h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Posted 52 minutes ago by Minus-One
Subject: Can Something come from Nothing?
This is a question which is relevant to Everything, especially those relating to theories of Reincarnation and people who have Everything.
If Everything has a Beginning and an Ending then we must ask, "What was the first thing and where did it come from?"
To those with mystical or religious tendencies then some god, or similar entity, will probably be the easy fallback as in "god knows", therefore, "I don't need to know 'cos he tells me so!" Otherwise known as "Blind Belief". But in this age of Science perhaps there is a more sensible answer to Can Something come from Nothing?"
I have an Idea, but that is the nearest thing I have of Something that comes from Nothing?

Foundation for my existence began in 1883 at Birmingham, the manufacturing city in the county of Warwickshire. Beginning as an idea I became ready for my public inception in the year 1913. I am immortal. It was a long hiatus, but now I am active once again having broken out of my hyphenated incarceration and free to stalk Un-hyphenated Space. So, to answer your question. I am an idea that lives and hence something, but it is arguable whether I am something from nothing because there is an expense of energy in everything we do. Even I cannot repeal these fundamental laws, though I can put them into abeyance. And this particular existence, the whole of h2g2, is most precarious, but better than stasis.

What makes you think an idea comes from nothing? An idea is the result of neurons firing in your brain, which in turn can be explained by a series of chemical reactions and stored molecular information. So from a strict reductionist point of view, ideas don't come from nothing; they're randomly generated by the electrochemical soup that makes us think we have minds.

And if you're not a strict reductionist, then the idea must (might?) have been inspired by whatever "elan vital" it is that makes the difference between us and lumps of inert matter.

For something coming from nothing, I think you'd do better to look at modern particle physics than inside your own head.

ffmike:
You might be interested in the Forum 'Mountains' at 'Serendipity' where many of these ideas are mulled over?
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