Agnostic Guide Chapter 4 - Something From Nothing

Theistic Logic

Some theists claim the Big Bang is god’s creation event. They use the logic of this universe to say the only logical source for the Big Bang must be an eternal self-existent being. Something can’t come from nothing or itself so the Big Bang should be seen as scientific proof for a god. The Big Bang couldn’t have been spontaneous so it must have come from a singular intellect based on a human understanding of intelligence. I’ve seen this argument presented as perfectly justified without further questioning. The intelligent creator is also claimed to be perfect and without question as gods are often presented.

I do agree something can’t come from nothing using the rules of logic within this universe. The real trick is that both god and the universe share the same problem of coming from nothing. The problem isn’t solved by exempting either thing’s existence from that part of the natural logic. An eternal self-existent being also violates the rule of “something from nothing” since the being is another something which had to exist in nothing before anything else existed. It’s all so convoluted to exempt one and not the other.

Theists simply call god supernatural and exempt it from our rules of space, time, and logic. They avoid any discussion about god actually existing as something before the universe so it must mean a god is nothing. If a god-something could come from nothing then this universe-something could also come from nothing if you want to apply basic logic to it. However, theism and faith aren’t entirely compatible with logic.

Apparently some people find it believable for space or time to not exist forever but an eternal self-existent being could create those amazing constructs. It also created the physical laws to govern an entire universe without having a physical existence. Theistic logic also claims it’s believable for a being to create all matter and energy without a beginning or end to its own intellect, existence, or power. I’m sorry but none of that makes any sense to me. I find it entirely unbelievable to the point that I can’t take a blind leap of faith to overcome my view it’s all nonsensical fantasies.

Scientific Logic

On the other hand we currently have a scientific non-theist view for a Big Bang going poof all by itself and the universe spontaneously coming to exist from… well, perhaps nothing and without a cause. I don’t buy that one as a final answer either for many of the same reasons. Namely, what the heck caused it to happen in the first place? What was that first non-intelligent spark to ignite the universe into existence and why did it happen?

I can’t wrap my simple human mind around nothing suddenly turning into something for no apparent reason. If that’s truly possible then I’m surprised random stuff doesn’t just suddenly come into existence in this universe from time to time. Poof! There are now hundreds of new stars in the sky. Poof! Some random blob of material popped up in somebody’s yard without a dog in sight. A spontaneous existence from nothing just doesn’t seem to happen by itself now so why would that happen in the beginning?

I do see how we could evolve in this natural environment using the building blocks of the universe, but how did the environment and physical materials come to exist if they didn’t just always exist? Always existing or spontaneously existing is hard for me to imagine with a god. It isn’t any easier to imagine it for the universe either even though it makes more sense for the universe to exist without reason and without an intelligent creator.

Agnostic Logic

The most logical answer I can think of is for the universe to exist as an eternal self-existent thing. It solves a lot of problems and doesn’t hurt my brain as much as any of those other ideas. The laws of physics and logic exist as eternal laws governing the nature of the eternal everything. The building blocks of existence are without beginning or a reason for being.

There are some interesting cyclic models conceptualizing an eternal universe with big bangs marking off the eons in a conformal cyclic cosmology. This means everything is eternal with an infinite number of big bangs reforming the universe over and over. Matter and energy are never created or destroyed and everything just exists. It always has and always will. Our bodies and minds are eternal puzzle pieces put together from the universe for an infinitesimally small amount of time.

We don’t fully understand the true nature of everything. These cyclic models just hint at some possible answers. It’s a good reason to humbly proclaim agnosticism. If the universe is an eternal cauldron of everything, then eventually throughout infinity and the sparks of the big bangs there could rise some finite time periods of small scale order out of the chaos. Small scale order can evolve into complex order as it fights against the headwind of entropy existing in everything.

Our life on this little planet is on a very small scale when you compare us to just the visible universe. There’s a definite possibility we exist as simply as this in an eternal universe governed by the eternal laws of space, time, and logic. It works as a good description of everything without everything spontaneously banging into existence or having a mysterious eternal being create us from nothing.

Something Can’t Come From Nothing

Let’s try again to exempt an eternal being from the natural laws of space, time, and logic in this universe. I’m really trying to give that being a chance to reveal itself. Wouldn’t there be other supernatural laws we can’t possibly understand governing how and where that supernatural being operates? If not, then the supernatural being truly has no limits and would be “all things” in the supernatural existence. Such a thing existing as “all things” couldn’t exist as a singular intelligent being (A is not not-A). “Intelligence” and “being” are specific constraints requiring some form of laws governing the ability to possess the traits as a separate thing from everything else. It’s really simple if you think about it. Everything can’t be an intelligent being because it’s also a stupid rock at the very same time.

Everything is the root of the problem between something and nothing. It sounds like the old Abbott and Costello skit about who’s on first. The meaning of everything shouldn’t be that confusing. It’s the whole enchilada. If there’s a supernatural realm outside this natural universe then it’s a part of a larger everything. The meaning of everything is twisted and useless if we say there’s anything else beyond it. The true everything would include this universe and its laws plus any supernatural beings and supernatural laws governing how that realm works for creation to happen as a part of that larger everything.

Let’s kick the creator out of being a part of everything even though it messes up the entire concept of everything. It still doesn’t make sense for a singular self-existent thing existing nowhere to create this one bit of natural something with space, time, and logic only for this universe. This would still be creating everything from nothing even if you pass it off as a supernatural act within the confines of a larger set of supernatural laws. It doesn’t solve the problem of a spontaneous existence for the creator as a something from nothing even if you try to say the creator is really nothing existing nowhere.

Think: How could the only logical answer point to a singular supernatural being conforming at all to our concepts of intelligence or being?

Our concepts of intelligence, logic, and being are either relative to this natural universe or they’re truly eternal concepts in an eternal everything. We can’t use our universe’s logic to prove or disprove a supernatural anything outside space, time, and logic if logic itself isn’t an eternal concept applicable to the supernatural. Yet, there are theists who point to a god as the only logical answer to getting something from nothing. If it’s beyond our natural universe then it’s beyond description as a singular being with whatever it is we consider intelligence.

There’s a similar problem with the Big Bang. How can anyone say we can see back to the beginning of the universe and time when we’re looking at the problem from within this universe after time supposedly began? There could be grander concepts beyond space and time for which we have absolutely no understanding. Fortunately science doesn’t rest on an answer like the Big Bang. Science pushes us to continue digging for more answers instead of resting on our current beliefs. In contrast, religious faith says we know enough and we shouldn’t question it. Science is much more appealing in this regard.

An Eternal Everything

Really, the only logical thing I can suggest after all of this mind bending is everything would have to be eternal to completely overcome the “something from nothing” problem. An eternal self-existent supernatural being (poof!) doesn’t solve it since it would also be something from nothing. The supposedly simple solution makes the problem more complicated. A god is an unnecessary added step of something else existing from nothing to create this universe of something.

The simplest and most logical answer is for matter and energy to be everything there is and they’re the true eternal things in this whole mess of everything. Perhaps nothing can truly be supernatural and it’s impossible to exist outside the natural universe. The eternal self-existent laws for space, time, logic, and anything else contributing to the rise of us silly humans appears to be the true cause for this planet and our weird little lives on it. It’s all we can really be sure of enough to call knowledge at this point.