And What Was There Before?

There is a story about a cosmologist who, short of ideas on how to continue his research, went east to ask a wise hermit for insights into the hidden structure of the universe. “The Earth is a flat disk supported by an elephant,” replied the sage. Perplexed, the cosmologist retorted: “And what supports the elephant?” “A gigantic turtle,” was the sage’s response, to which the cosmologist immediately replied: “And what supports the turtle?” Irritated, the sage put an end to the discussion by saying: “Oh, then it’s turtles all the way down.”