John Leslie - Why is There Anything at All?

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?

John Andrew Leslie is a Canadian philosopher who focuses on explaining the world’s existence. 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.

[emergentform]

Love this. This question has haunted and plagued me my whole life as well, and it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one.

[Grumpy_Rabbit]

Simple answer: Absolute nothing would necessarily entail no rules at all, not even distinctions. Without distinctions, there would be no distinction between true and false, nor would there be any rules that would prevent or require anything. Hence we exist, because no rule prevents it, and because no distinction would be possible between nothing and the reality we experience.

[MrJimithee]

I often find these seemingly simple questions yield the most interesting answers

[brad]

It often seems to me that nothing should be able to exist, that it would require an infinite regress of creators or that somehow something came from nothing...yet here I am...proving myself wrong with my very existence.

[frederickkoons]

Consider the paradoxical statement, “Nothing exists.” Suppose we assume the negative, that nothing means the absence of everything including space, then nothing means nonexistence. Then our paradoxical statement becomes “nonexistence exists” an obvious contradiction. This means that non-existence cannot exist and hence existence is infinite.

[kunalnichani]

It depends on a person's perspective and life situation how he sees existence. I personally see it as a miracle. There could have been simply nothing. But there is this unique, beautiful, yet scary at times Universe. Its a miracle. I feel awe, and I feel gratitude towards existence. I know people who are going through tough times (or have ego) will complain about existence itself. But lets be honest existence doesnt care about life, pain or death. Thats a very small transitory part in its dictionary. It cares about evolution and progression.
And its so damn detailed! The best we can do is try to learn and understand its rules. That can definitely help make the ride less bumpy.
Acceptance though is the most powerful backup tool thats at offer.

[longcastle]

I actually think the more interesting question is why we cannot answer this question. Is it because our brains are not smart enough, but one day will be? Is it because we haven’t yet found the right tools to answer this question (our logic, reasoning, sciences and mathematics not being up to the task)? Is it because of our situation? That is, finding ourselves within a situation or system we need to be on the outside of to answer? Or, somewhat similarly, is it because the answers lies within or from the perspective of some other dimensions we don’t have the sensory perceptual apparatuses to know or experience? Or some other reason?

[xNillowsx]

I think the universe exists because, if you think about it, nothing has to be something. You can't just have a state of non existence, its very "non existence" must exist within a framework that contrasts its antithesis to existence. When declaring something 'non existing' - it must come along with the contrast to describe "what" doesn't exist in order to have any meaning.

Darkness is the absence of Light. Sadness provides contrasts to permit the feeling of happiness to be experienced. Yin cannot exist without a yang, they give each side meaning and justification in its realness.

[royortiz]

Billy Preston sings " Nothing from nothing leaves nothing " " You got to have something " .😂😂😂😂😂😂

[asuited]

I look at it like this, quantum fields always exist even in empty space therefore true nothingness is impossible, something will always exist no matter what, otherwise we wouldnt be here. There is no such thing as nothing

[mtshasta]

Why is there anything at all? Because we exist!! We can over-analyze the most simplistic facts!

[raycosmic]

That which is, that is nothing in particular (actual) is by definition everything in general (potential).

0. Potential = Being
1. Actual = Becoming (actualized)

[cosmichappening]

Because experience is the "food" for consciousness. To be conscious is to experience, and to experience is to be conscious, and you cannot experience anything from nothing.

[tadmorrison]

The question is not why anything exists, but how things exist. It is altogether assured that the universe we see is the product of all of the processes that occurred before it. The human mind is not capable of truly grasping conditions where space and time are not established. Everything that we know begin to exist at some point in time. If the universe is eternal, that assumption has to give way

[ResmithSR]

The Universe, Nature, Cosmos exists and we are part of its evolution. I choose to view it as God because it makes sense to me.

[tedgrant]

Why is there anything at
Because God was bored with eternal bliss.
Now all we need to figure out is why God exists.

[Rudmin]

I think a likely answer is that nothing exists and our entire universe is just a funny way of looking at a blank nothing.

[mb_ytc]

Trying to answer questions like this only proves that we’re quite far from the top of the evolutionary ladder 😊

[adhikarilaxman]

Just say honestly "we don't know."and we are still alive or there is life and eagerness willing to know all this .suspence and adventure is must to live.

[grattata]

I got a better one... Why is there bills, and why do we have to pay them?