The big question: Why the world Exists

1334 Words3 Pages

The big question: Why the world Exists
Jim Holt likes asking questions, rather big ones. In the book, 'Why does the world exist?', he takes on one of the biggest questions in his conversation with scientists and theologists. Jim Holt raises the central question Why is there something rather than nothing. He questions the origin of everything in this book. In the book, Jim Holt, himself wants to know how nothingness, a state in which nothing exists, gives rise to the universe in which all things exist. The book goes into detail about the mystery of existence. Not just our existence, but everyones and everything. To come up with an answer to this perplexing question, Holt interviews various people. Holt travels across the world, to England, France and United States to find answers to the mystery of existence. He interviews religious people as well as atheists, physicists and philosophers and Platonist. Holt visits each of these people posing the question, Why does the world exist? And Why is there something rather than nothing? He writes about their responses to this question. The answers the various theologists and philosophers give us a vivid glimpse of the speaker, but do not solve the riddle of the existence.
In the book, Jim Holt interviews people from theologists like Richard Swinburne, to philosophers of science such as Adolf Grunbaum, from theoretical physicists like David Deutsch, Regular physicists such as Steven Weinberg, to Platonist’s like Roger Penrose. In my essay, I have chosen to look at the ideas established by the philosopher Adolf Grunbaum as well as the theologist of Swinburne. Jim Holt describes the exchanges between them as an 'intricate metaphysical ping pong match.' Both of these theologists are very ...

... middle of paper ...

...
Bakewell, Sarah. ""Why Does the World Exist"" Review. n.d.: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Aug. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Dyson, Freeman. "What Can You Really Know? by Freeman Dyson." What Can You Really Know? by Freeman Dyson. The New York Review, 10 Nov. 201110. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Holt, Jim. "Chapter 4/the Great Rejectionist." Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story. New York: Liveright Pub., 2012. N. pag. Print.
Holt, Jim. "Chapter 6: The Inductive Theist of North Oxford." Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story. New York: Liveright Pub., 2012. N. pag. Print.
Myers, Jenn. ""The Pain Scale"- A Distinctive Writing Style." Jenmyers93. N.p., 20 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Roth, Michael. "Review of Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

Open Document