Why Does the World Exist? Holt and Carroll discuss at Aloud

Last night I witnessed a discussion between two intellectuals on "Why Does the World Exist?" at the Aloud program sponsored by the L.A. central library.  Jim Holt, author of "Why the World Exists:  An Existential Detective Story" is an American philosopher, author and essayist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker and others.  Jim pontificated and interviewed Sean Carroll, Cal. Tech physicist and theoretical cosmologist specializing in dark energy and general relativity.  He has written the book "From Eternity to Here." 

They discussed topics that included:  What does reality consist of?  The mystery of existance...not why the world exists but how?  Is the universe eternal and then a big bang came along 13.8 billion years ago and changed it?  Can nothing evolve into something? (Something comes from Nothing is the oposite of a "Sound of Music" lyrics.)  As time goes on, is the universe expanding...space expanding...to?  Nothingness?  Will stars all burn out eventually and then create Black Holes but keep expanding?

Both Jim and Sean try to solve the mystery of the universe without involving a god....using only scientific laws. 

It was an interesting discussion with references to

Sean Carroll

Jim Holt

scientists and the Quantum Theory and other principles and experts in Physics.  By the way both have appeared on The Cobert Report.