Something instead of nothing?

Why is there something instead of nothing? The interesting conclusion of this ultimate puzzle is that, we can be sure of, it that at least something exists.

There is a Universe, we see people, and things, and light, and while we may debate what it means, how it came into being, and how it works, we can be sure that there is at least `something'.

Many physists search for the most elementary laws of physics, and believe that a law is more likely to be true, when it is simpler, more elementary. Some think that at some moment, humans will understand how the Universe and everything works, and, even more, that we find out why the Universe is necessarily as it is. (Ridiculous nonsense).

I cannot believe that, indeed, I believe humans cannot ever give a satisfactory or final answer to this ultimate of all questions.

Why is there something instead of nothing?

With nothing, I mean the un-existence of everything. No people, no earth, no milky way, no universe, no laws of nature, no space, no time a total non-existence of everything.

A mind-boggling, brain-, brain-numbing and brain- twisting overwhelming concept, terrifying, frightening, too awful to contemplate and impossible think about, without going insane and totally beyond understanding of any human genius.

Making a mathematical model of nothing is actually easy. (Take an empty set, with no operations on it, and nothing else.) Nevertheless, one thing we can be sure of: this nothing is not correct: we do not have “nothing”, but definite and absolutely do indeed have ‘SOMETHING’. This shows that the simplest model is not always the correct one.

The universe is almost infinitely complex and to me this points to the simple logic that it is the creation by an infinite, intelligent power. Nothing is the very most basic of all concepts and if there were nothing, there would be no creator, of course.

Some people may argue that the universe was created in the Big Bang ( but whom and what pressed the button of the big bang in the first place, so to speak?) , and that positive matter and positive energy are actually negated by the simultaneous creation of negative matter and negative energy. However, this doesn't answer the other question, where do matter, energy and laws of physics then come from in the first place?

Does this question have an answer? If something exists because it either was a modification of something or else, something or somebody else created it, then what caused that to exist?

It seems that our logic is unable to deal with the question; indeed, I think the question shows there is a limit to our understanding of things by the very best minds of the human race.

There are simply mysteries out there that will never ever be solved by mere mortal man. You see the universe has a strange Goldie locks condition about it, i.e., it cannot be too hot or too cold etc, etc, erc, but it has to be just absolutely correct, precise and right or life would not have come into existence and we would not be around to contemplate, debate or dialogue on this ultimate enigma.

We would not exist. Life hangs on and depends on this knife- edge of harmonies conditions that have to be sustained over countless billions of years, for us to have come into existence and continue to exist. Makes one think, does it not?

Why do we have a universe? My answer is that god created the universe. However, then, one can ask, who/what created god?

I believe god was not created and this ‘fact’ is beyond our understanding and must be accepted on faith.  God is far and beyond our understanding, everlasting, without beginning or end, eternal and ever -existing, but was (and is, and will be) always existed. 

He/she is indeed the very author of all existence. Indeed, god is so mighty, omni-all that he/she exists, forever, far above our reasoning and above the ultimate reaches of our logic. something we and all the vain puffed up scientist, philosophers, etc, will just have to accept in time, we will, at the end of the day have to, relent and acknowledge that somewhere out there is a awesome, colossal, mighty, great infinite intelligence that in comparison that we are as a microbe is to a human or perhaps horrors even much further remote, from the omni-all power we call god. It will indeed be a most humbling experience for us to finally realize and acknowledge, that there are things and mysteries that will; remain forever, absolutely, totally beyond human comprehension understand and reside eternally in the mind of our creator god.


It is a fact the finite can simply never ever comprehend the mind of the infinite

God Exists and inescapable fact of logic

Blessings and Light

Alan

Sometimes the complex questions can have very simple answers which are so simple that we deny them because we expect complexity.

Like the question why does it all exist? I would reply "why not?" It exists because it can and it exists the way it does because that is the design which was conceived to become the most perfect. One might wonder "why was everything not made perfect?"

I think the answer is that perfection NEVER begins. It must be achieved. This is a law of the universe. Even god was not perfect. It too has had to learn perfection must be achieved through the cosmos and time.

Even the question "why do I exist?" has an answer which is not so complex. You exist because your mother and father engaged in sexual intercourse whether you were planned or not. And the answer for why humans exist is the same for if you had the power to create life and you designed it as you did. Your creation may ask you "why am I this way? and why did you create me." Your answer would be "Because it is the way I willed it and because I could create you."

That may not be satisfying enough for most people, but in time all will accept it. Time heals everything. As I have said before, a very large part of our existence is in acceptance. It is fine to question, but not everything has a satisfying answer. Accepting that alone is the beginning to accepting everything else.

What does this have to do with the afterlife or afterlife knowledge? I'm confused as to why this is not an "off subject". No disrespect Alan but this shouldnt be posted here.

Quote Alan:

"Making a mathematical model of nothing is actually easy. (Take an empty set, with no operations on it, and nothing else.)" 

That's not correct in this regard. Mathematics doesn't make assumptions on existence in a real life sense. To have a mathematical model premises existence.

Obviously there is something. And obviously nobody knows why there is something and not rather only nothing.

Spooky

There is something because nothing is unacceptable.  :D

Alan,

That is generally deemed the most basic and important of all phlosophical questions.  Most people find it intrinsically implausible to dismiss the question by claiming that the universe is just an unintelligible brute fact.  If the question can be answered at all, then the answer must include that which has in its own nature the reason for its own existence.  This in turn leads to the concept of God as "the ground of Being" rather than simply the Creator or All That Is.  What exactly is the Ground of Being?   "Ground" simply refers to that which explains why there is something rather than nothing.  Perhaps we should think of "ground" as the biblical "I Am," that is, God as Self Consciousness, the Source of all "other" consciousness.  This of course is circular, but circular in a way that at least invites meditation.  We have discussed this many times here,but this, I think, is the most important point to keep in mind: meditating on this question can lead to a mystical sense of God's presence , but not to a clearer answer. 

Berserk2 wrote on Mar 29^th, 2010 at 11:07pm:

Alan, That is generally deemed the most basic and important of all phlosophical questions.  Most people find it intrinsically implausible to dismiss the question by claiming that the universe is just an unintelligible brute fact.  If the question can be answered at all, then the answer must include that which has in its own nature the reason for its own existence.  This in turn leads to the concept of God as "the ground of Being" rather than simply the Creator or All That Is.  What exactly is the Ground of Being?   "Ground" simply refers to that which explains why there is something rather than nothing.  Perhaps we should think of "ground" as the biblical "I Am," that is, God as Self Consciousness, the Source of all "other" consciousness.  This of course is circular, but circular in a way that at least invites meditation.  We have discussed this many times here,but this, I think, is the most important point to keep in mind: meditating on this question can lead to a mystical sense of God's presence , but not to a clearer answer.

Hi Don a great  post I say that there is something and not nothing is due to the everlasting infinite one namely Almighty God

Don, again, you are sounding mighty like Tom Campbell. 

Or maybe it's that honest explorations of the topic, whether from a religious perspective or from that of a physicist having done Monroe-style exploration and lots of thinking, lead to the same or similar conclusions.  As I've heard it said, there are many paths up the mountain.