Why is there something instead of nothing? The puzzle of why there is something rather than nothing – from which all the biggest questions of metaphysics spring such as ‘where did we come … In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? Our best theories predict that all the matter in the universe should have been destroyed as soon as it existed. ", Books of the Times - Into the Nothing, After Something. Why, Holt wonders, does the multiverse exist, if the multiverse is the answer to why the world exists? I haven't argued with a book as much as this one.....ever. Taking the thought to heart, he gave himself the task of talking to a succession of experts--particle physicists, theologians, philosophers, cosmologists, mystics, and a great writer, heavy thinkers all--who he hoped would prove. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." "I believe in Spinoza's God," he answered, "who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.”, National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (2012), Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Nonfiction (2013), Do you agree that "The Jocaxian Nothingness" is the answer for the question: A fine study of the laws of the universe interrogates what, if anything, came before the Big Bang In this highly original new book, the philosopher Markus Gabriel challenges our notion of what exists and what it means to exist. That said, though I left with a pleasant reading experience, a deeper understanding of the issues, and lots to ponder, I didn't leave with the answer (but then one shouldn't expect to, given the complexity of the question). Because the universe also began as a singularity, time itself could not … For instance: We exist in a “temporally scattered” condition, as he writes in the new book. : An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt "Why Does the World Exist?" 10 mysteries of the universe: Why does anything exist at all? A comforting balm. Why Does the World Exist?, By Jim Holt. Gives me a fresh perspective on that tired "turtles all the way down" story a certain kind of person loves to reference: in the context of this book, whose author clearly doesn't think women have anything of value (well, anything at all, actually) to contribute to the pressing concerns of humanity, the one woman who gets a mention is one who made a stupid comment to a brilliant man delivering a lecture she obviously didn't understand and thus sealed her legacy as a droll punchline and illustration of the hilarious antics of uneducated plebeians for class acts like the author of this book and his cohorts. We’d love your help. And what does it all mean? is exceedingly clear and well written. I was furious, outraged, bombastic. It's also referred to as "parallel universe theory." Search Results for “why-the-universe-exists” – PDF Search Engine Hadoualex/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET If I were a scientist, I'd stick to the Goldman Sachs principle: bet on both sides. Because the universe also began as a singularity, time itself could not … Actually more like 4.5. The anthropic principle is a group of principles attempting to determine how statistically probable our observations of the universe are, given that we could only exist in a particular type of universe to start with. It is philosophically engaging and highly informative. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Like most metaphysics surveys, it spent a while grappling with the Christian god but fortunately didn't take long before dismissing the idea (though Holt did it with tact I guess which might help some readers). Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. An advaita vedantic perspective. The second law of thermodynamics, that most existentially resonant of … So the universe should be capable of making its own space, time and complexity. You also can read online Why The Universe Exists and write the review about the book. Somewhat disappointing, in large part because of its approach, which entails attempting to answer an ontological/metaphysical question by asking analytical philosophers and physical scientists. It is philosophically engaging and highly informative. Midway through the book, however, I began to wonder why all the philosophers, scientists or simply very smart people the author consulted & conversed with were white males & pretty exclusively North American or British (perhaps a few Frenchmen, since the author does journey to Paris a few times & he does at least mention Buddhism at the very end of the book). This book came to me via the very positive New York Times Book Review review, and it made the Times list of best books of the year. I've decided not to finish this book. Why Does the World Exist? is an intellectual quest of one the most intriguing philosophical questions, "Why Does the World Exist". is an intellectual quest of one the most intriguing philosophical questions, "Why Does the World Exist". The book was also a 2012 National Book Critics Award finalist for nonfiction. Three cheers for deep thought and wild conjecture! The author won't even get to the bottom of what exactly "nothing" IS. The context of this scripture is the creation of the universe in which we live and can observe. Science, Lewis argues, can study the material components of the universe, but it cannot offer an explanation for why the universe exists in the first place. An exuberant romp of a book. “The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. Unlike many, Jim is able to convey his reverence for some of the people he speaks with, and he does not put words in their mouths - far from it. Jim Holt’s recent book, Why Does the World Exist? By then I found that I was rapidly losing interest in a very important question: why does the world exist? Even with some limitations, this was a very stimulating book to read. Anyhow, it's fascinating stuff. “That question,” Deutsch says, “could only be answered by finding a more encompassing fabric of which the physical multiverse was a part. And it artistically weaves together a personal narrative and quest with a deeply intellectual and highly abstract inquiry. This is a far more personal and self-disclosing book than I expected, and skates very far, I feared at first, in the direction of one of those concocted "How the Irish Jews Saved The Parthenon, Invented Caller ID, and Inspired Emily Dickinson" sort of books. Although not related to my major I wanted an A in that class more than anything. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. Sure, it has taught me enough about Leibniz and Spinoza to be vaguely re-interested in specific metaphysicians, but Holt's self-absorbed and self-serving writing style is not worth my time. Why does this book review exist? In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? Firstly, that there is nothing else to create the universe but itself (because it came from nothing). same goes for quark as well. Science cannot answer the deepest questions. The author won't even get to the bottom of what exactly "nothing" IS. To his credit, Holt does interview one theistic philosopher, Richard Swinburne, but his report on the interview seems biased strongly in favor of naturalism. Why Does the World Exist?, By Jim Holt. It does not know who or how. their properties like charge, mass, spin etc are also just indicative of certain interaction they engage with. The whole group of universes, if there are indeed more than one, is commonly called the multiverse. A nice, well written survey of contemporary metaphysics/science, mostly trying to explain "why there is something rather than nothing". He is an atheist. William James called the question of existence "the darkest in all philosohpy." The s. "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" But that's to be expected & doesn't diminish the pleasure of the quest. In this highly original new book, the philosopher Markus Gabriel challenges our notion of what exists and what it means to exist. Although it seems unlikely that science will answer this question (at least in my lifetime, and probably ever), the philosophical approaches, which dominate the book, offer even less hope. "National Book Critics Circle Names 2012 Award Finalists", "Review of Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist? He and the book were on the LA Times bestseller list during the last quarter of 2012, and the first quarter of 2013. : An Existential Detective Story. This all-inclusive being does not exist and cannot exist. the real things those matters, let say for an electron, are (-1, 1/2, 9.10938356 × 10^-31, etc) which represent charge, spin, and mass respectively. Its author wrote it. [1][2][3][4], A central question of the book is 'Why is there something rather than nothing? Lewis’s point is that religion and philosophy study the abstract question of why humans do things, while … Physicist Lawrence Krauss peddles this message in his new book A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing (Free … Jocaxian's Trains refutes Especial Relativity: Why Does the World Exist? Why does the universe exist? In other words, scientific observation of the universe would not even be possible if the laws of the universe had been incompatible with the development of sentient life. This review of contemporary thinking on the question of existence represents the best of North American intellectual journalism where the writer tries to represent the intelligent 'ordinary joe' in his search for knowledge. All well & good & I enjoyed the ride, even though one should know from the outset that nothing will be decided. A fine study of the laws of the universe interrogates what, if anything, came before the Big Bang Unfortunately, the book is dominated by the materialistic assumption that the ultimate explanation will be physical rather than Personal. Stephen Hawking comes right out and says it. In this book, the author records a quest to answer the question through a series of interviews and discussions. All told, Why Does the World Exist? This is the idea that our universe is not the only one in existence. Welcome back. We asked the... "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" I mean, this is the super ultimate "why" question? A much-needed diversion. Well it's said that every thing has its reasons, sometimes you can figure it some times you can't. is exceedingly clear and well written. I took a college philosophy class more than two decades ago. The slyly humorous Holt takes on the role of cosmological detective, suggesting that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to Yahweh vs. the Big Bang. Secondly, that the universe EXISTS. In Stephen Hawking's final book "Brief Answers to Big Questions," published ... time does not exist. Physicists have found the answer and it will blow your mind QUANTUM physicists have finally answered the biggest question of them all – why is there a universe? in a precise sense, "electron" and "quark" are just names for human convenience, to indicate that they are two different stuff. An Existential Detective Story' by Jim Holt", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Why_Does_the_World_Exist%3F&oldid=977004557, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 September 2020, at 10:49. Jim Holt’s recent book, Why Does the World Exist? Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. Following in the footsteps of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose, and even Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt now enters this fractious debate with his lively and deeply informed narrative that traces the latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Such thoughts did spoil the fun a bit, I must admit. Childhood memories and annual traditions. Holt's objection to the brute-fact view, then – the view, that is, that the existence of the universe as a whole has no explanation, most likely because it has simply always been around – … : An Existential Detective Story . Why Does the World Exist? Possibly the most important ‘why’ question of all, and as such it should receive more attention. exist?) Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was the first to publish the question in 1714. It's a classical philosophical question. Why Does the World Exist? professor Max Tegmark explores the possibility that math does not just describe the universe, but makes the universe … : An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt "Why Does the World Exist?" An Existential Detective Story. Why Does the World Exist? This is a far more personal and self-disclosing book than I expected, and skates very far, I feared at first, in the direction of one of those concocted "How the Irish Jews Saved The Parthenon, Invented Caller ID, and Inspired Emily Dickinson" sort of books. http://pjpub.org/Abstract/abstract_pet_197.htm, See all 3 questions about Why Does the World Exist?…, New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2012 (fiction and nonfiction), Goodreads Members Share the Books They've Been Rereading. ', which lies in the domain between philosophy and scientific cosmology. October 11, 2016 by David James. A New Theory of the Universe (Robert Lanza, The American Scholar) The Simulation Argument (Nick Bostrom, Oxford University) Constraints on the Universe as a Numerical Simulation (Silas R. Beane et al, Cornell University Library Archive) Why does the universe exist? Ancient philosophers didn’t focus too much on what Heidegger [3] called the “funda- mental question of metaphysics” and Gru¨nbaum [4] has dubbed the “Primordial Existential so the question would be, why do we think that the universe is not made out of just numbers like (-1, 1/2, 9.10938356 × 10^-31, etc) instead of some abstract entities like electron and quark? Most people have heard of the possibility of more than one universe from science fiction stories and movies. Philosopher and author Jim Holt plays the role of the inquisitive detective who is on a mission to answer the ultimate question of existence. Or at least I thought it was until I read the book. It's not like there aren't very smart women & non-English or French speaking women & men in the world who might have contributed some interesting thoughts on the subject. Why is there something instead of nothing? Why is there something rather than nothing? Holt's existential detective story checks off every one of my pet peeves about contemporary mainstream nonfiction. The universe shouldn't exist, scientists say after finding bizarre behaviour of anti-matter. "The Basic Question 'Why Does the World Exist?' :An Existential Detective Story, tackles the question that Martin Heidegger characterized as the greatest in all philosophy and William James called the darkest in all philosophy—why is there something rather than nothing? This supremely unimportant book raises three deep and troubling questions. Why Does the Universe Exist? This may sound like the dumbest of questions, for we know our universe is all the matter and energy that inhabits space and time. He questions the idea that there is a world that encompasses everything like a container life, the universe, and ev Adam J. Why does the universe exist? Why is there something instead of nothing? Because its author poured himself a cup of coffee the other morning and sat down in front of the computer to write it. It's more engaging than most surveys, with some nice cameos by prominent scientists/philosophers, and less shallow than most things aimed at a general audience. This is the idea that our universe is not the only one in existence. Already, I've started a list of folk who will find it gift-wrapped from me at the holidays.— Karen R. Long. Why did he write it? All well & good & I enjoyed the ride, even though one should know from the outset that nothing will be decided. In their new book, "The Grand Design," phyicists Stephen Hawking and Len Mlodinow tackle the ultimate meaning of life questions: why does the universe behaves the way it does and why do we exist? An intriguing and hopeless search for the meaning of existence. so the question wo. Another complication in the understanding of time is demonstrated by Lee Smolin's 2013 book Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe, in which he argues that science does (as the mystics claim) treat time as an illusion. Part of this is my fault: I forced myself through the equally terrible Assholes: A Theory last year and should know by now that navel-gazing logic-heavy philosophical books based around thought experiments are not my cup of tea. Holt's book is very thought provoking and very clearly written with an occasional touch of humor. The evolution of the Universe from the big bang to the present. This is becoming tedious. I found the discussion in this book on why there is something rather than nothing utterly charming and totally befuddling. “Why Does the Universe Exist?” could have used more moments that slyly build to something like awe. This was the view of the 17th century philosopher Spinoza, who claimed that the entire universe, along with all of its contents, laws and events, had to exist, and exist in the way it does. The mystery of why the universe exists still intrigues and defies philosophers, theologians, scientists, and pretty much anyone who’s ever sprawled in a park and stared at the sky. William James called the question of existence "the darkest in all philosohpy." Philosopher and author Jim Holt plays the role of the inquisitive detective who is on a mission to answer the ultimate question of existence. :An Existential Detective Story, tackles the question that Martin Heidegger characterized as the greatest in all philosophy and William James called the darkest in all philosophy—why is there something rather than nothing? [ 1, 2 ] 2012 by Liveright Publishing Corporation context of this scripture is the that... 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