physics

Why Does the World Exist?

Why Does the World Exist? is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Why Does the World Exist? rather than just read about it. In short: Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story is a nonfiction work authored by Jim Holt. He and the book were on the LA Times bestseller list during the last quarter of 2012, and the first quarter of 2013.

Key takeaways

Why Does the World Exist? belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Why Does the World Exist? to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Why Does the World Exist? from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story is a nonfiction work authored by Jim Holt. He and the book were on the LA Times bestseller list during the last quarter of 2012, and the first quarter of 2013. The book was also a 2012 National Book Critics Award finalist for nonfiction.

Central theme A central question of the book is, "Why is there something rather than nothing?", which lies in the domain between philosophy and scientific cosmology. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, in 1714, was the first to publish the question. In this book, the author records a quest to answer the question through a series of interviews and discussions. Some of the persons interviewed are John Updike, David Deutsch, Adolf Grünbaum, John Leslie, Derek Parfit, Roger Penrose, Richard Swinburne, Steven Weinberg, and Andrei Linde. Along the way, Jim Holt also introduces the reader to the philosophy of mathematics, theology, physics, ontology, epistemology, and other subjects.

Review 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. 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. 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. The question of being itself, as Updike and Holt agree, can seem profound in one mood, vacuous in another. —The New York Times

References

External links Books of the Times - Into the Nothing, After Something The New York Review of Books - What Can You Really Know? Philosopher Jim Holt on Nothingness, the God Wars, and His New Book: “I’m a Little Unhinged” Has the Meaning of Nothing Changed? The Philosophers Magazine - The best books of 2012 Roth, Michael (July 8, 2013). "Review of Jim Holt's Why Does the World Exist?". Huff Post Books. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 2013-07-08. Vincent, Glyn (August 28, 2012). "Why Does the World Exist?". Huff Post Books. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 2013-07-08. Roth, Michael S. (February 8, 2013). "Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story' by Jim Holt". The Washington Post (Opinions). washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-08. At Google Books

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Why Does the World Exist?

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Why Does the World Exist? claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Why Does the World Exist? before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Why Does the World Exist? ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Why Does the World Exist?

In research: Why Does the World Exist? appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Why Does the World Exist? in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Why Does the World Exist? is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2012 English-language non-fiction books, 2012 non-fiction books, American non-fiction books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Why Does the World Exist? outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Why Does the World Exist? in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Why Does the World Exist? means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Why Does the World Exist? out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Why Does the World Exist? in simple terms?

Why does Why Does the World Exist? matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Why Does the World Exist??

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Why Does the World Exist?.