Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story 1st Edition

Reading this book feels like working out in one of the finest philosophical and intellectual gyms in town. In it Jim Holt takes us on a journey which tackles one of the oldest and most profound questions that humans have asked; "Why is there something instead of nothing?". To his credit Holt does not try to answer the question but instead leads us through a set of meetings with some of today's leading philosophers and scientists who all have their own fascinating takes on the problem. Holt starts the book with accounts of different schools of philosophy which have tried to stake out paths from something to nothing. It turns out that it's far from easy to define the existence of "nothing" partly since the very entity defining that nothing is something. Interestingly a few of the philosophical attempts also fly in the face of the latest insights from theoretical physics, and in fact one of the goals of the book is to demonstrate the creative tension between science and philosophy, hinting that both disciplines will continue to learn much from each other. To explain nothingness, philosophers resort to various logical proofs of God and existence while physicists think that the universe could have been a random quantum fluctuation that fed upon itself. Listing various attempts to explain nothing and something, Holt dwells on the work of thinkers like Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Schopenhauer and Leibniz, giving us a sampling of philosophical speculations on the question over the last five hundred years or so.

The heart of the book however involves Holt's conversations with some very smart thinkers even as he criss-crosses the globe and spends his time in French cafes contemplating the quirks and facts of his own existence, sometimes poignantly so as he thinks about the demise of his dog and then even more sadly of his mother (practical instances of the transformation of something into nothing?). Holt's accounts of these encounters are in equal parts clear, moving and enormously intellectually stimulating, making us confront a wide variety of questions about meaning and existence. Some of the conversations feel like intellectual ping-pong, and Holt's great strength is his ability to ask these people tough questions and spar with them on an equal level; this turns the interviews into exchanges of real substance rather than simple Q&A sessions. Among the cast of fascinating characters that Holt talks to are celebrated scientists, philosophers and writers. For instance there is the Oxford philosopher Richard Swinburne who thinks that the simplest explanation for the presence of such a complicated universe is that it must be created by God. Then there's the Oxford physicist David Deutsch who is convinced of the existence of multiple universes, a fact which then posits our universe as simply one of many other worlds, albeit one containing sentient humans. An even more bizarre idea comes from the physicist Andre Linde who is sympathetic to the existence of our universe as a simulation created by other sentient beings with awesome powers of matter and energy creation. A healthy antidote to those who seem astonished by the complexities of our cosmos comes from the Pittsburgh philosopher Adolf Grünbaum who thinks there's no reason to be awed by the presence of something and that a fondness for considering nothing to be the "natural" state of the universe is really rooted in Judeo-Christian philosophy which imparts special significance to creation. Many of these thinkers hold diverse and even opposite views of the topic, but it's clearly this variety that makes pondering the question such an intellectual treat.

There are many others who Holt talks to, including the Platonist mathematician Roger Penrose, the writer John Updike and the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg. From a scientific viewpoint the cleverest idea seems to come from the physicist Alex Vilenkin who defines nothingness as the result of a sphere of spacetime shrinking to zero radius; presumably the universe could then arise out of this nothingness as a quantum fluctuation. As noted above, Holt's meetings with all these thinkers are interspersed with poignant personal ruminations about life, death and existence, mostly done while lounging around in the French cafe that Sartre frequented. Interludes between conversations cover a smattering of related topics, including various logical proofs for God's existence and Holt's own criticisms of them; in Holt we find a penetrating thinker who is entirely capable of asking the most revealing questions about the topic. In addition many of the discussions are spiced with humor. Ultimately Holt does not find the final answer to the question "why is there something rather than nothing", but I don't think he is disappointed. Neither are we. This is one of those cases where the journey is far more important than the destination; like the traveler in C. P. Cavafy's poem "Ithaca", it's the sights and sounds that we see on the way which really count. The investigation exemplifies the kinds of deep questions that humans are capable of addressing through science, philosophy, literature and poetry. We should all be glad that there are people who think about these questions in such deep and diverse ways, and we can thank Jim Holt for being a patient, witty, insightful and poignant guide on this wonderful journey.

Obviously the book does not answer the question posed by its title, but it offers an investigation into the various answers that have been proposed by philosophers and scientists through the ages. It is written in a witty, breezy style and the author is clearly at ease among intellectuals and heavy thinkers. He includes descriptions of the people and places his question takes him to which helps to lighten what could otherwise be a pretty dry review of philosophical theories of reality.

I was frequently caught off guard by his vocabulary. I had never heard of many words casually inserted into his narrative: concinnity, inspissate, bosky and others. Yet his use of them never seemed contrived or pedantic.

This is a good book if you want an overview of the many possible answers to the question of "Why is there something instead of nothing?" Just understand what the question pre-supposes: that there IS something.

Forget getting answers to the world's oldest question--Why Does the World Exist? The writer travels to fascinating experts around the world; experts from religion, science, philosophy, and mathematics to discuss the question. The answer: We don't know yet! This book is not about the answer--the question is so provocative and full of history, philosophy, astro-physics, mathematics, and religious thought that its the journey through this writer's mind that's worth your time. It will test your logical and mathematical thinking--in fact--all your thinking capabilities as you travel with him through the minds of these unique thinkers as they explore the question. It certainly inspired my latest art series: Unseen Cosmos. Hang on--it's a ride!
Susan Josepher, Ph.D.
Artist/Art Educator

WHY DOES THE WORLD EXIST by Jim Holt is an often whimsical look at one of humankind's most profound questions: “Why is there something rather than nothing?” The pretense of this book is Mr. Holt’s search to find for himself the answer this question with the reader following along in his global-trotting pursuit. But this is a thinly veiled device. Mr. Holt actually tips his hand pretty early as to what he believes, his answer, though something I could not accept, is certainly interesting and a possibility I had never considered (pg. 34).

Mr. Holt travels the U.S. and Europe interviewing a number of philosophers, scientists, mathematicians etc. drawing from each an answer to the question: Why is there something rather than nothing? Between each of these chapters are “interludes” which are part travelogue part personal memoir. These chapters and interludes are stitched together almost seamlessly and create a narrative that is often complex, sometimes humorous and occasionally poignant.

Mr. Holt does not really provide any profound insights and he does not drill down into the fields he surveys. But still the reader closes the book with a broad understanding of how modern thinkers attempt to explain, why there is something rather than nothing.

I enjoyed this book, enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I read it twice. However, readers like me, who believe in a creator, should be prepared to have those beliefs almost summarily dismissed. Even so this is well-written, entertaining look at a profound question.