Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story
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3.4 • 168 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The Washington Post Notable Non-Fiction of 2013
“I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book.”—Sarah Bakewell, New York Times Book Review, front-page review
Tackling the “darkest question in all of philosophy” with “raffish erudition” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), author Jim Holt explores the greatest metaphysical mystery of all: why is there something rather than nothing? This runaway bestseller, which has captured the imagination of critics and the public alike, traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Holt adopts the role of cosmological detective, traveling the globe to interview a host of celebrated scientists, philosophers, and writers, “testing the contentions of one against the theories of the other” (Jeremy Bernstein, Wall Street Journal). As he interrogates his list of ontological culprits, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God versus the Big Bang. This “deft and consuming” (David Ulin, Los Angeles Times) narrative humanizes the profound questions of meaning and existence it confronts.
Customer Reviews
No true answers here, but plenty of excellent questions
I was (rather naively) hoping that this book might be able to answer some of my most fundamental questions about why anything exists in the first place—unsurprisingly it didn’t really give any fully satisfying answers, but it did make me reframe the way I think about the problem of existence, and for that I am very grateful.
Not too bad
Glad to have found a book addressing this topic. Holt is a writer by trade and that shows—he knows how to make a book readable to the general public without straying too far from the book’s central purpose. Although I only partially agree with his conclusion, I appreciate the amount of work he put into addressing a wide range of possible answers. Would recommend to anyone who isn’t religious ;)
Engaging and enigmatic
A fascinating investigation into the question of 'Why is there something instead of nothing?' Mr. Holt consults with the leading theorists, physicists and philosophers today and draws upon historical theories to create a compelling detective story.