The Collapse of the Universe and the Reversal of Time

The Collapse of the Universe and the Reversal of Time Cosmologists today do not agree on whether the universe will expand forever, or will eventually recollapse. And among those who subscribe to the latter view, there is disagreement over the nature of the collapse. Some believe it will be a mirror image of the big bang, so that any intelligent creatures living during the second half of the universe's life will sense time moving in …

…to time cosmologists decide that the universe is, or is not, finite in size, or finite in lifespan, and they appear satisfied that their current theory settles the argument. But outsiders can see that they are still groping, with insufficient evidence to decide the matter. Meanwhile those of us who find it aesthetically pleasing to think of a finite universe, with its two temporal halves related by symmetry, may do so with a clear conscience.