Title: Why Does The World Exist?
Rating: 4 Stars
The book title pretty much says it all. It tries to answer one of the simplest but most difficult questions. Why are we here? Why is there something instead of nothing? How was this something (if it actually is something) created?
Holt ends up having conversations with philosophers, mathematicians, physicists, authors, and theologians. Unsurprisingly, despite a proof he created that he seems to be pretty proud of, no definitive answers were discovered.
His journey was interesting. He has serious conversations with very smart people that have been, in some cases, spending a good chunk of their lives trying to answer these very questions.
Let’s go through some possibilities. Keep in mind that I definitely am not a philosopher, mathematician, physicist, author, or theologian, so don’t throw too much shade at more poor attempts at understanding.
Cosmological Argument: The universe exists. It need not have to. Therefore, there must be a reason for its existence. It must have been brought into existence by some other being. This other being must be self explanatory (ie not require a reason for its existence). This being is God.
Ontological Argument: The universe need not exist. God possesses all perfections. It is more perfect to exist than not to exist. Therefore, God exists. God created the universe.
Quantum Cosmology: Quantum theory allows for the possibility of particles to spontaneously come into existence in a vacuum. Theoretical physicists have determined that an unimaginably tiny vacuum could spontaneously tunnel into existence. With inflation, this vacuum could undergo a runaway expansion and ultimately emit the Big Bang. This could be constantly happening.
Principle of Fecundity: All possible universes are real but are isolated from each other.
Mathematical Platonist: Mathematical forms have an existence independent of the mind. Accordingly, there are three worlds. There’s the platonic world of pure mathematics, the physical world, and the mental world of our conscious perceptions.
Axiarchism: The universe exists because there is an abstract need for goodness.
Simulation: We’re basically Sims living in an artificially constructed universe for the pleasure of beings of a higher intelligence.
Where did all of this leave me?
Well, in case I’d forgotten, I was reminded that there are people in the world way smarter than me.
It’s been a while since religious arguments have moved me. They continue to be problematic. Trying to answer the mystery of our existence with a deeper mystery of the nature of God still is quite problematic to me.
The quantum arguments feel more compelling. I can picture countless spontaneous Big Bang explosions. Nearly all of them end up with universes that are incompatible with life. Very rarely one of the Big Bangs might end up creating a universe that has factors set just right to sustain life, and here I am.
Who knows? Maybe the universe is a flat plate resting on the back of a giant tortoise. If you wonder what the tortoise is resting upon, don’t worry. It’s just turtles all the way down.
dorkenstein 