Into the Impossible With Brian Keating Thomas Hertog: What Came Before The Big Bang?
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Sep 6, 2025 
Thomas Hertog, a collaborator of Stephen Hawking and author of "On the Origin of Time," delves into groundbreaking theories about the universe. He discusses the radical no-boundary proposal, suggesting a cosmos with no fixed beginnings and evolving laws. Hertog challenges the multiverse concept and emphasizes the importance of the observer in cosmology. He explores how time may emerge from deeper realities and the implications of the holographic principle. He also highlights upcoming experiments that could reshape our understanding of the universe.
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First Meeting With Hawking
- Thomas Hertog recalls meeting Stephen Hawking as a transformative, philosophical homecoming.
- Hawking's claim that "the universe doesn't have a unique history" launched their long collaboration.
Time Becomes Space At The Origin
- Hawking's no-boundary model smooths the Big Bang by turning time into a spatial dimension.
- That Euclidean 'rounding off' removes a meaningful
Wave Function Encodes Many Histories
- A wave function of the universe encodes many possible histories rather than a single timeline.
- The no-boundary wave function assigns high weight to universes with an early inflationary phase.
