Bert I compliment you on your reserved and polite reply to my infinite Universe comment
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One armed with the good book may have been more dogmatic ..well that criticism can be levelled at both sides on occasion to be fair...
I don't go along with the popping into and out of existence stuff either
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This idea from what I have read comes from the notion , from the uncertainty principle that as a particle cant not be "nailed down"
it somehow does not exist... from there they find it does exist and therefore has popped into existence.
Now that is only my view gained in an attempt to discover all I could about the theory of inflation... and you guessed it ..I don't buy that idea either
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The fact that a particle could not be nailed down in the first place does not mean it did not exist merely that humans cold not identify it at that point.I will re read that stuff but that was my view after reading it all.
Still as you know I know very little of how the current thinking fits it all in... but I do recall seeing the basic flaw I felt crept in ...outlined above in respect of the foundations laid to arrive at the notion that particles are popping into and out of existence.
But even so space is not as empty as I was believed it to be... if nothing else there be the light that passes thru it on its way to where ever...
Thanks for making me think about it all... I will re read the casimir effect stuff.
alex