This interdisciplinary book develops a dialectical narrative about the beginning of the universe by combining Hegel’s philosophy with texts about the Big Bang theory. Scientific accounts of the Big Bang indicate that the first second of existence was an eventful period in which the universe progressed through six different epochs. Bringing together cosmological narratives and Hegel’s writings (particularly The Science of Logic), Gregory Phipps reads this movement as a dialectical progression, a sequence of transitions among interlinked concepts like being and nothing, finitude and infinitude, and space and time. Phipps also draws upon Hegel’s conception of absolutes to outline a model of the multiverse. In doing so, he argues that Hegelian readings of the first second offer speculative snapshots of a hypothetical multiverse that contains the full (and probably infinite) scope of existence. Acknowledging the profound impact that the Big Bang theory can produce on understandings of age-old philosophical concerns, this study importantly brings Hegel’s philosophy into dialogue with contemporary science, tracing intersections in his speculative thought and the more creative and imaginative dimensions of cosmology. For scholars and readers interested in Hegelianism and in the crosscurrents between philosophy, science, and narrative.

Gregory Phipps is Professor at the University of Iceland, where he teaches American literature and cultural history. His research interests include interdisciplinary studies, twentieth-century fiction, Hegel, pragmatism, and intersectionality.

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