Relational Space-Time, the Big Bang Singularity, and the Limits of Meaning Instantiation

Relational Space-Time, the Big Bang Singularity, and the Limits of Meaning Instantiation

In our exploration of black holes, we encountered the idea that the event horizon marks a boundary for the instantiation of meaning. Just as the event horizon of a black hole prevents the escape of light and information, it similarly obstructs the unfolding of meaning for an observer within the event horizon. As we near the singularity, space and time collapse in such a way that processes cease to unfold in any meaningful way for the observer, rendering it a kind of "non-being"—a place where instantiation cannot occur.

This intriguing concept raises the question: is the Big Bang singularity any different?

The Big Bang Singularity: A Boundary of Potentiality?

In the standard cosmological model, the Big Bang is often described as the origin of the universe—a point where both space and time, as we understand them, were birthed. But what if we apply the relational model of space-time to this idea? Instead of viewing the Big Bang as a point of infinite density, we might consider it as a boundary condition for the potential of the universe—a moment where the universe's potential became actualised.

Just like the black hole singularity, the Big Bang could represent a point where the conventional conception of time breaks down. In the relational model, time isn’t a universal constant but a measure of the unfolding of processes. Prior to the Big Bang, there were no processes, and thus no time, as we understand it. The "singularity" represents a boundary between potential meaning and actualised meaning—a boundary where meaning instantiation, as we know it, was not possible.

This poses a question: can we even talk about the Big Bang as a "place" or a "moment" in a meaningful way? If it represents a state where processes hadn’t yet unfolded, can we say that the Big Bang singularity is simply another form of non-being, much like the singularity within a black hole? In this view, the Big Bang is not an event within the universe but a boundary beyond which no meaning can be instantiated—just as the black hole singularity is a boundary for an infalling observer.

A Universe Born from Meaning Potential

One of the striking implications of this idea is that the Big Bang could be understood not as the moment of the universe’s creation, but as the moment when the universe's potential became instantiated. The initial singularity didn’t give rise to the universe in any conventional sense—it merely marked the transition from the pure potentiality of a pre-universe to the actualisation of meaning that we experience as our cosmos.

As with black holes, where the collapse of meaning and space occurs in extreme conditions, the Big Bang marks the point where meaning became accessible to beings within the universe, and from that moment forward, the universe unfolded into actualised processes. From this perspective, the Big Bang singularity may not be a place of creation, but a boundary that separates potential from the unfolding processes of reality.

Conclusion: The Big Bang as a Boundary of Instantiation

In considering the Big Bang through the lens of relational space-time and meaning instantiation, we can see that it shares intriguing similarities with black hole singularities. Both represent boundaries of potential, points where conventional ideas of space and time break down, and places where meaning cannot be instantiated. The Big Bang isn’t so much the "birth" of the universe as it is a threshold where meaning became real, and the universe began its process of unfolding.

Just as the singularity inside a black hole is a space where meaning ceases to be instantiated, the Big Bang singularity is a boundary that marks the transition from a realm of potential to a realm of actualised meaning and processes. It’s not a place that can be meaningfully inhabited or observed—at least not in any way that we can comprehend from within our universe. Rather, it’s a conceptual boundary that shapes the course of the universe's unfolding.