John Leslie - 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?

John Andrew Leslie is a Canadian philosopher who focuses on explaining the world’s existence. Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, he earned a BA in Psychology and Philosophy, then an MLitt in Philosophy. He is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

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.

[remedythis-dreamworld]

Why there are so many answers to a question like this is because whatever you can imagine is a possibility. Infinite possibilities and worlds….no matter how bizarre they seem.

[HyzersGR]

Even if you eliminate everything, you can't eliminate possibilities. I think it's obvious that complete non-existence is impossible.

[Life_]

Extremely interesting question. I will contact Mr. Kuhn whenever I have any sort of idea of how to answer.

[carriersignal]

Can't speak for anyone else, but I know no more now about the subject than I did before I came here.

[TheTroofSayer]

The ambition of Robert's opening question is grand. I do think, however, that we can leave out the God of the atheists (multiverse), as that is no better than any of the other "because god" pseudo-explanations.

At 7:16 John Leslie concludes with a comment on the flippant way that philosophers regard the "why is there something rather than nothing" question. Infinity goes in two direction: 1) Outwards, towards the infinitely large; 2) Inwards towards the infinitely small. The latter has big implications with regards to cube root scaling (why insects can carry many times their own weight despite long, slender legs and appendages). Cube root scaling is essential to understanding the relationship between top-down and bottom-up causation. "Why something rather than nothing" is a non-question. Infinity in both directions, inward and outward, must always be pregnant with possibility.

With my two pet peeves out of the way, let's now address the real mystery of existence.

In some advanced cultures throughout this single, vast universe, they've gotten it right. No multiverse, no because-god, no woo - though they're perhaps open to a god as a conscious collective that evolves *with* the universe, as a collective mind-body (as opposed to creating it in some kind of godly workshop). They've factored in *both* top-down *and* bottom-up causation, because they take seriously the top-down as it relates to information, meaning and semiotic. They've taken entropy seriously. They get it. They are meant to be here, and they know that so too are the other ignorant belief-systems, throughout this living universe, that don't "get it". Including us.

Because they enjoy a robust, compelling life-science paradigm, they won't bother with inter-stellar expeditions, beyond perhaps their immediate globular clusters (if they inhabit one). This is because ROI - Return On Investment. Hard to justify throwing huge sums of money on projects in order to discover the nature of "life, the universe and everything", when they already know said nature. They require no Elon Musk to save them because cultures persist just fine without requiring any interstellar prime directive to populate or perish.

But even for these advanced cultures, there remains a mystery. It's the mystery of reincarnation, the nonlocal self and the dreams through which other selves are engaged. Where do *they* go to when they die? They know that there is no end-point nirvana, no final communion with God that seals their blissful state. They know that there are consequences for the choices they make, the paths they take, and the bliss that they might now find themselves in can be undone with some thoughtless choices. They know the nature of heaven and hell, the relationship between personality and culture.

THAT's the final mystery. Even the most advanced cultures in the universe realize that there is no end-point nirvana to seal their fate, it can all be easily undone with thoughtless commitments that begin with thoughtless decisions. Life is a never-ending story, and there can be no release from vigilance against wrongful choices. Despite knowing what they know, the mystery of existence remains.

[abdelchemami]

Frustrating situation we are in as " let say as humankind"

[jonathanfielding]

"The beginning" is always an issue... whether it's this particular universe, or the multi-universe from which this universe was born. Perhaps the entire infinite universe can be embodied in the form of the "snake eating it's own tail" where the absolute start comes immediately after the absolute end. No one will ever know for sure. But we are a part of that amazing infinite creature.

But within that frame work... I think it's likely that this universe is exactly what it is due to greater universe around it.. And when I say that I mean I believe an Entanglement exists between literally everything not only in space but in time. This Entanglement carries with it knowledge of the past to the future, but also from the future to the past... I believe it may be the very conscious action of the universe as a whole. Each of us and every other single thing being part of that conscious. I believe it's more likely than not, evolution and natural selection must exist just as it does on earth, but in a Universal / Multi-Universal way even utilizing what it knows of Future to shape it's existance in perfect harmony with the rest.

Universe itself is continually evolving itself through its own evolution, what essentially amounts to fine tuning over impossible periods of time. Everything that exists exists cause of that fine tuning, we have purpose just as much of the planet earth's purpose including eventually giving birth to us. Somehow something we or life like us will ultimately do will effect this universe in such a profound way it will benefit the greater universe and allow it to continue life. Again in my mind this is more sensible belief then to believe this is just random luck with no purpose at all. We shouldn't discount the likelyhood that the multi-universe is absolutely a breathing living lifeform. Granted it's food it eats and the air it breaths is entirely different then ours.

I know it all sounds pretty crazy obviously... But it doesn't make it unlikely. There is lots to be said about, what this means to Super-determinism, Bells Theorem. But We do know entanglement in space and time is a thing. We've already proved that. It hasn't yet been provin to occur in macro objects (But I suspect one day we will). We have difficulty understand what is happening in the Quantum Slit experiments, but the universe knows all probabilities and it knows with certainty. You cannot devise a test in which the universe doesn't know how you plan to manipulate any of the "observers" The universe is the ultimate observer of all things. Information can and is passed from future to past, if that information is perfectly inline with the present and past events. In fact if information must be past from the future for the present event to occur then that information will absolutely be sent and no information can exist that would disallow it to happen. The universe does not allow an actual paradox to occur. I've experienced this for myself on three occasions (Coo-Coo i know, it freaked me out too).

[simon.jacobs.]

Simultaneous multiple lives all in parallel or sequence, overlapping, intertwined and impossible to totally comprehend from one vantage point. Look at life as a strand of hair on top of your head. Look at all of what you ARE as an entire full head of hair. One strand of hair falls out (a life), another one grows back in. Immortality turns out to be the one thing we cannot avoid. We have no choice but to exist where at higher frequencies levels, a deeper understanding of the conscious mind will reveal.

[andrewmasterman]

My hunch is something and nothing cannot exist side by side or within the same structure, and something is most likely to be infinite. If it is infinite then it seems the only characteristic it could never produce would be that of nothing.

[TLMS]

You got further from truth rather than closer to truth with this episode. You can know that because the ordering of parts to wholes takes place in a knower. You are a knower. You are a something - an organization - a whole of a particular kind.

[azin]

Yes, I can see we are going to slove this mystry today, at this hour, in this

[tiggerlechien]

Prof. Leslie never clears anything up. I am astounded that others think his ability to dance around is worthy of compensation. He's like the winner of America's Got Metaphysics.

[objetivista]

I like to think on eternity as a perfection and the existence as its ultimate disorder, the need.

[igor.t]

Could the dialectic be of help in this quest? | I am, partially, a neoplatonist myself... Actually, I'm kinda eclectic when it comes to the philosophy of mind... (The same it's true for me in the case of "many interpretations" of QM...)

[stopclockapp]

Could Time as a phenomenon be only 13.8 billion years old?

[suatustel]

My elderly mother in law, she's restrained indoors hardly can walk rely on telly, when l usually asked what's on telly tonight her answer will be. NOTHING. WE SHOULD POSIT QUESTIONS WHAT IS NOT EXIST!!!!

[bozo]

When and where could there be nothing? No place, never. That's where nothing is.

[danielteran]

Existence is related to transformation and desire I think, existence is a manifestation of consciousness.

[genius]

Well here's one for you that fell in the box.... That's the problem with most people that find out they're in the box... The older you are the more strings in the more layers you have to remove before you can see a clarity.... Any 99.9 per cent it's not possible to remove the strings...

[Pegasus]

The questioner will never cease asking questions, so he can continue making videos - it's a way of life; not a search for answers that end the inquiry.

Here is Eistein speaking from the afterlife in the book 'Afterlives' by Joanne Helfrich.

Quote;
“Matter has properties that relate to time and space without needing them solely to exist. In other words, matter has not only physical properties but dimension, too, and to claim that time has nothing to do with matter is inconsiderate of the properties of dimensionality, which are infinite. The dimensions of reality are infinite.”
And also;
“There are no systems that are in a state of closure”