Closer To Truth Why is There Anything at All?
Jun 19, 2024
Guest
Paul Davies
Guest
Richard Swinburne
Guest
John Polkinghorne
Guest
Peter van Inwagen
Guest
Victor Stenger
Guest
Quentin Smith
Guest
Simon Blackburn
Guest
Max Tegmark
Guest
Bede Rundle
Guest
John Leslie
Philosophers and physicists discuss the profound question of why there is something instead of nothing, exploring ideas like necessary existence, the role of value, consciousness creating the universe, and ultimate explanations like theism and materialism. Guests include John Leslie, Bede Rundle, Max Tegmark, Simon Blackburn, Quentin Smith, Victor Stenger, Peter van Inwagen, John Polkinghorne, Richard Swinburne, and Paul Davies.
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Episode notes
Five Solutions to Existence
- Five potential solutions to the "why is there anything at all?" puzzle exist.
- These include absurdity of nothingness, no explanation needed, chance, value, and mind.
Mathematics as Foundation
- One solution posits the absurdity of nothingness.
- Mathematics might exist eternally and serve as the foundational something.
No Explanation Needed?
- Some argue the question is meaningless.
- An infinite causal sequence or a brute fact might explain existence.