By Yanco
March 27, 2025

Introduction

Since the dawn of humanity, people have tried to answer the big questions of life: Where do we come from? What is the origin of everything that exists? These questions extend far beyond our own existence and lead us to the very beginnings of the universe itself. Scientifically speaking, the history of the universe begins with the Big Bang about 13.8 billion years ago, but what came before? This article proposes a new idea, "undefinedness," as an answer to these mysteries. Undefinedness is described here as a state that existed before space, time, and physical laws—a state so fundamentally different that it challenges our usual ways of thinking. The aim of this text is to explain this idea step by step, connect it with scientific and philosophical concepts, and make it understandable for laypeople. In doing so, it explores how undefinedness might not only explain the origin of the universe but also expand our understanding of reality.

Attentive readers may notice that statements made early on are later revised or contradicted. The author is aware that such objections could be raised. Nevertheless, the initial explanations were chosen in this way because certain matters would otherwise be nearly impossible to explain comprehensibly.

The Question of Origin

The question of origin is as old as human thought itself. Even in antiquity, philosophers grappled with the creation of the world. A prominent example is Socrates, a Greek thinker from the 5th century BCE, whose ideas have been passed down to us through the writings of his student Plato. In Plato’s dialogue "Timaeus," a cosmological discussion unfolds in which time is considered something that arose with the order of the world (Plato, ca. 380 BCE/2008). Socrates—or at least the character Plato attributes to him—might have argued that it is meaningless to ask about a "before" if time itself began with the universe. This is a profound insight: If time is a product of the universe, how can we ask what came "before" that point? Without time, there is no "before" or "after"—concepts we take for granted in everyday life.

Yet the difficulty goes beyond time. The question of "what" is also problematic. If we assume that space and matter also emerged with the universe—as modern cosmology describes with the Big Bang (Hawking & Penrose, 1970)—then we lack a frame of reference to describe what existed beforehand. Was it a "something"? A "nothing"? Both terms already presuppose something defined—whether the presence or absence of something. This is where the idea of undefinedness comes in: It suggests that before the universe, there was a state that can be described neither as "something" nor as "nothing" because any definition is absent.

What is Undefinedness?

Undefinedness is a concept that is not easily put into words because it is the exact opposite of what we normally understand: definition, order, structure. In everyday life, we are used to categorizing things—a table is a table, time moves forward, gravity pulls us downward. But undefinedness calls all of that into question. It describes a state in which nothing is fixed: no space, no time, no matter, no physical laws. If we assume that all these things emerged with the Big Bang, as modern physics suggests (Hawking & Penrose, 1970), then before this event there could have been a state in which none of this existed—or rather, in which none of it was defined.

However, that’s just the beginning. Undefinedness goes beyond terms like "chaos" or "void," which are often used to describe the unknown. Chaos implies disorder, but still something that exists; void suggests absence, yet that too is a kind of definition. Undefinedness, on the other hand, doesn’t even establish whether it is defined or undefined. That sounds confusing, but therein lies its strength: It contains all possibilities—defined and undefined—without committing to one side. It is a state beyond our usual logic, where contradictions like "something" and "nothing" lose meaning because the categories themselves don’t apply.

The Emergence of the Universe from Undefinedness

How could the universe arise from such a state? The idea is that our universe—with all its stars, planets, and laws—is a defined part of undefinedness. Imagine undefinedness as a kind of "soup" in which everything is possible without anything needing to be fixed. From this soup, a region could have taken shape that assumed structure—our universe. What’s exciting is that undefinedness doesn’t require a cause in the classical sense. In everyday life, we think in terms of cause and effect: A ball rolls because someone pushed it. But in undefinedness, that logic doesn’t exist—things can simply happen, without reason.

This notion finds parallels in modern physics, particularly in quantum mechanics. Physicist Anton Zeilinger, who received the Nobel Prize in 2022 for his work on quantum entanglement, has shown that subatomic particles can take on properties without a clear cause being apparent (Zeilinger, 1999). For example, an electron can spontaneously "choose" a position or direction without an external influence explaining it. This principle of randomness could be a hint that our universe itself emerged from an undefined state—a spontaneous event without a "why." The universe would then be a defined segment of a larger undefinedness, much like an island emerging from the ocean, while the ocean itself has no boundaries.

This also means that, in a way, we are still part of undefinedness. Our world may seem defined—we have solid shapes, time flows in one direction, gravity works predictably—but it could exist within a larger undefined context. A comparison from physics helps here: Light behaves both as a wave and as a particle, depending on how we observe it (Einstein, 1905). Similarly, we could simultaneously be defined beings within an undefined whole.

Physical Implications and Evidence

The idea of undefinedness may sound abstract, but it could explain physical phenomena that have long puzzled scientists. One example is the emergence of matter "from nothing." In quantum physics, there’s the concept of quantum fluctuations: In a vacuum—which we imagine as empty—virtual particles constantly appear and disappear (Guth, 1997). These particles arise spontaneously, without a discernible cause, and could be a remnant of an undefined state where such events are normal. Physicist Alan Guth has proposed that the Big Bang itself was a kind of quantum fluctuation that caused the universe to expand from a tiny point (Guth, 1997). Undefinedness could have been that point—not as "nothing," but as a state without fixed rules.

Another mystery is dark energy, a mysterious force accelerating the universe’s expansion. Astronomers like Saul Perlmutter have shown that about 70% of the universe’s energy comes from this unknown source (Perlmutter et al., 1999). No one knows exactly what dark energy is, but it could be linked to an undefined origin. If undefinedness describes a state where everything is possible, it might also produce forces or phenomena beyond our defined laws. Dark energy could then be an "echo" of this state, acting within our universe.

Undefinedness could also make the universe’s emergence logically tangible. The Big Bang is often described as the moment when space, time, and matter arose (Hawking & Penrose, 1970). But what triggered it? Classical physics demands a cause, but undefinedness doesn’t require one. It allows the universe to simply "happen," much like quantum particles appear without reason. This makes the universe’s origin less mysterious by questioning the need for a trigger.

Philosophical Significance

On a philosophical level, undefinedness changes our view of reality. Normally, we think in opposites: Something is either true or false, existent or nonexistent. But undefinedness dissolves these boundaries. It suggests that contradictions—like "defined" and "undefined"—aren’t true opposites but can coexist within a larger context. This recalls the duality of light: It’s neither just a wave nor just a particle, but both, depending on perspective (Einstein, 1905). Similarly, we could be defined beings living in an undefined reality.

This way of thinking opens new possibilities. For instance, undefinedness might not only be the universe’s origin but encompass everything—from the void to God, from the reader to the cosmos. It doesn’t define what it is, and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful: It excludes nothing. That doesn’t mean it’s chaotic or arbitrary, but that it lies beyond our usual categories. It’s like an infinitely vast space where everything fits without anything needing to be fixed—or better yet, it doesn’t define whether it’s an infinitely vast space.

This also has practical implications for our thinking. If we accept undefinedness, we can reconsider phenomena that previously seemed contradictory. Why does matter arise spontaneously? Why is the universe accelerating? Instead of seeking rigid answers, we could ask more open questions: Where does undefinedness show up in our world? This encourages us to see reality not as fixed, but as something continually unfolding.

Criticism and Limits

Of course, there are objections to undefinedness. One might be that it’s too vague to be scientifically testable. If it defines nothing—not even whether it’s defined—how can it be tested or disproven? Science relies on measurable outcomes and clear hypotheses, but undefinedness evades such criteria. A physicist might ask, "Why should we accept such a hypothesis if we can’t prove it?" This is a valid objection that highlights the concept’s limits.

Yet the value of undefinedness lies not in concrete proof but in its ability to broaden our thinking. It’s less a scientific answer than a provocation: It challenges us to go beyond what we consider certain. Those who wish can see it as a thought experiment that helps us view the world differently. Even if it’s not directly testable, it can inspire new questions—about randomness in quantum physics or the nature of dark energy—that might lead to real discoveries.

Conclusion

Undefinedness is an idea that views the origin of the universe and our entire world in a new way. It suggests that before space, time, and physical laws, there existed a state without definition—a state from which our defined universe spontaneously emerged. This idea finds support in quantum physics, where chance and spontaneity play a role, and could explain phenomena like quantum fluctuations or dark energy. Philosophically, it opens a way of thinking that resolves contradictions and encourages us to approach reality more openly.

Though undefinedness remains speculative and scientifically elusive, it has clear value: It prompts us to think beyond the limits of our knowledge. Perhaps future research will reveal whether traces of this state can be found in the universe’s structure—such as in the random emergence of matter or the mysterious dark energy. Until then, it remains an invitation to face life’s big questions with curiosity and openness.

References

• Einstein, A. (1905). On a heuristic point of view concerning the production and transformation of light. Annalen der Physik, 17(6), 132–148. https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.19053220607
• Guth, A. H. (1997). The inflationary universe: The quest for a new theory of cosmic origins. Basic Books.
• Hawking, S. W., & Penrose, R. (1970). The singularities of gravitational collapse and cosmology. Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 314(1519), 529–548. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1970.0021
• Perlmutter, S., Aldering, G., Goldhaber, G., et al. (1999). Measurements of Ω and Λ from 42 high-redshift supernovae. The Astrophysical Journal, 517(2), 565–586. https://doi.org/10.1086/307221
• Plato. (ca. 380 BCE/2008). Timaeus (Translated by F. Ueberweg). Reclam.
• Zeilinger, A. (1999). Experiment and the foundations of quantum mechanics. Reviews of Modern Physics, 71(2), S288–S297. https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.71.S288

Further Links

• Nobel Prize for Anton Zeilinger – Quantum Physics
• NASA: The Expansion of the Universe
• Stanford Encyclopedia: Plato’s Timaeus