Originally posted by twhitehead
I don't understand the question.
I know, that is really a tough one.
Let us assume first that nothing can happen if there is no one to observe it. I know that this postulate is questionable, but still, let's assume that it is true for a while.
At the moment of BigBang, there was no one there to observe it, therefore it was not happening, bigBang didn't existed at that time.
Let us assume further, for simplicity's sake, that we Earthlings are the only observing beings in the universe. I know this is also questionable, but still, again, assume that it is true for a while.
The idea of bigBang was brought up in the 20th (?) but was not confirmed until the first radio telescope was built. I think of the discovery of the background radiation emanating from some 400 thousand years after the BigBang (?). The discovery was made at the 60th (?).
Okay, BigBang was not observed until the 60th, therefore BigBang didn't existed earlier. But when it was observed for the first time the BigBang started to exist. Right? And when did BigBang happen? Some 14 billion years ago.
So the conclusion is that the BigBang didn't exist the 14 billion first years until it at the first time was observed, then it started to exist 14 billion of years ago.
Complicated, huh?