It is not wrong to concede that the observable universe is indeed small compared to the estimated 10 raised to the power of 500 universes. But this does not necessarily mean that the actual universe could be infinitely large or that space may not have boundaries. Sure, there is no concrete evidence to support either side, but Nikhil’s original essay made many good points that should not be forgotten simply because the public may not be interested in the topic.
Nikhil’s essay reminded us that if space is infinitely large, then the largest volume of space we can conceive of is only 0% of what’s out there. The implications of this point are profound, and it is why research into this line of inquiry is still so important. We must know if every person we’ve known, every sight we’ve seen, every bit of knowledge we possess is some of what is out there or if it all amounts to a big, fat zero in the scheme of it all.
It is true that the answer to this question may take some time to uncover. But urrong, it does not mean that research into this topic has stopped. It just means that we should take the time to consider Nikhil’s original essay and its implications more deeply. We must acknowledge the possible radical differences between a finite and an infinite universe, even if the public isn’t as interested in the topic as we may be. Who knows? We may even figure out a way to make the commute to work shorter along the way!