"There is no rational reason to doubt that the universe has existed indefinitely, for an infinite time. It is only myth that attempts to say how the universe came to be, either four thousand or twenty billion years ago"

Hannes Alfven’s statement addresses the longstanding philosophical and scientific debates about the origins and age of the universe. He argues against the necessity of a finite beginning, suggesting that skepticism about an infinite universe lacks rational justification. Alfven implies that the belief in a universe with an explicit starting point, whether a few thousand years ago, as in some religious narratives, or billions of years ago, as in prevailing cosmological models, is rooted more in mythology and human storytelling than in empirical necessity.

The assertion challenges the dominance of cosmological models like the Big Bang theory, which posits a finite age for the universe, currently estimated at around 13.8 billion years. By grouping both religious and scientific cosmologies as “myth,” Alfven emphasizes that any attempt to define an absolute beginning may reflect a human need for origins, boundaries, and narratives, rather than objective reality. He points to a form of intellectual humility: just because our theories and myths offer an explanation for how things began does not make those explanations rationally necessary.

Alfven’s perspective invites reconsideration of cosmological assumptions. The idea of an eternal, uncreated universe has ancient philosophical roots but has often been overshadowed by creationist and, later, temporally finite scientific models. His comment encourages openness to the possibility that the universe simply is, existing outside of our imposed frameworks of time and causality, and that insisting upon a starting moment may reveal more about human psychological needs than about the fabric of reality.

Moreover, Alfven’s skeptical tone challenges scientists and thinkers to separate observational evidence from narrative preference. He suggests that the inclination toward a finite universe may be a vestige of mythic thinking, carried over into scientific discourse. This viewpoint fosters critical reflection on why humanity seeks beginnings, and whether such narratives ultimately clarify or obscure our understanding of existence.