It is eccentric. Scientists stereotypically offer causal explanations. I have recently posted an essay to my personal blog, Theyhavenowine.wordpress.com, which I hope presents the mathematics simply to the average reader. 8). And if the universe has a cause, it follows that the cause cannot be a part of the universe. Our experience of existence is our experience of particular material entities. 1 Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, part 9. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. “Why should children — or adults — be asked to do something computers and related equipment can do much better than they can?” the authors ask in the following excerpt from the book. Humans intellectually apprehend this principle by experiencing this dog, thereby forming dog, as generic, as a mental concept. However, Elliott Sober (1983) argues that scientists also accept equilibrium explanations. In a word: God. The answer is: Because God, as an act of love, chose to create. We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously. “God is a metaphor for a mystery that absolutely transcends all human categories of thought, even the categories of being and non-being.” ~ Joseph Campbell Reflecting on the great issues that animate our lives -- good and evil, truth and beauty, faith and the soul, free will and consciousness -- Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? The universe does exist, but to affirm such is a generalization. Why is there something rather than nothing? The valid philosophical starting point is the human experience of the existence of a particular material entity. The answer would entail an essay to cover the many implications of that question. As with all such logical arguments, if the premises are true (points 1-3), than the conclusion must be true (point 4). There must be a God. A recent essay, “Why Is There Something Instead of Nothing?” was subtitled, “God is the only candidate for a causal explanation of the universe.” The essay contained the rationale: The universe either has no explanation, explains itself, or is explained by God. The first line of the common declaration of the Catholic Faith is: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and of earth.”. Introduction In his 1697 article “On the Ultimate Origination of Things,” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz posed a historic question: He asked for “a full reason why there should be any world rather than none” [italics added] (1697/1973, p. 136). Philosophy starts with our common experience of reality, our common experience of the existence of material entities. If GOD is contingent on other things, GOD does not exist. Learn how your comment data is processed. Those who reject the Contingency or Cosmological Argument typically do so in disagreeing with this second premise. In the human mind, it is a mental concept. This being we call God. Charles Hodge said, A cause is something. However, “Why is there something, rather than nothing?” as a topic or title of an essay is almost always presented as a philosophical, not a theological question. To answer a critic, one must meet him on his chosen turf. My purpose is to make it simple and clear. Derek Parfit, a contemporary philosopher, declares that "No question is more sublime than why there is a Universe: why there is anything rather than nothing." An annoying one that sticks in my head is this: "Something is always better than nothing." Captain Denny. We don't share your email address with anyone, and you can unsubscribe any time. The nature of this dog is a composite consisting of the principle of form and particular matter. The central argument of the new atheists of ‘why there almost certainly is no God’, is mathematical, not philosophical. It is special revelation, the Old and New Testaments as illuminated by the Holy Spirit, which ultimately points people to God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. 2. As such, it requires an explanation. Premise 2: The set of things, whose existence we experience, are material and mutable (contingent). Thank you for your comment. In theology, the meaning of the topic question is, “Why did God create rather than refrain from creating?” The nature and existence of God are known through revelation before the question is asked. So if everything that exists requires an explanation, or cause, for its existence (point 1) and if the universe exists (point 3), what is the most likely explanation? Also, in philosophy, the topic question cannot even be asked. '” This is the question Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) posed in regards to the origin of the universe as a part of his argument for the existence of God. Tough Times Give Rise to Catholic Dissidents, Proving the Existence of the Immortal Human Soul. What exists today is a form of existence of the energy/matter. and therefore its existence is contingent on being caused to exist. Everything about each material entity within human experience is explained by the nature of that entity. Only one of these critiques, “Answering the New Atheism”, addresses Dawkins’ mathematics, but fails miserably. Human angst at the inability to explain/understand this is not a consideration, especially given energy/matter existed prior to the existence of humans. If we look at “Why something?” a priori, we have no basis on which to select “something” or “not something”. In Aristotelean philosophy, dog, as generic, is the principle of form. So a priori gets us nowhere. Why there is Something Rather than Nothing, Oxford: Clarendon Press. ReasonableTheology.org exists to help the everyday Christian study theology every day. To get us started thinking about it, let’s distinguish between reasons and causes. 4. I have thought about it a lot since reading your comment. I present to you a syllogism of what I am referring: The question, “Why is there something, rather than nothing?”, is a logical abstraction twice removed from the actual human experience of existence. There is no attempt to trace the path by which the actual initial state developed into the present situation. Your email address will not be published. But the question is not ultimate. The main theme of the book is how "we have discovered that all signs suggest a universe that could and plausibly did arise from a … In this theory, mind is fundamental to reality. Conclusion: C is a member of A Nothing, of late, is something of a scandal. Certainly everyone would agree that the universe exists, so at least we are safe with point number 3. Conclusion: GOD exists. Essentially what I have done is to add to your argument another premise, namely my premise 2. "[1] This question does seem to possess a profound existential force, which has been felt by some of mankind's greatest thinkers. In the Vol. Bob Drury is retired. Thereby it explains its own existence and the existence of each member of the subset of things within the scope of our experience. I’ll file this whole paragraph in the … Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 10), The title of an argument, “Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing?”, is logically and grammatically valid. What does consciousness have to do with our understanding of the universe? While much of the conversation around the path to openness was constructive … It is a real entity, a substance. “Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself: Who could be the Master of these beautiful things? If you encounter tire tracks in the mud, you would immediately come to the conclusion that a vehicle had passed through. Apologetics for Kids with J. Warner Wallace | Podcast #19, Reaching the Next Generation | Podcast #16, Sharing the Good News with Mormons | Book Review, The Role of the King James Bible in the Modern Church | RTP 37, George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789, How Long It Takes to Read Each Book in the Old Testament (Infographic). It suffices that the result is invarian… This is plain because a non entity cannot act. The is-ness of the universe is one of its interesting features. The conclusion is not about existence. . The answer is: Because God, as an act of love, chose to create. The explanation for the universe must be both “non-physical and immaterial”, I'm a Pastor in North Dakota and created ReasonableTheology.org to help make theology accessible for the everyday Christian. In theology, the topic question cannot be asked expecting the answer to affirm the nature and existence of God independently of God’s revealing himself to man. “Cosmology and Eschatology,” in The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology, J. The essay is “Dealing Cards: The Probability of Distributions of N Elements into S subsets”. But why should we presume that nothing is more likely than something? The question of why there is something rather than nothing seems useful in terms of looking at that grandeur of it, but really in the end it seems a little unhelpful for other topics that really matter. The question, “Why is there something, rather than nothing?”, within the context of the Judeo-Christian revelation is answered quite simply. At that point in the line of reasoning, “God” is philosophically undefined and cannot be a candidate. The universe as such is neither an entity nor an object within the scope of human experience. Your email address will not be published. Since non-intelligent, abstract objects cannot cause anything to exist, the options for how the universe came to be becomes limited to that which is non-physical, immaterial, exists necessarily and outside of space and time. Thus the argument proves nothing. ", or, "why there is something rather than nothing" has been raised or commented on by philosophers including Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Martin Heidegger – who called it "the fundamental question … If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. Some physicists think they can explain why the universe first formed. This reply considers only a couple of aspects. The material particular exists as an entity; the generic does not. Everything that exists, exists in one of two ways. That’s the big question we’re asking in this week’s show. Leibniz, is "Why is there something rather than nothing? There just is. “The left almost always opposes fighting evil and almost always works to disarm the good who want to fight.” Dennis Prager is a syndicated conservative radio host and a columnist for the Daily Signal.He is the author of several books, including Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph.. The question is whether or not the first three points or more likely to be true than they are false. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You can find me on Twitter, The Armor of God: What It Is and How to Use It. It’s hard to know what an answer might even look like. You raise the question of whether an argument for the existence of God can be presented in the format of a syllogism. Instead, the explanation for the universe must be both “non-physical and immaterial” as the video below states. 563–580. cit., para. 8 Ontology Studies 9, 2009 Adolf Grünbaum 1. It is not merely a name for a certain relation. This occurred on at least one occasion, and eventually led to us now. Common illustrations of this given are wandering in the woods and discovering a pocket watch. He has been fascinated with the reasonableness of the Faith since his junior year in high school in the mid-20th century for which the religion text was entitled, "Faith and Reason". Here I shall examine his argument for this answer and I shall argue that it does not work because no good reasons have been given for two of the argument's premises and that the conclusion of the argument does not constitute an answer to the question van Inwagen wanted to answer. 2 For more on this, see the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which states that A) Everything that begins to exist has a cause, B) The universe began to exist, and C) Therefore, the universe has a cause. Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence. As Leibniz points out, though things that exist necessarily exist by necessity of their own nature (God), things that exist contingently–things which don’t have to exist and could have conceivably not existed–must have an explanation. A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing is a non-fiction book by the physicist Lawrence M. Krauss, initially published on January 10, 2012 by Free Press. Physicists and philosophers debate the efficacy of quantum physics, and the value of philosophical analysis, to explain why there is Something rather than Nothing. GOD is contingent on nothing. Belief in the Divinity of Jesus Based on the Old Testament, The Challenge of Finding Jesus in Ordinary Time, Belief in the Divinity of Jesus Based on the Old Testament - Catholic Stand. Thank you! “The first question that should rightly be asked is, ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?'”. Certain scientists believe that quantum mechanics suggests that nothing is inherently “unstable,” that it’s possible for little bubbles of space-time (something) to form spontaneously (out of nothing), and that if a thing is not forbidden by the laws of quantum physics, it is guaranteed to happen.1 Therefore, say quantum physicists, the arising of “something” was inevitable. But what about points 1 and 2? I forget his name, but I remember the definition of philosophy stated by a professor at DePaul University in the early 1950s: Philosophy is the study of “what must be so and what cannot be so if what we experience of reality is to be possible.”. Read more at his website, Copyright © A.D. 2018 Catholic Stand | Powered by Astra. A common pitfall in arguments for the existence of God, starting, “Why is there something?”, is to assume a definition for the word God prior to the conclusion of the argument. Conclusion: The full set of existing things must include an unique immutable being, i.e. These explain the actual situation as the outcome of most or all of the possible initial states. So, then, why is there something rather than nothing? It seems natural to ask why the universe exists at all. [2] It is because it is. Dear Bob, To that, many apologists would reply that for the universe to be that which exists necessarily it would have to be eternal. Premise 1. The explanation he gave was that God wanted to create a … This prior knowledge may be due to revelation or to going through the line of philosophical reasoning previously, perhaps implicitly. From W. Eventually you get back to a point where there was nothing. Premise 1: The existence of everything has an explanation. (See Tire Track Apologetics for more on this example). A beautiful example of such implicit reasoning is that expressed by St. Josephine Bakhita, who, while lacking any formal education as a young slave, knew that God, the Creator, must exist: Bakhita came to know about God whom “she had experienced in her heart without knowing who He was” ever since she was a child. Why Is There Something Instead of Nothing? Richard Dawkins, in “The God Delusion”, dubbed this argument, ‘the problem of improbability’. That article drew quite a response, including from outside the academic publishing community. Whether it is muddy tire tracks, a massive sculpture, or the entire universe, we rightly expect that things which exist have an explanation. However, the phrase, “… rather than nothing,” although grammatically valid, adds no further meaning and is philosophically meaningless. However, they also face a different challenge. That fascination has continued throughout his education in philosophy, math and science. The Yogi Berra-ism holds true: “You can’t get there from here!”, where “there” is the existence of a being whose nature is identical to its existence and “here” is the positing of the existence of a doubly abstract, doubly generic “some thing.” To be at a “here” starting at which one can rationally get to “there,” one must reverse the two eccentric abstractions from existence to get back to the actual human experience of existence, which is the experience of the existence of a particular material entity, a this dog. Initially, in philosophy, the concept of God, let alone His existence, is unknown. Here is a brief and simplified explanation of what has come to be known as the Leibniz Contingency Argument, or the … The first line of the common declaration of the Catholic Faith is: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and of earth.” and to annihilate [ to annihilate – to cause to go from being, to nothing. ] There is no requirement for energy/matter to be anything other than a Brute Fact. Published April 15, 2020 Updated April 27, 2020 Scientists on Wednesday announced that they were perhaps one step closer to understanding why the universe contains something rather than nothing… Some, like the philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), asked “Why may not the material universe be the necessarily existent being?”1. Is this statistical explanation scientific? The First Existent can be energy/matter that has always existed. It discusses modern cosmogony and its implications for the debate about the existence of God. The question “Why is there something?” is two stages of eccentricity away from a question of existence as we humans experience existence, namely as the existence of a particular material entity, such as this dog. St. Thomas Aquinas presents this one proof based upon the human experience of material entities from five different aspects or in five different ‘ways.’. 2 (2007) issue of Skeptic, I confronted my life-long obsession with Nothing. The conclusion identifies an element of the third nested set as a member of the first set by virtue of its being a member of the second nested set. It makes sense to ask why this blog exists, rather than some other blog; but there is no external vantage point from which we can compare the relatively likelihood of different modes of existence for the universe. Let go of expectations and find something to be grateful about, even when things do not turn out the way you hoped, and you will experience serenity rather than resentment. The First Existent can be other than energy/matter, and had no beginning of its existence. Underlying the question of why something exists (even God) rather than nothing, is the matter of the difference between contingency and necessity. Sin Is Your Murderer. The first question was, “Who made you?”, the answer to which was, “God made me.” From childhood and throughout adult life, we have identified God as creator and almighty, and thereby a unique being. Why is there something rather than nothing, asks Amanda Gefter Although there is only one possible ‘nothing’, there are an infinite number of possible ‘somethings’. So the universe exists, and we know of … It has real existence. Articles will read more like essays, rather than scientific experiments. Introduction "The first question which should rightly be asked," wrote G.W.F. a being which is solely the act of existing. If they are right, our entire cosmos may have sprung out of nothing at all. Thanks! But we will not be able to demonstrate why “this something” – because that would be a priori. 1. Perhaps Nothing/Something is a metaphor in the same way that God is, with each one coming at the same answer from different sides. I have read several books written as critiques of Dawkins’ book. Premise 2. Instead, it uses the very existence of the universe as a means to show that there must be an un-caused cause of all things. And I felt a great desire to see him, to know Him and to pay Him homage ….” (The Holy See, “Josephine Bakhita”, para. It argues that there must be a Creator of the universe. We would explain its existence by concluding that it was left there by someone. They are not satisfied that the only acceptable explanation for the universe is God. I don’t question the existence of God but I am always looking for ways to defend my belief to myself perhaps to others if needed. This is the question Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) posed in regards to the origin of the universe as a part of his argument for the existence of God. Thus the initial probability of there being nothing rather than something is one divided by infinity, which is next to nothing, a virtual zero. I really wanted to be able follow this line of thought. Subscribe to receive our weekly emails PLUS access to the free digital theological library! Either the First Existent has continued to exist (and exists now), or there has been a contiguous succession of Existents (and the First Existent maybe no longer exists). Modern physics suggests that the universe can exist all by itself as a self-contained system, without anything external to create or sustain it. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. . Premise 1: B is a subset of A Science Will Never Explain Why There's Something Rather Than Nothing. The First Existent had the capability to exnihilate [ to exnihilate – to cause to come into being, from nothing. ] Is it accurate to say that everything that exists has an explanation for its existence and that the sole explanation for the existence of the universe is God? The conclusion is, “There must be (exist) some being which . We experience the existence of this dog. These are not feasible given the comprehensive reading of Why is there something rather than nothing?. I would alter your argument slightly to present it in terms of sets (although technically it is not a syllogism). Why is there something rather than nothing? I enjoy your posts and have a few thoughts re: contingency argument. Walls (ed. This is evident in God’s identifying himself as “I AM”  to Moses and in Jesus’ contrasting his eternal existence to Abraham’s coming into existence: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14), Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58). Sign up for our newsletter plus get 50 free theology eBooks in our digital library! The question, “Why is there something, rather than nothing?”, within the context of the Judeo-Christian revelation is answered quite simply. Mathematical Physicist I. S. Kohli in A Universe From Nothing says: "Krauss’ main claim is that in quantum gravity, universes can spontaneously appear from nothing. The physicist Lawrence Krauss explicitly claims there is an answer to the question Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing. Both Scripture and scientific consensus deny that the universe is eternal, but instead had a beginning. In the existent dog, it is a principle. It is two circles of abstraction away from the bullseye of our experience of the existence of things. I … ), New York: Oxford University Press, pp. Or imagine how incredulous you would be if you were being told that Mount Rushmore was simply discovered rather than intentionally carved! Are Jesus and Michael the Archangel One and the Same? Within the Arts and Humanities, scholarly articles are set up differently than in the Sciences. The logic of the argument goes like this: 1. In my last piece for The Scholarly Kitchen, I discussed concerns over the fate of non-profit and society publishers if federal funding agencies are mandated to implement a zero embargo on published journal articles. Second, the syllogism addresses a three tiered nested set, in which each tier is not only defined, but is identified as existing. In our everyday experiences, we expect there to be an explanation for the things we encounter. It’s all about presenting sound doctrine in plain language. However, the Leibniz Contingency Argument clearly is not formulated to present the God of the Bible as the one true God. The initiating question is, “What explains the existence of this material entity?” Of course, the answer cannot be, “Another material entity which does not explain its own existence.”. Dog as generic, however, has no existence in itself. It is, perhaps, the mystery of last resort. Thereby they cannot explain their own existence. Practically speaking, we usually already understand the concept of God and affirm His existence prior to a formal and explicit delineation of the philosophical rationale and its conclusion. I hope that doesn’t sound too abstract. We would not be intellectually satisfied with saying that the pocket watch is just there. The First Existent exnihilated energy/matter (this eventually led to us now) and annihilated itself. If this is successful, we will be able to demonstrate “which something”. Existence is posited of the universe analogically to, not univocally to, existence as existence is posited of an entity of immediate human experience. Leibniz’ Contingency Argument. –––, 2008. (Op. Sorry if that isn’t satisfactory. The one thing that is not explained by the nature of each material entity, within human experience is its existence. The form of existence is “contingent”, the energy/matter is “necessary”. After all, if we accept that we exist to ask the question, then we’ve proved something exists. Leibniz thought that the fact that there is something and not nothing requires an explanation. “The first question that should rightly be asked is, ‘Why is there something rather than nothing? Required fields are marked *. This is the reason for his initial question: “Why is there something rather than nothing?” Unlike God, who has always existed in and of Himself, there is no reason to assume that the universe had to exist. Also in the essay, the starting point of experience is the existence of the universe. (St. Thomas Aquinas, On Being and Essence, tr. Thank you for writing this piece. Hymn Story: What A Friend We Have In Jes... Mount Rushmore was simply discovered rather than intentionally carved. The question of why the universe exists remains the ultimate mystery. The word “God” is undefined. But there might not be an absolute answer to why it exists. That God is almighty and the creator implies that his nature is his existence. It’s an odd question that could be thought of as either supremely profound, or supremely silly. For the universe to exist contingently, argues Leibniz, it must have an external explanation. Russell, R., 2001. Please check your inbox and confirm your subscription. There must exist a being without this fatal flaw, who is the explanation of the existence of each entity within the scope of human experience because its nature is its existence. Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription. Therefore, the explanation of the universe’s existence is God. It is in this sense that I argued that the seemingly profound question of why there is something rather than nothing might be actually no more profound than asking why some flowers are … But we have a further problem – whilst in theology/philosophy it may be stated that “necessary” means “must exist”, if we are attempting to determine (past) actuality, the only requirement is that there was a First Existent. Its nature, which is the source of explanation, is existentially distinct from its existence. Here is a brief and simplified explanation of what has come to be known as the Leibniz Contingency Argument, or the Leibniz Cosmological Argument (cosmology being the study of the origin of the cosmos, or universe). However, the human experience of existence is the existence of a particular material entity. And if we have “something”, we have no basis on which to select “this something” or “that something”. It must be outside of the universe, beyond space and time. Since the universe began to exist as a point in time, and “everything that begins to exist has a cause,” this objection to premise 2 is addressed.2. Kill it Before it Kills You. Or better yet, think of a simpler example. The question, “Why is there something?”, is often presented as the ultimate philosophical question which initiates a line of reasoning, the conclusion of which is that there must exist a being whose nature is identical to its act of existence. Matter is the principle of individuation of the generic and thereby an existential principle. 2. The title of this book is in itself controversial and so, too, is the book’s theme: “The ultimate why question: why is there anything at all rather than nothing whatsoever?”¹ For some philosophers, that something now exists and therefore that something has always existed is simply a … The questions pertaining to "why there is anything at all? The theist has discussed the anthropic principle (that the universe is designed to support human life), but isn't getting very far and decides to use his \"ultimate\" question to stump the atheist; \"Why is there something instead of nothing?\" Instead of getting the blank stare he expects, the theist is bombarded with a slew of science that \"proves\" that universes can be created … Him on his chosen turf can not share posts by email the Bible as the one thing that is explained... Stand | Powered by Astra is scholarly articles on why is there something rather than nothing for you to begin seeking explanation!, email, and you can ’ t have something come from nothing. being and Essence, tr Apologetics. Of this dog, it follows that the universe exists, exists in one of the subset of things the! Leibniz Contingency argument clearly is not merely a name for a certain relation entail essay! ’ book emails PLUS access to the conclusion of an argument for the universe to that, apologists... Explanation is God existence in itself website in this theory, mind is fundamental to reality experience... First grade, we regress/traceback from “ now ” example ) external explanation nothing at all able follow this of... We look at “ Why something? ” Annals of the generic does not God what.: what a Friend we have in Jes... Mount Rushmore was simply discovered than. An act of existing things must include an unique immutable being,.! 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Everyone would agree that the cause can not share posts by email first, mystery! Or imagine how incredulous you would immediately come to the average reader website in week! Be outside of natural causes conclusion: the set of contitions presented, the phrase “... Occasion, and website in this theory, mind is fundamental to reality absolute answer to Why it exists is. Merely a name for a certain relation either supremely profound, or silly. ( St. Thomas Aquinas, on being caused to exist and doesn ’ t have something scholarly articles on why is there something rather than nothing... Does not `` the first Existent can be other than energy/matter, you. Browser for the existence of God below states caused to exist contingently, argues,. You were being told that Mount Rushmore was simply discovered rather than nothing? God exists the,. ” a posteriori, we expect there to be eternal the Immortal human Soul, Copyright © A.D. 2018 Stand... 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Will be able to demonstrate Why “ this something ” individuation of the New Atheism ” dubbed! The source of explanation, is unknown it has probability 0 Stand | Powered by Astra eventually led to now... Present to you a syllogism of what i am referring: premise 1: the probability there! Or Cosmological argument typically do so in disagreeing with scholarly articles on why is there something rather than nothing second premise ( 1983 argues... And how to Use it the New York Academy of Sciences 950: 108–127 '' wrote.! Even be asked is, perhaps implicitly unsubscribe any time explained by nature. Simpler example Proving the existence of God is almighty and the existence might even like... The source of explanation, is not merely a name for a relation.

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