: The universe's origin was
an unchanging, eternal reality, and the
appearances of change and multiplicity
were illusory, presenting a monistic
view of existence.

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 LESSON PROPER
Philosophical Thoughts
5. Epicurus: The universe originated
through the random movement and
collision of atoms in an infinite void,
guided by natural laws, leading to the
formation of worlds and life.
6. Stoics: The universe's origin was the
result of a divine, all-encompassing fire,
which cyclically transformed into various
elements in a recurring cosmic cycle.

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 LESSON PROPER
Philosophical Thoughts
7. Plato: The universe's origin is the work
of a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who
shaped the cosmos based on eternal
Forms and mathematical proportions.
8. Aristotle: The universe was eternal and
uncreated, with a prime mover or
unmoved mover setting the cosmos in
motion due to its inherent desire for
perfection.

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 LESSON PROPER
Philosophical Thoughts
9. Plotinus: The universe's origin is an
emanation from the One, a transcendent
source of all reality, through a hierarchical
series of levels leading to the material
world.
10. Leibniz: The universe was a collection of
individual, immaterial substances, called
monads, are interconnected by a pre-
established harmony, reflecting God's
grand design.

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 LESSON PROPER
Paradigm Shift
The transition from religious explanations to
philosophical inquiries marked a shift towards rational
exploration, as philosophy sought to explain the
universe's origin through logic and natural principles.

Eventually, the advent of science brought empirical

observations, mathematical models, and experimental
methodologies, leading to a further paradigm shift where
explanations evolved from metaphysical concepts to
evidence-based theories rooted in the physical laws of
the universe.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Steady State Theory: The
universe is constant and
unchanging, with new matter
continuously forming to
maintain its density. It is
proposed by Fred Hoyle.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Big Bang Theory: The universe
originated from an immensely hot and
dense singularity, expanding rapidly
and evolving over billions of years. It
is proposed by Father Georges
Lemaître and further supported by the
discovery of cosmic microwave
background radiation.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Difference between the two
models: The steady state theory
posits a universe with no
beginning, where new matter
continuously arises to maintain
a constant density, while the
Big Bang theory proposes a
universe originating from an
immensely dense and hot state,
expanding from a singularity.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Inflationary Universe
Theory: A rapid exponential
expansion in the earliest
moments of the universe's
existence, explaining some
observed cosmic features. It
was developed by Alan
Guth.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Oscillating Universe
Theory: The universe goes
through cycles of
expansion and contraction,
with each cycle beginning
anew. This explanation was
once favored by Albert
Einstein.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Ekpyrotic Universe Theory:
The universe is one of two
parallel branes that cyclically
collide and separate in higher-
dimensional space; proposed
by Neil Turok and Paul
Steinhardt.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Brane Cosmology: Our
universe is a three-
dimensional "brane"
floating in a higher-
dimensional space, and the
Big Bang was the result of a
collision between branes.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Multiverse Theory: Our
universe is just one of
countless "bubble"
universes within a larger
multiverse, each with its own
physical laws and constants.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
String Theory: The
fundamental building
blocks of the universe are
tiny, vibrating strings, and
the Big Bang was a result
of interactions between
these strings.

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 LESSON PROPER
Scientific Theories
Loop Quantum
Gravity: The universe has
a discrete structure at the
smallest scales, and its
origin involves the
quantum geometry of
space-time loops.

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 VALUES INTEGRATION
Catholic Theological Perspective on the Origin of
the Universe

Despite the varying cosmological theories, the

Church teaches that the universe is brought into
existence by God's love and for a purpose, with
each creature having its own value and
significance.

Our faith affirms that the emergence of the universe

and life cannot be solely explained by natural
processes, but rather involves divine intervention
and the continuous support of the Creator.

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 VALUES INTEGRATION
Does the Church agree with the Big Bang Theory?

The Church does not see any contradiction

between the Big Bang theory and the doctrine
of creatio ex nihilo, which is the belief that God
created the universe out of nothing.

The Big Bang theory does not exclude the

possibility of an antecedent stage of matter, and
it can be seen as providing indirect support for
the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, which can only
be known by faith.

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 APPLICATION
Class Discussion

In your own perspective, how

do you think everything in
the universe come to exist?

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 APPLICATION
Class Discussion

Compare and contrast the

Big Bang Theory and the
Steady State Theory.

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 APPLICATION
Class Discussion

In an alternate history scenario, you are a

historian investigating the prevalence of
the steady state theory's acceptance if the
evidence for the Big Bang Theory hadn't
been discovered. How might scientific
progress and our understanding of the
universe have evolved differently without
this paradigm-shifting revelation?

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 SHORT QUIZ
Identification. For each statement, indicate whether it belongs to the category of
Philosophical (P), Religious (R), or Scientific (S) perspective on the origin of the
universe.
____ 1. The universe was created by a divine being who
____ 2.
orchestrated its existence and purpose.
The universe emerged from a singularity in an explosive
____ event.
3. The universe is a manifestation of eternal and cyclical
cosmic forces, repeating in cycles of creation and
____ destruction.
4. The origin of the universe is an expression of an ineffable
____ reality, transcending human understanding.
5. The universe emerged as a result of random chance and
natural processes, without any predetermined purpose.

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 SHORT QUIZ
Identification. For each statement, indicate whether it belongs to the category of
Philosophical (P), Religious (R), or Scientific (S) perspective on the origin of the
universe.

____ 6. The universe was fashioned by a divine craftsman who

____ carefully designed its structure and laws.
7. The universe arises from the interplay of fundamental
elements and energies, driven by the harmony of cosmic
____ balance.
8. The universe is a projection of the divine mind, reflecting
____ the cosmic consciousness and unity of all things.
____ 9. The universe is just one among many parallel universes,
each with unique physical laws and constants.
10. The origin of the universe is a mystery beyond human
comprehension, a subject of wonder and contemplation.

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 SHORT QUIZ
Identification. For each statement, indicate whether it belongs to the category of
Philosophical (P), Religious (R), or Scientific (S) perspective on the origin of the
universe.
R
____ 1. The universe was created by a divine being who
S
____ orchestrated its existence and purpose.
2. The universe emerged from a singularity in an explosive
P
____ event.
3. The universe is a manifestation of eternal and cyclical
cosmic forces, repeating in cycles of creation and
P
____ destruction.
4. The origin of the universe is an expression of an ineffable
S
____ reality, transcending human understanding.
5. The universe emerged as a result of random chance and
natural processes, without any predetermined purpose.

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 SHORT QUIZ
Identification. For each statement, indicate whether it belongs to the category of
Philosophical (P), Religious (R), or Scientific (S) perspective on the origin of the
universe.

R
____ 6. The universe was fashioned by a divine craftsman who
S
____ carefully designed its structure and laws.
7. The universe arises from the interplay of fundamental
R
____
elements and energies, driven by the harmony of cosmic
balance.
S
____ 8. The universe is a projection of the divine mind, reflecting
the cosmic consciousness and unity of all things.
P
____ 9. The universe is just one among many parallel universes,
each with unique physical laws and constants.
10. The origin of the universe is a mystery beyond human
comprehension, a subject of wonder and contemplation.

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 SUMMARY
Theories on the Origin of the Universe
• Religious Traditions: Various religions offer explanations for the
origin of the universe, often attributing creation to divine beings
or cosmic forces, reflecting cultural beliefs and cosmogonies.
• Philosophical Schools: Philosophers explore the universe's
origin through diverse lenses, addressing fundamental
questions about existence, purpose, and meaning, contributing
perspectives that extend beyond religious and scientific
paradigms.
• Scientific Theories: Science offers evidence-based explanations
for the universe's origin, evolving over time through rigorous
observation, experimentation, and theorization, contributing to
a deeper understanding of cosmic beginnings.

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