Vince

Well, I would be wary of using that as an analogy because the laws of thermodynamics do actually apply in well-defined ways right up to the point of zero. The issue is with the point of zero -- particularly in the case of the Big Bang. What you have is a singularity: a point of infinite density. All the stuff in the universe is crammed into one infinitely small point. When you get zeroes and infinities involved mathematics ceases being able to do anything meaningful, and that's why the laws of physics break down (the laws of physics are mathematical...).

Hello everyone. I'm a British student and I'm fairly new to Objectivism -- I "converted" to capitalist libertarianism two years or so again after recanting socialism (I read the Communist Manifesto and decided it was a load of rubbish ). I am very interested in philosophy -- metaphysics, ethics, politics and so on. I was interested to read about Rand's theories, particularly since I've been a fan of Nietzsche for a while and I can see clear commonalities between the two. I'm especially fond of Objectivist epistemology, which seems to identify pretty much exactly with what I believe. So, hello all, hopefully you don't mind a newbie to Objectivism. (As for my general interests... I'm interested in history -- all history, but particularly modern, and especially that of the Soviet Union. I'm also interested in the theory and practice of totalitarianism.)