Why Something Rather than Nothing?
Many religious believers are hung up on existence. "Why is there something rather than nothing?" they ask, perplexed by the world around them. Here's the odd thing: many atheists are hung up on it too. I don't know how often I've heard hosts of atheist call-in shows say to a theist who raised this question: "The right answer is: I don't know." No it isn't! If you just stare at it for a bit, you'll see that it's a very bizarre question. I have to wonder why anyone ever thought to ask it. I want to say: what did you expect? Nothing, after all, is no thing . It's not a special sort of thing. It's the void, the absence, the zero. Nothing does not exist , and so nothing can come from nothing. Why should it be thought of as the default? Why does existence itself need explaining? Of course something exists. It's the only thing that could exist. And yes, it displays order. What would you expect of something that is subject to the law