Alan Guth - Why Is There Anything At All? (Part 1)

Why is there a world, a cosmos, something, anything instead of absolutely nothing at all? If nothing existed, there would be nothing to explain. That anything exists demands some kind of explanation. Of all the big questions, this is the biggest. Why anything? Why not nothing? What can we learn from the absence of nothing?



Alan Harvey Guth is an American theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He is currently serving as Victor Weisskopf Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[savagebeast]

I miss these types of conversations with my grandfather. He was the only one that ever asked the same kind of questions that I ask in my family. We connected on a deeper level because of our wanting to understand the natural order of things.

[deltablaze]

Truly knowledgeable and intelligent people are humble and careful and willing to be wrong. Fools are confident, arrogant, and get angry when questioned at all.

[markcounseling]

This is one the better ones I’ve seen. What a wonderful physicist, so clear and so little ego. And Robert Kuhn facilitated extremely well. Great job!

[saiedkoosha]

A well-balanced answer by a mentally balanced man. Speaking firmly of what he knows and at the same time admitting what we don’t know yet. Trusting “science” enough but not more than enough! Brilliant.

Also credit to Robert for steering the interview well: polite, informed, and with clarity.

[jamestcallahanphotographer]

Alan Guth makes discussion of these mind bending questions totally graspable. Very enjoyable to watch.

[dineshbugalia]

Btw.. missing my father so much on this question...He used to be my Encyclopaedia for all such questions since my early childhood

[ClayFarrisNaff]

Such clear and humble exposition! Alan Guth is a giant figure in the field, yet he shares mind-bending ideas the way you *wish* your 9th grade science teacher had.

[pauljasmine]

I have to chuckle when the really tough questions posed to Physicists are answered with "we don't know". I give them credit for their brilliance and their effort to extrapolate and surmise along with their determination to uncover the facts. All there is to know about our universe exits and is present. The job of these talented and creative Physicists is to peal back the layers if this big ball of knowledge.

[Briantreeu]

I was so glad to hear Alan say space is malleable so obviously it has substance. I've been thinking on this a lot lately I'd love to hear what Alan is working on and thinking about right now.

[NothingMaster]

This is the best ever Closer To Truth presentation, by a long shot. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[allenrussell]

Years ago I heard Alan Guth say something, it really doesn't matter what, that bothered me and I kinda ignored him for years. But recently I've been listening to him speak and have gained a lot of respect for him. Primarily because, unlike so many therotical physicists, he freely admits that there are things we just don't understand and what we think may be wrong, even inflation theory, his own creation.
I'm becoming a fan.

[fearitselfpinball]

I think philosophically and love the way this series gets science and philosophy back together—or at least, in the same room and, for the moment, on amiable, speaking terms.

Scientists sometimes seem not to understand what’s being asked by “Why is there anything at all?” (Unlike here, where it’s very well understood and answered). When it’s misunderstood the idea is often to explain a beginning from absolutely “minimal materials” (or minimal laws). However minimal (as is pointed out in this video), whatever laws are requisite to get started _also_ require an explanation: where did they come from?

Another misunderstood concept (I think) is the philosophers idea of “nothing”. Someone with an empirical leaning is likely to wonder why you would propose the idea of a ‘nothing’ that is so absolute but isn’t derived from observation. There is an answer. The answer is that _if there were nothing_ (in that sense: no minimal laws, no matter, etc.) that would _not_ require any explanation. So it’s helpful to think about in contrast to what we do find—which is so much (and all of it, even minimal starting conditions, requiring an explanation—a reason for being here).

[timothyward]

I know some people look up to guys like Superman or Batman, maybe an athlete, maybe a world leader. But my hero has always been Alan Guth. Thank you for your contributions to science.

[dineshbugalia]

The best part or essence of most of comments is that every second person is opening a new gate of possibilities..and that's how the humanity kept growing atleast till now. Good to see that we are still curious enough and try to reason for most part of our concise except for "religion" part where mostly people deliberately shut down their thinking power

[akumar]

Wonderful discussion, I really enjoy listening to Alan Guth .

[Paul-ourx]

My early teen years (Part 1):
"I hate you!"
"I never asked to be born!"
"Why is there anything at all!"

[AlexStock]

"All I need is the laws of physics and a little matter.” But where did the laws and matter come from? I appreciate Guth’s intellectual honesty to admit this, and his willingness to say physics isn’t even close to answering this question.

[ryanzazzara]

Alan Guth and Laurence Krauss are my favorite

[ijvgxqr]

The progression of better, more complete, understanding (I e. from my grandfather's day to this) is meaningful to me - even if all eventually proves to be meaningless. To live in this time, a time when so many can "stand on the shoulders of Giants" and glimpse that lofty view - well, I feel fortunate and more than slightly impressed.

[richardbradley]

This is the ultimate question. I personally suspect it is the one that can not ever be answered.