A remarkable reading experience touring philosophers, theologians, physicists, and poets through complex logical scientific and religious arguments to answer a question posed by Leibnitz over 300 years ago—why is there something rather than nothing? Nearly 300 pages, 26 new words, and several pages of notes later, I’m much more educated about logic and quantum physics, but without a clear answer. Some possibilities:

Theistic—ontological argument of Anselm, Kant, Godel

If maximal greatness is possible, God must exist

Causa Sui

Scientific—quantum physics; laws of nature; the anthropic universe is one among the landscape of an infinite number of multiverses.

Singularity is the boundary of space-time, the point where all causal lives converge—a closed space-time of zero radius where a tiny bit of random spontaneous vacuum tunneled into existence and through chaotic inflation, led to the universe. String theory.

Mathematics as Platonism—eternal, objective, and sovereign. Pythagoras—all is number. Math creates matter; matter creates mind; mind creates Math. Indispensability argument—math abstractions exist and are needed to explain what we observe.

Panpsychism—consciousness=stuff and reality is stuff and structure. Quantum entanglement.

Axiarchic theory—the world sprang into something due to the ethical need for goodness—Being. No way to understand the mechanism.

Fecundity Theory—all worlds are possible and a Selector gives an explanation for which of the infinite number of worlds exists. The Selector calls for a meta-selection we are left with three problematic solutions—circularity, infinite regression or Brute Fact. Principle of Sufficient reason. (Liebnitz) or Foundation Axiom.

Meta-Selection         Simplicity      Goodness      Fullness         None

Selector                     Simplicity      Goodness      Fulness          Null:

Reality Level             NULL             Axiarchic         All Worlds     Lots of Generic                                                                                                                                            Possibilities

Cosmic Possibilities    (??)

Our world is simply one of an infinite number of generic possibilities (all-red, all-evil, etc.) and as such is a mediocre, average, random mix of characteristics. Simplicity is the primary principle! Nothingness would be a very rare coincidence. Reality as something is a cosmic jump shot! Other selectors could be causal orderliness (Weinberg), mathematical elegance (Wheeler, “it from bit”), goodness (Leslie); but they cannot also be meta selectors (Foundation Axion), so only Simplicity and Fullness can be, and only Simplicity is non-self-contradictory.