Space is an inescapable principle of the universe. If the totality of existence were for not, then there would still be empty space reaching out in every direction to infinity.
This axiom must be true even with consideration of dimensions other than the three dimensions of space. This forces us to deal with the universe as one physical volume of space. The space axiom is the most ontological element of reason and its distinction is necessary to begin to discuss the totality of existence.
Now we can start to add the given ingredients of the universe. We are starting with an empty universe and we are going to add the necessary ingredients until we can explain all else (to a satisfactory level) about everything that exists.
The first and most obvious difference with our imagined universe and the real universe is that the real universe has a whole lot of stuff in it. The first dilemma we have is that we don't have anywhere to get any stuff. Therefore we have a choice of concluding that the stuff of the real universe has always been there, or that there was a time when nothing at all existed then suddenly something came into existence out of nowhere.
Both choices are difficult to accept. The first choice forces us to accept that existence never had a start. That is to say that there was never a time when the material of the universe did not exist.
The second choice leads us to further options. Perhaps all of the stuff came into existence as a one time happening. Or perhaps stuff is continuously coming into existence. It may have come into existence in intervals; or upon certain conditions; or gradually at a constant rate. In summary though, underlying all these further options with this choice, we are forced to accept that something can come from absolutely nothing.
Personally, I prefer to accept that "something" of the universe has always existed rather than accept that something came from absolute nothing. For now I will refer to this "something" of the universe as the "true essence" of the universe. You may prefer to accept that something can come into existence from nowhere. However for the remainder of this book I have taken the path that the true essence of the universe has always been there. This is a fundamental point and the remaining discussion depends upon this point being true. I will state this point as a postulate -- defined by my dictionary as "a proposition taken for granted as true and made the starting point in a chain of reasoning."
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