Robert Spitzer - The Mystery of Existence

If all that exists—everything imaginable, physical and nonphysical—is 'something'. Why is there 'something' rather than 'nothing'? Wouldn't 'nothing' be simpler than any sort of 'something'? It's a haunting wonderment. It's the biggest possible question. Why is there anything at all? There must be an answer. But who can know it?



Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, philosopher, physicist, educator, author, speaker, and retired President of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, 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.

[wisedupearly]

Appreciate your own existence as it allows you to ponder unanswerable questions such as "Why is there anything at all" and then get on with life. Never dismiss that feeling of appreciation.

[Bassotronics]

Can existence exist if there is no conscience being to verify the existence?
Imagine.. matter floating around appearing out of nowhere.. it’s just there.. somewhere... in so-called “space”.. but matter itself does not “care” or “know” of it’s own existence. It’s existing and not existing at the same time. A paradox within a paradox.

[Stephenioa]

Love the struggle around the question of whether something is nothing or, to put it another way, whether nothing is something... pure joy

[evanjameson]

excellent conversation.

my view is simple: we exist because there is no other alternative.

[oddsends]

If something can happen, eventually it will. Out of all the possibilities we just happen to be the ones here and now that are, and can ask the question.

[ronhudson]

The funniest aspect of these comments is the hubris of so many of the commentators, who aren't in any way in the same intellectual league as the host or the guest. Just watch and consider. The instant you put finger to keyboard you betray your ignorance.

[spacesciencelab]

It's my view that nothingness is a human concept. If you look everywhere, nothing doesn't exist. This becomes more clear when I studied fractals and the Mandelbrot set. It seems that there is, as mind boggling it is, that no such thing as a beginning or ending exists. It is like Russian dolls. And I think Alan Watts puts this view rather strange but he does hit the nail "it's all turtles all the way down". It sounds silly but it's not about turtles, it's about infinity and conformal geometry.

[patmat.]

I'll have to listen to that one again and take notes, it sounded like the closest thing of an answer I've heard so far to Bob's ultimate question.

[spacesciencelab]

Honestly the fact of existence is extremely strange to me and everyday I contemplate about it. It's so strange and fascinating. It's amazing, almost miracle like. I mean, if you ponder more about it you begin to think what this present existence is all about. Only up until very recently we've became rather civil. For thousands of years we've been so violent and at war.

Back when humans were hunter and gathers, eaten alive by wild animals, and back to our evolutionary ancestors it has been such an extremely difficult process to get where we are today. Even going back to when "we" were in the oceans. But even going back to even life didn't even exist or earth. The universe in general was and still in extremely "violent" with supernovae going off, planets being smashed into, etc. The fact that we come from exploding stuff is vastly strange to ponder about.

It seems to me that, the more we progress with the likes of technology, the less suffering there is (minus war tech). It's as if we're heading to something spiritual, to exist in a state of pure bliss and no pain.

[barbaradimascio]

This is the most delirious discussion I've ever heard!

[danielekirylo]

Isn't nothing the absence of anything, meaning you have to remove everything before you get a nothing, in other words nothing is in direct relationship with everything, an equation if you wish.
X = -Y, if one exists also the other one requires to exist. Yin and the Yang

[onestepaway]

Nothing without preconditions to generate something is an impossibility. Something eternal needs to exist. Shalom

[patricialauriello]

What a brilliant, wonderful conversation! Best of the best.

[johnbuckner]

Like trying to imagine a one dimensional point minus relationship. I just can’t take myself out of the equation.

[catherinehartmann]

This is good. Hypothetical beyond hypothetical - but makes so much sense - and R Spitzer articulates it so well, and so positively. Good Teacher!

[samosa]

I keep coming back to this. This is something to be preserved and shown in museums

[KARIM_HAMZA]

*My response to the meaning of life is: what were we before we were born??* NOTHING !!

[JamesDziezynski]

I appreciate how tactful Robert Kuhn is while Spitzer spins his wheels a bit. Spitzer brings up an interesting point, though, around 2:37 - why wouldn't an unrestricted power be reality itself? It's a counterpoint to the thought that the simplicity of nothingness is an ideal state (or at least, a logical one). Kuhn's response is great though: if there's exists a choice between complex reality and the simplicity of nothingness, why choose complexity? It's interesting that Spitzer posits that perfect simplicity is without presupposition. It dodges Kuhn's question by saying a "simple something" is equivalent to "nothing" and because we're here, "simple reality" may be the superior "choice" of an outside observer. Of course, there are no answers but I enjoy the discourse.

[georgebrucks]

It is true that the unknown is the largest need of the intellect, though for it, no one thinks to thank God.
—-Emily Dickinson

[TableTennisLover]

I think Robert Kuhn’s question is a moot point. The only reason he’s able to ask that question is because he exists in that moment to ask it.