Why is there "existence" everywhere and no absolute nothingness?

[Emma123a]

Our existence in the universe is too random and incomprehensible to put into words. The mundane world we live in has taken human existence for granted, but there comes a time when you step out of human arrogance and into thinking about the meaning of human existence. Our existence in the universe is too random and incomprehensible to put into words. The mundane world we live in has taken human existence for granted - but there comes a time when you step out of human arrogance and into thinking about the meaning of human existence

[Investigator]

"Our existence in the universe is too random and incomprehensible to put into words."

From a purely logistical perspective, this is not true. While there are indeed few pockets of life in the universe, due to the conditions for living beings to arise being relatively scarce, the fact that we exist means that it is possible. It's just rather difficult. A lot of disparate factors have to work together for life to occur, but it's not incomprehensible noise that "just so happened to work this time".

However, there is not "'existence' everywhere" nor "absolute nothingness". What there is is matter. If what you're trying to ask is "why aren't we surrounded by infinite black?", then the answer to that is the time and place we live in, in relation to elapsed time since the Big Bang. The universe is 13.8 billion years old, and according to this article, humanity may be at least 3.6 million years old while homo sapien is at most 200,000 years old--which means that the entirety of humanity is maybe 0.02609%, while our variant of person has lived for 0.001449%, the age of the universe. To give some sense of scale, if the average person lived to be 100 years old, 0.02609% of that would be 1.36 weeks or 2 weeks and 2.5 days and 0.001449% would be barely more than 12 hours. On the scale of the cosmos, we have existed for the blink of an eye.

When putting the hubris of man against the age of reality as we know it, we are truly insignificant. However, because man is a creature of ego, most of us simply do not comprehend our own physical impermanence or relative unimportance. It can quickly boggle the mind, how futile human lives truly are. So, we don't think about it. Instead, we create fiction and fantasy, relegating the concept of "the scale of the universe" to the realm of existential, "cosmic horror", where is it both imminently omnipresent but also comfortably at arms length... if one doesn't think about it too much. Besides, there are more pressing matters to attend to now. The "rest of everything else" can wait.

On an unrelated note, OP, this post is just two sentences repeated twice. Redundancy is not efficient.

[Anonymous]

@BoobSlayer is the greatest philosopher on here, I would love to read his opinion.

[RoοstеrBrеаst]

I agree.

[BoobSlayer]

As his esteemed friend @roosterbreast has so graciously pointed out, Boobslayer is a self-taught philosopher and can tell you with confidence that existence is everywhere and there is no such thing as absolute nothingness because of the fundamental laws of nature. For example, the law of conservation of matter states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed, so it must exist somewhere even if it appears to be nothing. The same can be said for energy, which is conserved in nature. This means that even though something may seem like nothing, it is in fact made up of matter and/or energy.

A melon is an object with distinct parts, the outer skin, the juicy inside, and the milk vessels. While these three parts may appear distinct and separate, they are actually made up of the same thing - matter and energy. If you took away the skin, the juicy inside, and the vessels, what would be left? Nothing, right? Wrong. There would still be the same matter and energy, it would just be in a different arrangement.

The same is true for boobies, tits, milkers, fried eggs, chesticles, honkers, bazoombas, coconuts, fiery biscuits, cantaloupes, and jugs. While these may appear distinct and separate, they are actually all part of the same thing – matter and energy, which always exists and cannot be destroyed.

In conclusion, there is “existence” everywhere because matter and energy can never be destroyed. They can only be rearranged or transformed into another form. This is why even when something appears to be nothing, it is in fact made up of matter and/or energy. Further, human existence is what we wrongfully imagine to be somehow distinct from the sum of its parts.

[Jersey2]

Chesticles… hmmm, I learned something new.

Your explanation is based on our current understanding of energy and matter… Einstein was it? Anyway, theories change but I am good with this one. But your answer is constrained by this universe which is finite albeit expanding. You answer is likely incorrect outside of the universe as these laws are for our universe and if they applied outside… well then that would make it part of our universe, which it is not. Hmmm, this is fun and I’m not even high.

[strateguy632]

but the asker was the stage before matter that "can't be destroyed" why not zero energy and zero matter, not even a bit. like nothingness not exist?

[dynamicyandere]

That’s why I believe in intelligent design.


If one were to put a bunch of matter and energy into a cosmic blender (figuratively speaking) it doesn’t make any sense for complex life forms to arise.


Even if complex life forms would be created that way, it wouldn’t explain how entire ecosystems (with multiple species of different organisms co-dependent on each other for the sustainability of their survival) to be created out of mere chance.


Humans exist because some intelligent force or being or race decided for it to be so.


Perhaps the universe is highly intelligent and sentient.


Perhaps we were created by higher life forms.


Perhaps we’re simply in a computer simulation.


Perhaps there are even deities (or a deity) that is the cause of our existence.


As for our purpose, I suppose we may have both a chosen purpose and an intended purpose.


They may align, or they may not.


Our intended purpose would be the intended purpose given to us by our creator/s.


Our chosen purpose would be the purpose we decide to make our purpose, as a choice of free will.

[GreatBigCircles]

By acknowledging something, we give it the apperance of existing. But just because it exists as a concept to us doesn't mean it actually exists. Think of a shadow, our brains assign meaning to the shape of a shadow, but in reality there is no shadow. There is just the light around it bouncing back off the surface.

As for meaning... Well, that's just an anthropomorphism. It's ascribing a moral imperative to something that is inherently amoral (not to be confused with immoral). Without people to assign meaning to things, there is no meaning.

Some might take that as a reason to embrace a negative form of nihilism, but I honestly find it hopeful. The fact there is no intrinsic, inescapable meaning to life means we're free to create happiness for ourselves and others, according to our own beliefs. We are free to reject any injustice, and challenge any hatred because no hatred or inequity is mandated by some arbitrarily empowered being.

[NathanDavis]

meaning? meaning can only come through perception... and then interpretation

who else to actually do that but us...

the mind perceives, therefore things actually exists... to someone

and we're that someone, that's the beauty of it, as well as the tragedy, it seems... lol

[Lliam]

I agree with you. Humans ascribe meaning to things. There is day and night; sun, moon and stars; seasons; weather.; volcanoes. It must be because of gods.

When loved ones die, we can't let them go. We want them to live forever in paradise. When bad people die, we want them punished in an afterlife..

We name things. We create stories. But what is reality?
Obviously, some things are real, but we can't even know the full nature of all reality.

[slatyb]

Why do you believe it has a meaning? "Meaning" implies "made for a purpose". There's no evidence of that.

[MementoMori777]

i believe in god cause i know its not all random, i dont believe the universe created itself.

[Emma123a]

God is a faith, life is its own reality

[MementoMori777]

yea but that reality had to have a creator, everything has a creator, its only logical that the universe does as well, you can try and think of something that doesn't, you won't be able too

[Emma123a]

I agree with you, everyone is a creator, just have a creation is meaningless, and everyone is the first time only dare to try to have a chance of success

[MementoMori777]

indeed Emma, i like the way you think, creation can't have a reality without a creator, it can't have meaning without a creator, because the creator created it with a meaning and for a reason.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Because nothingness is impossible.

Everything is something, and the universe is infinite in both size and age.

[clampfan101]

I think it’s been put into words rather well before. There’s this great book called the Bible. Give it a good look.

[LiamJHayden]

I do not think true nothingness can be experienced or really even observed by us.

[mommymommymommy]

It's like asking to prove 0. Can you prove that 0 exists?

[Christoff92]

Because of the big bang theory that made nothingness into existence 😀

[collie22]

That doesn't seem knowable from here.