The Washington Post Notable Non-Fiction of 2013 “I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book.”—Sarah Bakewell, New York Times Book Review , front-page review, Why Does the World Exist?, An Existential Detective Story, Jim Holt, 9780871403599 in a precise sense, "electron" and "quark" are just names for human convenience, to indicate that they are two different stuff. An intriguing and hopeless search for the meaning of existence. 10 mysteries of the universe: Why does anything exist at all? Engaging and thoughtful and deftly told (probably all these adjectives are used in the blurbs, but in this case they're accurate). A fine study of the laws of the universe interrogates what, if anything, came before the Big Bang It's a classical philosophical question. : An Existential Detective Story . Taking the thought to heart, he gave himself the task of talking to a succession of experts--particle physicists, theologians, philosophers, cosmologists, mystics, and a great writer, heavy thinkers all--who he hoped would prove to be one or two or three of those Einsteins shining a light down the path toward the answer. I took a college philosophy class more than two decades ago. I was hooked as I'm sure most of you reading a review of this book would have been. All well & good & I enjoyed the ride, even though one should know from the outset that nothing will be decided. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. By then I found that I was rapidly losing interest in a very important question: why does the world exist? same goes for quark as well. Midway through the book, however, I began to wonder why all the philosophers, scientists or simply very smart peop. Actually more like 4.5. But that's to be expected & doesn't diminish the pleasure of the quest. Philosopher and writer Jim Holt follows this question toward three possible answers. Refresh and try again. Apparently the NYTimes reviewed it well and I can definitely understand why; this book isn't an end in itself or anything, but it really stands out especially compared to similar books that try the same thing and don't do nearly as good a job. "Why is There Something Rather Than Nothing?" In Stephen Hawking's final book "Brief Answers to Big Questions," published ... time does not exist. Holt ponders that most enduring & impossible of questions: why is there something rather than nothing. Search Results for “why-the-universe-exists” – PDF Search Engine The reference to invisible things (plural) are natural because they are indeed natural things, not yet in the visible spectrum. Hawking's latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. Another complication in the understanding of time is demonstrated by Lee Smolin's 2013 book Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe, in which he argues that science does (as the mystics claim) treat time as an illusion. 10 mysteries of the universe: Why does anything exist at all? Unlike many, Jim is able to convey his reverence for some of the people he speaks with, and he does not put words in their mouths - far from it. October 11, 2016 by David James. All well & good & I enjoyed the ride, even though one should know from the outset that nothing will be decided. Jim Holt is an excellent writer who can explain philosophical, scientific and existential themes with skill. The evolution of the Universe from the big bang to the present. William James called the question of existence "the darkest in all philosohpy." Why Does the World Exist? In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? What?! William James called the question of existence "the darkest in all philosohpy." "The Basic Question 'Why Does the World Exist?' Time spent with an old friend. Philosopher and author Jim Holt plays the role of the inquisitive detective who is on a mission to answer the ultimate question of existence. The so-called "five ways" are taken from his Summa Theologica. Holt took an interesting approach with this book, combining a serious, if somewhat light-hearted, philosophical inquiry into a profound metaphysical question with a non-fiction style situated between autobiography and travelogue. Well it's said that every thing has its reasons, sometimes you can figure it some times you can't. But that's to be expected & doesn't diminish the pleasure of the quest. Childhood memories and annual traditions. so the question wo. The mystery of why the universe exists still intrigues and defies philosophers, theologians, scientists, and pretty much anyone who’s ever sprawled in a park and stared at the sky. Even with some limitations, this was a very stimulating book to read. Such thoughts did spoil the fun a bit, I must admit. Why is there something instead of nothing? Jim Holt’s recent book, Why Does the World Exist? : An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt "Why Does the World Exist?" The whole group of universes, if there are indeed more than one, is commonly called the multiverse. An Existential Detective Story. But Jim Holt's slyly amiable and vulnerable persona is armed with a very serious purpose, and rather than give us potted versions of the views of the various players in this arena, he works out his own understanding, often in conversation wi. The context of this scripture is the creation of the universe in which we live and can observe. By Sean Carroll. Holt's existential detective story checks off every one of my pet peeves about contemporary mainstream nonfiction. exist?) In this highly original new book, the philosopher Markus Gabriel challenges our notion of what exists and what it means to exist. But many cosmologists now believe there are other “universes”, and perhaps our universe arose from one of them. Similar remarks apply to all suggestions of these kinds. We asked the... "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. Start by marking “Why Does the World Exist? Our best theories predict that all the matter in the universe should have been destroyed as soon as it existed. He is an atheist. Why Does the Universe Exist? is an intellectual quest of one the most intriguing philosophical questions, "Why Does the World Exist". The child knows that someone must have written these books. After all, some basic physics suggests that you and the rest of the universe are overwhelmingly unlikely to exist. He questions the idea that there is a world that encompasses everything like a container life, the universe, and ev The author approaches this inexhaustible theme through a wide array of perspectives He has a polyhedral vision that takes into account some of the most brilliant minds in history. Some of the people interviewed are John Updike, David Deutsch, Adolf Grünbaum, John Leslie, Derek Parfit, Roger Penrose, Richard Swinburne, Steven Weinberg, and Andrei Linde. : An Existential Detective Story” as Want to Read: Error rating book. professor Max Tegmark explores the possibility that math does not just describe the universe, but makes the universe … Why Does the World Exist? I mean, this is the super ultimate "why" question? Because the universe also began as a singularity, time itself could not … Theoretical physicist Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe, explains how that's possible in the new book, The Hidden Reality. remains the darkest and most enduring of all metaphysical mysteries. I wish I'd read Freeman Dyson's review in the New York Review of Books first and saved my time. The book was also a 2012 National Book Critics Award finalist for nonfiction. Updike felt that the universe had “a color, a quiet but tireless goodness that things at rest, like a brick wall or a small stone, seem to affirm.” Surely this was a mood, even a quirk of biochemistry, but it opens a perspective on the universe, too. Altogether: this is nice and worth checking out, and there's probably a lot for you here unless you're a specialist in both physics and metaphysics... which, well, I doubt many people are, and even then it might do a good job summarizing and contextualizing a lot of the major issues. Why is there something rather than nothing? Firstly, that there is nothing else to create the universe but itself (because it came from nothing). This book helped clarify for me that I’m much more interested in the whats and hows of existence than the why of it. There could not be a causal explanation of why God exists. A much-needed diversion. "National Book Critics Circle Names 2012 Award Finalists", "Review of Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist? Sadly, the book sheds no light on the question. It’s a peripatetic book, one that only occasionally seems really … An exuberant romp of a book. He takes inspiration from readings of Heidegger and Sartre, and from something Martin Amis once said in a television interview: “We’re at least five Einsteins away from answering that question.”... Holt reminds us that no exploration of being — especially human being — can be separated from the human who undertakes it, complete with character and the play of moods. :An Existential Detective Story, tackles the question that Martin Heidegger characterized as the greatest in all philosophy and William James called the darkest in all philosophy—why is there something rather than nothing? It's also referred to as "parallel universe theory." Possibly the most important ‘why’ question of all, and as such it should receive more attention. ( CC0) Let the unpacking began. A comforting balm. In this excerpt from his new book, Our Mathematical Universe, M.I.T. He questions the idea that there is a world that encompasses everything like a container life, the universe, and everything else. I was furious, outraged, bombastic. I have to assume that an exclusionary principle operated at the level of personal inclination, or disinclination, as it were. A nice, well written survey of contemporary metaphysics/science, mostly trying to explain "why there is something rather than nothing". Why Does the World Exist? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why Does the World Exist?, By Jim Holt. It's also referred to as "parallel universe theory." Thomas believes God's existence, although not self-evident, can be made evident using reasoning drawn from the nature and structure of the world. same goes for quark as well. Some things are better reasoned through from first principles, and I think the universe is definitely one of those things. Okay. This is a far more personal and self-disclosing book than I expected, and skates very far, I feared at first, in the direction of one of those concocted "How the Irish Jews Saved The Parthenon, Invented Caller ID, and Inspired Emily Dickinson" sort of books. It's more engaging than most surveys, with some nice cameos by prominent scientists/philosophers, and less shallow than most things aimed at a general audience. : An Existential Detective Story is a nonfiction work authored by Jim Holt. It is philosophically engaging and highly informative. Why Does the World Exist?, By Jim Holt. The anthropic principle is a group of principles attempting to determine how statistically probable our observations of the universe are, given that we could only exist in a particular type of universe to start with. Part of this is my fault: I forced myself through the equally terrible Assholes: A Theory last year and should know by now that navel-gazing logic-heavy philosophical books based around thought experiments are not my cup of tea. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was the first to publish the question in 1714. Download Full Why The Universe Exists Book in PDF, EPUB, Mobi and All Ebook Format. That was my introduction to the mystery of existence. It is philosophically engaging and highly informative. This is becoming tedious. It began with the big bang almost 14 billion years ago. There was not a single page where I thought to myself ah yes that obviously makes sense, each page elicited a headache. Jim Holt is a longtime contributor to the, “Having just enough life to enjoy being dead.”, “In 1921, a New York rabbi asked Einstein if he believed in God. He and the book were on the LA Times bestseller list during the last quarter of 2012, and the first quarter of 2013. This review of contemporary thinking on the question of existence represents the best of North American intellectual journalism where the writer tries to represent the intelligent 'ordinary joe' in his search for knowledge. In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? in a precise sense, "electron" and "quark" are just names for human convenience, to indicate that they are two different stuff. Jocaxian's Trains refutes Especial Relativity: Why Does the World Exist? so the question would be, why do we think that the universe is not made out of just numbers like (-1, 1/2, 9.10938356 × 10^-31, etc) instead of some abstract entities like electron and quark? Lewis’s point is that religion and philosophy study the abstract question of why humans do things, while … How can people get away with such partial and idiotic arguments, and how can anyone take them seriously. If Jim Holt's deft and consuming Why Does the World Hard to imagine now, but it’s true. Existence, as we know it in this universe, consists of a what, a where and a when. All told, Why Does the World Exist? Taking the thought to heart, he gave himself the task of talking to a succession of experts--particle physicists, theologians, philosophers, cosmologists, mystics, and a great writer, heavy thinkers all--who he hoped would prove. The author won't even get to the bottom of what exactly "nothing" IS. It was paining me to get through this to begin with, because at the end of the day, though armed with plenty of jargon and intimidating vocabulary, Jim Holt is a bad writer, plain and simple; when I realized that in this guy's oh-so-noble quest to get to the bottom of no less comprehensive a question than why the world exists, he didn't deem it necessary to interview, cite, consult, credit, or indeed acknowledge a single person who wasn't a white man, I was done. Philosopher Jim Holt on Nothingness, the God Wars, and His New Book: “I’m a Little Unhinged”, The Philosophers Magazine - The best books of 2012, "Why Does the World Exist? “The block universe theory says you’re spread out in time, something like the way you’re spread out in space,” Skow says. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." Somewhat disappointing, in large part because of its approach, which entails attempting to answer an ontological/metaphysical question by asking analytical philosophers and physical scientists. He and the book were on the LA Times bestseller list during the last quarter of 2012, and the first quarter of 2013. Still, Skow’s view of time does lead to him to offer some slightly more unusual-sounding conclusions. A Physicist Explains Why Parallel Universes May Exist … We’d love your help. The s. "Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?" Why is there something instead of nothing? Welcome back. One is far likely to be left with some questions which one hopes Jim would have asked, but didn't- which is a wonderful testament to the genius of this book, since Jim is likely to be smarter than any of his readers. But Jim Holt's slyly amiable and vulnerable persona is armed with a very serious purpose, and rather than give us potted versions of the views of the various players in this arena, he works out his own understanding, often in conversation with the philosophers, physicists, and mathematicians themselves. God did not create the universe, the man who is arguably Britain's most famous living scientist says in a forthcoming book. Holt's book is very thought provoking and very clearly written with an occasional touch of humor. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Because he wanted to, silly. Secondly, that the universe EXISTS. Too much belly button lint in here for my taste. Why does the universe exist? If Jim Holt's deft and consuming Why Does the … is an intellectual quest of one the most intriguing philosophical questions, "Why Does the World Exist". is an intellectual quest of one the most intriguing philosophical questions, "Why Does the World Exist". For instance: We exist in a “temporally scattered” condition, as he writes in the new book. The universe shouldn't exist, scientists say after finding bizarre behaviour of anti-matter. This is the idea that our universe is not the only one in existence. To his credit, Holt does interview one theistic philosopher, Richard Swinburne, but his report on the interview seems biased strongly in favor of naturalism. I'm used by now to this kind of book not actually providing a satisfactory answer to the question posited, but this one is really infuriating. July 16th 2012 Gives me a fresh perspective on that tired "turtles all the way down" story a certain kind of person loves to reference: in the context of this book, whose author clearly doesn't think women have anything of value (well, anything at all, actually) to contribute to the pressing concerns of humanity, the one woman who gets a mention is one who made a stupid comment to a brilliant man delivering a lecture she obviously didn't understand and thus sealed her legacy as a droll punchline and illustration of the hilarious antics of uneducated plebeians for class acts like the author of this book and his cohorts. All told, Why Does the World Exist? Most people have heard of the possibility of more than one universe from science fiction stories and movies. It's not like there aren't very smart women & non-English or French speaking women & men in the world who might have contributed some interesting thoughts on the subject. Sadly, the book sheds no light on the question. In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? by Liveright Publishing Corporation. "Review: Jim Holt's compelling 'Why Does the World Exist? The Multiverse is an extremely controversial idea, but at its core it's a very simple concept. Following in the footsteps of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose, and even Stephen Hawking, Jim Holt now enters this fractious debate with his lively and deeply informed narrative that traces the latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. I haven't argued with a book as much as this one.....ever. Or at least I thought it was until I read the book. by Jim Holt". Most people have heard of the possibility of more than one universe from science fiction stories and movies. Holt's objection to the brute-fact view, then – the view, that is, that the existence of the universe as a whole has no explanation, most likely because it has simply always been around – … Philosopher and author Jim Holt plays the role of the inquisitive detective who is on a mission to answer the ultimate question of existence. Far from being an imaginary idea, multiple universes can exist, according to … True to the story I missed it by like .1 of a point. The author considers all possible perspectives, a strategy which makes the discussion a bit vague and directionless in my opinion. The New York Review of Books - What Can You Really Know? Like most metaphysics surveys, it spent a while gr. See the article here: : An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt "Why Does the World Exist?" I found the discussion in this book on why there is something rather than nothing utterly charming and totally befuddling. An Existential Detective Story. We don't know why the universe isn't destroying itself The mystery of why the universe exists still intrigues and defies philosophers, theologians, scientists, and pretty much anyone who’s ever sprawled in a park and stared at the sky. And it artistically weaves together a personal narrative and quest with a deeply intellectual and highly abstract inquiry. As he pieces together a solution--one that sheds new light on the question of God and the meaning of existence--he offers brisk philosophical asides on time and eternity, consciousness, and the arithmetic of nothingness. This all-inclusive being does not exist and cannot exist. In other words, scientific observation of the universe would not even be possible if the laws of the universe had been incompatible with the development of sentient life. Although not related to my major I wanted an A in that class more than anything. Because of my background, the philosophy felt a little basic, but a lot of the physics were engaging and new, and seeing them together was a nice treat. People have wrestled with the mystery of why the universe exists for thousands of years. “The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. Scientists Studying EDM To Find Why Everything In The Universe Exists Somehow, at the beginning of time, there was an imbalance of matter and antimatter. Perhaps all possible universes have existed from the start, including one that contains nothing. Why Does the World Exist? People have wrestled with the mystery of why the universe exists for thousands of years. I am happy to read this kind of musing from authors I already like, but this was my first dip into Holt and, frankly, I have better things to do. the real things those matters, let say for an electron, are (-1, 1/2, 9.10938356 × 10^-31, etc) which represent charge, spin, and mass respectively. professor Max Tegmark explores the possibility that math does not just describe the universe, but makes the universe … This supremely unimportant book raises three deep and troubling questions. : An Existential Detective Story. This is a far more personal and self-disclosing book than I expected, and skates very far, I feared at first, in the direction of one of those concocted "How the Irish Jews Saved The Parthenon, Invented Caller ID, and Inspired Emily Dickinson" sort of books. That said, though I left with a pleasant reading experience, a deeper understanding of the issues, and lots to ponder, I didn't leave with the answer (but then one shouldn't expect to, given the complexity of the question). Hurray for Jim Holt, who cracks our formulaic stupor with his crisp, jolly new book, Why Does the World Exist? In the new work, The … An Existential Detective Story' by Jim Holt", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Why_Does_the_World_Exist%3F&oldid=977004557, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 September 2020, at 10:49. Three cheers for deep thought and wild conjecture! Why Does the World Exist? the real things those matters, let say for an electron, are (-1, 1/2, 9.10938356 × 10^-31, etc) which represent charge, spin, and mass respectively. It does not know who or how. Rock. The anthropic principle is a group of principles attempting to determine how statistically probable our observations of the universe are, given that we could only exist in a particular type of universe to start with. The second law of thermodynamics, that most existentially resonant of … Holt ponders that most enduring & impossible of questions: why is there something rather than nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. Those who share this mood with Holt, at least from time to time, will almost certainly find this to be an entertaining and thought-provoking book. An intriguing and hopeless search for the meaning of existence. ", Books of the Times - Into the Nothing, After Something. This is the idea that our universe is not the only one in existence. This was the view of the 17th century philosopher Spinoza, who claimed that the entire universe, along with all of its contents, laws and events, had to exist, and exist in the way it does. Wonderful book. You also can read online Why The Universe Exists and write the review about the book. their properties like charge, mass, spin etc are also just indicative of certain interaction they engage with. The eternal question of why the universe exists (or how something came from the nothing) is revisited by Jim Holt in his new book Why Does the World Exist? And what does it all mean? In Stephen Hawking's final book "Brief Answers to Big Questions," published ... time does not exist. Philosopher and author Jim Holt plays the role of the inquisitive detective who is on a mission to answer the ultimate question of existence. "I believe in Spinoza's God," he answered, "who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.”, National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (2012), Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Nonfiction (2013), Do you agree that "The Jocaxian Nothingness" is the answer for the question: So the universe should be capable of making its own space, time and complexity. remains the darkest and most enduring of all metaphysical mysteries. Unfortunately, the book is dominated by the materialistic assumption that the ultimate explanation will be physical rather than Personal. There's nothing essentially new--reality consists of Pythagorean numbers, the Platonic good, superstrings, qunantum fluctuations, or perhaps nothing at all--one wonders if philosophy ever advances beyond Thales' water ontology! Profssor Parfit is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford He is the author of … Along the way, Jim Holt also introduces the reader to the philosophy of mathematics, theology, physics, ontology, epistemology, and other subjects.[1][2][5]. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The book was also a 2012 National Book Critics Award finalist for nonfiction. Why Does the World Exist? Hadoualex/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET If I were a scientist, I'd stick to the Goldman Sachs principle: bet on both sides. Why is there — Okay. it was taught by a complete asshole whose only pleasure was ridiculing and tormenting others. “Why Does the Universe Exist?” could have used more moments that slyly build to something like awe. Cleveland Plain Dealer. http://pjpub.org/Abstract/abstract_pet_197.htm, See all 3 questions about Why Does the World Exist?…, New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2012 (fiction and nonfiction), Goodreads Members Share the Books They've Been Rereading. By Derek Parfit This Spring Derek Parfit is Visiting Profssor of Philosophy at Harvard University, where he is teaching "Recent Ethical Theory" with T. M. Scanlon. why do we think that the universe is made of electron and quark? Adam J. The author won't even get to the bottom of what exactly "nothing" IS. Jim Holt’s recent book, Why Does the World Exist? In their new book, "The Grand Design," phyicists Stephen Hawking and Len Mlodinow tackle the ultimate meaning of life questions: why does the universe behaves the way it does and why do we exist? is exceedingly clear and well written. An advaita vedantic perspective. It's more engaging than most surveys, with some nice cameos by prominent scientists/philosophers, and less shallow than most things aimed at a general audience. Inconclusive as any such book must be, so don't pick it up expecting one definitive version of an answer. Far from being an imaginary idea, multiple universes can exist, according to … Although it seems unlikely that science will answer this question (at least in my lifetime, and probably ever), the philosophical approaches, which dominate the book, offer even less hope. In “Why Does the World Exist?,” Jim Holt, an elegant and witty writer comfortably at home in the problem’s weird interzone between philosophy and scientific cosmology, sets out in search of such answers. A nice, well written survey of contemporary metaphysics/science, mostly trying to explain "why there is something rather than nothing". : An Existential Detective Story is a nonfiction work authored by Jim Holt. why do we think that the universe is made of electron and quark? It does not understand the languages in which they are written. Even if he were limited to New York City, his home base, there must be a goodly supply of female thinkers in that city alone. Holt reminds us philosophy can be fun, too. Because its author poured himself a cup of coffee the other morning and sat down in front of the computer to write it. Be solemn. Why is there something instead of nothing? Midway through the book, however, I began to wonder why all the philosophers, scientists or simply very smart people the author consulted & conversed with were white males & pretty exclusively North American or British (perhaps a few Frenchmen, since the author does journey to Paris a few times & he does at least mention Buddhism at the very end of the book). Sure, it has taught me enough about Leibniz and Spinoza to be vaguely re-interested in specific metaphysicians, but Holt's self-absorbed and self-serving writing style is not worth my time. Already, I've started a list of folk who will find it gift-wrapped from me at the holidays.— Karen R. Long. And it artistically weaves together a personal narrative and quest with a deeply intellectual and highly abstract inquiry. Ancient philosophers didn’t focus too much on what Heidegger [3] called the “funda- mental question of metaphysics” and Gru¨nbaum [4] has dubbed the “Primordial Existential :An Existential Detective Story, tackles the question that Martin Heidegger characterized as the greatest in all philosophy and William James called the darkest in all philosophy—why is there something rather than nothing? He questions the idea that there is a world that encompasses everything like a container life, the universe, and ev Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published is exceedingly clear and well written. Another complication in the understanding of time is demonstrated by Lee Smolin's 2013 book Time Reborn: From the Crisis in Physics to the Future of the Universe, in which he argues that science does (as the mystics claim) treat time as an illusion. A review of books you want to read: Error rating book an excellent writer can. 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