Where Did Existence Come From?

[Bolkonsky]

No, I'm not talking about God vs. Evolution, or the BB theory, or anything like that. Those all trace back to one common factor - existence.

Where, when, why, how?

Any theories? Does anyone think we'll ever figure it out?

[Biggreenfellow]

Our universe started with the Big Bang. I believe scientists have an explanation of what was before that, but I'm not up to date on that.

[The Dude]

Our universe isn't existence though Biggreenfellow. The OP means existence in the most general sense, as the primary condition for things to even Be in the first place. Even if we assume god exists, there has to be something such as Existence for that to be able to happen in the first place.

Of course most religious theories will argue that God and Existence are the same thing.

[Biggreenfellow]

Our universe isn't existence though Biggreenfellow. The OP means existence in the most general sense, as the primary condition for things to even Be in the first place. Even if we assume god exists, there has to be something such as Existence for that to be able to happen in the first place.

Of course most religious theories will argue that God and Existence are the same thing.

To be is to exist. You can't separate the two... Unless I'm completely missing the point of what you're saying? Our existence began when we began to 'be'; in its earliest form, the Big Bang.

That's how I understand it though, I don't know what the quantum physic scientists have come up with to explain it in more detail.

[The Dude]

To be is to exist. You can't separate the two... Unless I'm completely missing the point of what you're saying? Our existence began when we began to 'be'; in its earliest form, the Big Bang.

That's how I understand it though, I don't know what the quantum physic scientists have come up with to explain it in more detail.

Well since the big bang was an event, that event must have taken place inside the boundaries of existence, if you follow. It can't have happened -before- existence, or before Being, since To Be or To Exist is a quality that can be ascribed to the one-time status of the big bang as much as it can to any of us. Therefore it had to have some sort of a frame in which to operate. Something that provided room for the Big Bang to happen in the first place.

[Biggreenfellow]

Well since the big bang was an event, that event must have taken place inside the boundaries of existence, if you follow. It can't have happened -before- existence, or before Being, since To Be or To Exist is a quality that can be ascribed to the one-time status of the big bang as much as it can to any of us. Therefore it had to have some sort of a frame in which to operate. Something that provided room for the Big Bang to happen in the first place.

Which is where Quantum Physics come in, and while I can understand the basics of that if you talk slowly, I'm not really well versed in it.

[Jack04]

In order: Who knows. Not really. I doubt it.

I suppose the only likely solution vaguely within the realms of current physics would be a discovery along the lines of saying that quantum fluctuations don't require dimensions (spatial or temporal) to occur. I can't see that happening though.

[Enemy of the State]

Our universe started with the Big Bang. I believe scientists have an explanation of what was before that, but I'm not up to date on that.

Science deals with what can be observed. There is no evidence of what existed before everything came into existence, as well, nothing exists from that era. Therefore it is not in the realm of science.

[Helm]

Science deals with what can be observed. There is no evidence of what existed before everything came into existence, as well, nothing exists from that era. Therefore it is not in the realm of science.

With that attitude we're never going to find out what came before the Big Bang.

[Himster]

Therefore it is not in the realm of science YET.

There, I fixed it for you.

[Helm]

It probably always existed, it wouldn't make much sense if it didn't.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

All manifestation comes from the unmanifested.

[Himster]

In the inflationary theory, matter, antimatter, and photons were produced by the energy of the false vacuum, which was released following the phase transition. All of these particles consist of positive energy. This energy, however, is exactly balanced by the negative gravitational energy of everything pulling on everything else. In other words, the total energy of the universe is zero!

Quantum theory, and specifically Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, provide a natural explanation for how that energy may have come out of nothing. Throughout the universe, particles and antiparticles spontaneously form and quickly annihilate each other without violating the law of energy conservation. These spontaneous births and deaths of so-called "virtual particle" pairs are known as "quantum fluctuations." Indeed, laboratory experiments have proven that quantum fluctuations occur everywhere, all the time. Virtual particle pairs (such as electrons and positrons) directly affect the energy levels of atoms, and the predicted energy levels disagree with the experimentally measured levels unless quantum fluctuations are taken into account.

On the other hand, that's just a theory: God did it. I win.

[Biggreenfellow]

On the other hand, that's just a theory: God did it. I win.

That's also just a theory. I did it. I win. Now worship me, you infidel pig.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

we will never know and thinking on this too long is the path to either suicide or religion.

[Tuor]

I am of the opinion that, with an infinite amount of time, nothing is unknowable. It may not be known at the moment, but to say that it is unknown and will forever ever be unknown is a little presumptuous.

Regarding existence: 42.

[Helm]

If you say it comes from God where does God come from and wouldn't God coun as something that exists therefore existence? Therefore God has no explanation value whatsoever.

[Bolkonsky]

Let's suppose that I want to cook a meal. How can I cook a meal without food?

I think it's the same with existence. Existence exists, there's no doubt about that, but in order for existence to exist, doesn't it have to exist prior to existence? Otherwise, we have a great paradox. You can't define something (existence) without a constant already in place.

Bob = you
You = a person
A person = organic matter
organic matter = matter
matter = existence (?)
existence = 011001010111100001101001011100110111010001100101011011100110001101100101 ()

[Salem1]

Yeah, that's one of the remaining unsolved mysteries. We just don't know, it's better for your sanity to leave it at that

[zachattack]

I think it's interesting that we confine existence to a plane of time when time is within our universe.