Why does the universe exist? | Jim Holt | TED

He could have just said: "Hello everyone. We don't know why the universe exists, and we probably never will. Thank you".

I remember being 7 years old, sitting on the steps of my front door, and blowing my mind trying to imagine nothingness.

I tried explaining this to my dog, she just looked at me like 'yeah, are we going to the park or not?'

The only solution I have come about is just that, as we go about in a dream accepting logic that does not make any sense, we are blocked by some sort of mechanism now, that our logical structures are not built to answer this question, and maybe if the afterlife exists we will understand it later it will all make sense, and will be simple to us.

This 17 minute video is the longest "I don't know" I've ever seen

When you are watching these types of videos, its really the time to sleep

We are not in the universe, we are the universe. We are the universes ability to understand and express itself. Divinity or no divinity, both are possibilities are astonishing in their own way .

Yes, this question has haunted me a lot. Why something instead of nothing? And after extensively thinking about it, I realised it's a futile cause. Yes, we are humans and our brain is constantly thinking. But not always all thoughts are fruitful. We know very little about consciousness, we don't even know what we are trying to find. So asking why and how is just a search of needle in a haystack. And moreover the needle might not be even there. People have thought their entire lives and got no answer. If we take scientific and atheist view we do not have a plausible explanation. I beg to differ from the speaker in here. Buddhism doesn't advocate that nothingness is world. It is rather that it says the world is an illusion, a maya, root of all our suffering. To ease the suffering, Buddhism asks us to go beyond the worldly afflictions. But one who is living can very well choose to live in Maya. Eternal peace or Nirvana is a joyful feeling that if discovered is even better than life. Not death. Peaceful existence. Now coming to the ontological argument. The speaker said it is a bad argument but I beg to differ. Why? Ontological argument says that the supreme being exists because one of us has to be supreme. I mean why not? If there are all pencils, one will be bigger than others, even if it's all same, patterns do break. Okay maybe not the best arguments. The cosmological argument comes into picture. If something happens it always has a cause. Meaningless life is not what we live. It's cause and effect. If there is a watch there is a watchmaker, and if questions arise who made the watchmaker? Well nothingness would have been better? Then we would not have had this conversation in the first place. In Hinduism it is said actually we all are one not different. One soul. One being. One universe. Then it broke (scientifically big bang) and other atoms and participles were created. God is never bored or has questions where he came from. Because primeval energy or universe always existed. We are conscious of reality is the proof in itself. The universe is aware that it exists. And hence it does not question why and how because existence in itself is beautiful. If you say why god broke into so many participles, because he wanted to play. All of it is a game. He is aware also unaware. He is concerned also unconcerned. So yes we exist because he exists, he exists because nothingness is not the truth. Supreme reality is meant to exist. And non existence is a lie. When we die we return as matter of energy. After all we are bundles of energy and we return back to the universe where we came from who knows the greater scheme of things? God doesn't have be even called god or doesn't even have to be human form it's an infinite source of energy which could create anything and everything out of nothing. Even himself. Because he willed so. And when you yourself are the universe manifestation is very much possible. And this beautiful world is not mediocre. It's elegant. Every creation has its scars. Death, decay, imperfection, struggle, pain all of it is a part which makes life up. Reality is a very small box and we are confined to it. The supreme reality is far hidden from our eyes. But whatever we can see, hear, sense, feel, think is enough. Because I do agree with the speaker on some points- even if there was nothing we wouldn't have been satisfied, we exist that's all that matters not why not how, we have actually won the cosmic lottery and we get to think live and perceive the world because we have won. Yes everything exists in our mind in our consciousness it's nothing but a trickery, actual simple truth is hidden in plain sight. Yes I am a believer so I gave my point of view. Felt like sharing also to calm my intrusive thoughts. If it helps anyone great. If you stick to atheist or science it's fine. But it is undeniable that science explains little, and it couldn't prove the non existence of God either, there is no harm in believing if the thoughts comfort you. I know how troublesome these thoughts can get. So reining our mind not letting it run wild is the main motto. And my explanations I hope is not just religion but also scientific. The question is futile but our existence is not. We should focus on living. Nihilism and other factors are always going to be there. Whenever we feel what is the point of it all we can remind us how miraculous it is to exist and how lucky we are to win this genetic lottery

No one: Universe: exists.

This guy is talking exactly what I think when I’m stoned.

17min of my precious life i will never get back

Truly fascinating. How can he live without owning a cell phone?

To all people who are spamming in comments "spoiler, he doesn't say the answer": you didn't think you'd find the answer to this in the video on YT, did you?

If we are part of the universe, thinking about how it works it's like the universe studying itself.

I was just thinking these thoughts this morning. Strange that this video showed up in the search engine because I didn't type it in or look for it.

To praise its creator. Guys like this will always seek everything except the huge truth of a greater being who put the earth into existence, vastly proven throughout science and history.

I feel like watching speeches improves your vocabulary and overall your speaking

"Even if there was nothing, you still wouldn't be satisfied.." .. I'm happy this guy exists!

That's just mind-blowing. Different laws create different realities and they all exist beside each other. So now, I'm happy to live in a regular reality

"Never in my life have i had a cell phone", totally more astonishing than the answer to the universe.