The Quilted Multiverse arises from an infinite spatial expanse, a possibility that fits squarely within general relativity. The snag is that general relativity allows for an infinite spatial expanse but doesn’t require it, which in turn explains why, even though general relativity is an accepted framework, the Quilted Multiverse remains tentative. An infinite spatial expanse does emerge directly from eternal inflation—recall that each bubble universe when viewed from the inside appears infinitely large—but in this setting the Quilted Multiverse is rendered uncertain because the underlying
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