CONSIDER THIS: Oxford Mathematician John Lennox Answers ‘Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing’
Oxford Union Society members listen as John Lennox (standing to left, gesturing) discusses God. (Screenshot from YouTube).
It’s the inescapable question for anybody who contemplates for even just a second the universe in all of its splendor, mystery and pain, then asks, “Why am I here? Why is it all here? Why is there something rather than nothing?”
John Lennox, the much-admired Oxford mathematician, Christian apologist and philosopher addresses this question and much more during a famous presentation in 2013 at the Oxford Union. A decade old it is, but the arguments presented by Lennox are timeless.
This 15:17 excerpt from a much longer presentation is well worth your taking a few minutes to listen and think. The specific response to the question posed in the opening sentence of this post begins at the 2:19 mark:
Previously on HillFaith:
TESTIMONIES: Why Does God Allow Suffering In This World?
CONSIDER THIS: Is John 3:16 The Most Distorted, Misunderstood Verse In The Bible?
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? Are Humans And Chimpanzees Basically The Same? Or Is That ‘Zombie’ Science?
C.S. Lewis had one of the most convincing arguments for God. Professor Lennox does a fine job reinforcing that argument. My own feeling is atheism is a forced denial to reinforce one’s superiority over others. Or just to be contrary. It is not rational. My trouble with God is I have faith (there is definitely a God) but I lack trust (as God asks us to rely on him). A discussion for another day.
You are doing good work. It’s heartening to think there is someone in DC that is not a POS. Forgive my vulgarity. Thankfully God does.
Thank you, Greg, very much appreciate your taking the time to provide a thoughtful and colorful comment!
Sirs,
There are a few things I have often wondered about, that perhaps you may help me with. To begin, what was the matrix in which the singularity was contained?
Was there something else out to infinity, or was there nothing? If there was nothing, where did the singularity come from? Are there workable definitions for “infinity” and “nothing” that do not rely on themselves for definition? What is beyond the edge of our expanding universe, what are we expanding into? Thank you for your help with these questions.
God is no mere “singularity,” that is your term. His is ‘I AM THAT I AM.” See Exodus 3:14.
Both questions are difficult. For the second, the Universe is not expanding Into anything. That is not an easy concept.
But if it Were expanding into something, we’d be left with the question, Where did that come from?
Definitions for X and Y must invariably rely on other definitions. For example, ‘dog’ relies on the definitions of ‘four’, ‘leg’, ‘animal’, …
‘Infinity’ is just a concept, in math and physics , of ‘going on without end’. Like the integers.
‘Nothing’ is harder. Start with the Universe. Take away all the planets, stars, galaxies, until there’s nothing left.
Now take away that nothing. Now there’s Nothing.
Mr. Zorn,
Thank you very much for your reply. As I am sure you realize, this is for me simply a thought experiment, but these ARE things I have wondered about.
Also, please understand that I am not questioning the existence of God. I simply want to know how these concepts fit into our understanding of existence. I am tired of how we constantly let ourselves be led by small men into senseless small thoughts and behaviors, and these seem to be ideas that might stretch us beyond ourselves.
Concerning your reply, if we are not expanding into anything, how can the universe be expanding at all. Or is it expanding into nothing? Or is it not expanding? What is beyond the edge of the universe? And the question “where did that come from” is part of exactly what I am trying to get at. “Infinity” I find a little easier to wrap my head around, but this definition still leaves me unsatisfied. And finally, about “nothing”. Maybe it is a lack of understanding on my part, but as for definitions, if someone says “table”, I can visualize a table. How does one visualize “nothing” with this definition? Was the singularity floating in “nothing”? If so, where did the material for the universe come from?
Thank you very much for taking an old man’s flights of fancy seriously enough to have this conversation.
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