Why does the universe exist at all? | Stephen Wolfram and Lex Fridman

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[@EddyEdwards1]

A thought that goes through my head every hour probably.

[@nicovega4766]

Its a curse

[@EddyEdwards1]

@@nicovega4766 deffo mate

[@Matt-wv3if]

@@mokkaveli right? I am thinking about the universe, physics, and the meaning of life ALL the time. And some (a lot) could not care. It’s insane

[@Ghost-vg6iq]

@@nicovega4766 Well i hope that someday this curse will turn into a blessing

[@IamINERT]

I cant even describe it

[@gjef9971]

When I was 17 and in the merchant navy, I was in a storm in the Bay of Biscay on a small LPG carrier and encountered sheet lightning for the first time where the whole sky lights up as white. It got me thinking deeply about the weather and nature and led my mind to think about the origins of the solar system - then asked myself what was there before the universe? I though ok whiteness. Then I asked myself what was there before whiteness? I thought a dark deep black universe. Then I asked myself again what was there before the universe? I thought must be nothing? Then I asked myself what was there before nothing? I freaked out. Later in adult life when I often thought about that night I realised the human brain and human consciousness isn't really built to work that question out - then that freaked me out! :) True story.

[@solodolotrevino]

We’re all freaking out

[@leweee]

G Jeffrey existential crisis incoming

[@uberhaxonova]

As someone who experienced an NDE and experienced a conscious outside of human consiousness... All I can confirm without theory. Is there's more.

[@jsfullr]

Hi Jeffrey! It’s a great question. The universe was made by God, and the Bible tells us that the “heavens declare his glory” which gives us a clue as to why God made it -because it brings him glory. We exist for that same reason, to bring glory to God, only we all chose to sin and as a consequence have been separated from God and are now under his just wrath. Thankfully God is rich in mercy and sent us a perfect savior to die for us and if we repent and put our trust in him, he promises us eternal life and forgiveness!

[@MrJayteedeal]

@@jsfullr but as he stated starting that the 1:10 mark. Your statements about God only applies to people that are “decide-ably” in that religion. Once you “logically” and “decide-ably” step outside of that religion or mindset. Nothing you just said applies or even makes sense anymore because that religion only allowed you to limitly see as far as that religion perspective allowed you to see.... once your brain is allowed to see outside of that it’s a totally different reality

[@SatisfyingWhirlpools]

I thought about this for the first time maybe 1-2 years ago when I was 19-20. Before that question entered my mind, life seemed SOOO normal. It seemed unquestionable. It seemed like life just WAS. Like that’s just the way it is. But now that that question has entered my mind, I will never feel the same. I can’t say I enjoy this feeling.

[@jimmyblundell7600]

It passes with time :)

[@juangutierrezreyes1946]

Just don't take existence seriously

[@SatisfyingWhirlpools]

@@juangutierrezreyes1946 I try not to, but what if this is my one shot at existence 😂

[@juangutierrezreyes1946]

@@SatisfyingWhirlpools I know man, same here but we gotta just do our max effort in life with cero expectations. You know what helped me with that?, getting over death, we might reincarnate we might be at eternal peace, we don't know, but what I do know is that it's a necessary natural part of life that can't be horrible, natural cycles are beautiful and necessary, we gotta just let go and enjoy the opportunity, thank you for making me write this because I'm in my own process as well and this type of convesations give me an excuse to remind myself what is my purpose in life, which is being happy while putting max effort into everything without caring about the outcome, thank you.

[@SatisfyingWhirlpools]

@@juangutierrezreyes1946 I do have pretty low expectations for life as well, but still realize that it will probably be pretty cool in some parts and crappy in others. I’m also not too afraid of death, yet... The thing I struggle with is putting in max effort 😭

[@snaughton100]

One of the most beautiful and profound closings of an interview ever. Thank you.

[@Frog89mad]

the fact that universe exists, gives me hope it may one time exists again.

[@glitchgod3868]

"You" wont be part of "that" universe though. You're this universe

[@Wittgepedia]

...Eternal Regress Of Different Yet Identical Universes. Explanation comes from the previous universe interval "the solution to the riddle of life in space and time, lies outside of space and time." -- Wittgenstein

[@Frog89mad]

@@dajion6 if it happens infinite amount of times, then that would mean i will be born again :)

[@solodolotrevino]

GlitchInTheMatrix “I” don’t exist but that blank canvas of “nothingness” which contains all things will remain. And really, that might be what we truly are

[@light8258]

@@Frog89mad And maybe you already existed an infinite amount of times before and typed and are going to type that very sentence infinitely.

[@ChristoMac]

One of my favorite interviews Lex, well done sir.

[@AJScraps]

The future being unpredictable is what makes life worth living! Much love Lex 🙏

[@530laflare9]

Lex: “How does that make you feel?” Lol KILLED me 😂

[@mentuemhet]

you're Joe Rogan interview was great, Lex. i watched it. i liked it.

[@patswayze7359]

Lex your channel has become my favorite... So much awesome content

[@brianhope4236]

‘Two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year’

[@MrJayteedeal]

Not Everyone or everything that wonders or wanders is lost....they only appear lost from the other persons perspective

[@nuntana2]

Running over the same old ground, what have we found, same old fears, wish you were here.

[@mikeflannery7219]

I really liked your poem Lex. Thanks for sharing.

[@2011coolhandluke]

Lex, you do a beautiful and intelligent podcast. I see big things in your future. Best of luck to you.? Thanks mate.

[@BazyliKowalski]

Sir Wolfram is an amazing man

[@sonekulla]

Beautiful humans. Being beautifully human together. Best show in the universe.

[@itsOrba]

I just wanna meet an alien. Is that too much to ask for?

[@Brog9]

Hello

[@stevenperron3619]

Hi! I’m Pedro. I’m from Mexico, living in LA. Please to meet you.

[@scrotie9581]

@@stevenperron3619 underrated comment

[@bduddas7015]

You're it

[@fmafan123456789]

vaporize and inhale 60 mg of freebased DMT

[@chrisk4265]

Beyond maths, models and intellectual ideas. For me it's pretty simple & obvious. Our bubble universe is just a tiny part atom or cell in a bigger entities structure/body. Yeah multiple universes outside our own is totally plausible and their all part of that structure which we will never understand. And beyond that are things unimaginable beyond what goes on outside of multiple universes, probably a bigger stranger reality for some other creations. I feel dizzy 😰

[@jacklynmoody49]

Totally follow what you’re saying

[@solodolotrevino]

I like this thought. I’m going to be chewing on this one for a while

[@Sealed_Chamber]

The broader implications of whatever might truly denote the entire macrocosm of existence are intensely strange and too abstract to be anything more than a glimmer of thought.

[@irishlad2326]

My new favorite channel

[@mnnsi]

i understood truth of life. this video is awesome. thanks stephen !

[@hermanfromholland6561]

Lex you are awesome 🙌

[@danniel90]

The Universe: **exists** S. Wolfram: Why do you exist? The Universe: **infinity times** Why not?

[@roughideas]

I closed my eyes and literally heard the universe in a male/female calm voice at the same time say Why Not? As an infinite reverberation

[@incription]

@@roughideas no u didnt

[@roughideas]

@@incription hater

[@fayobam_mech_tronics]

This questions makes me enter a processing loop everytime I ask myself.......I zone out, catch myself then go on with the day

[@TeaParty1776]

"Existence exists. The basic metaphysical issue that lies at the root of any system of philosophy

[@timwalsh6283]

That which is limitless, lacks limitation. Therefore, the limitless creates limited reality filled with limited beings to counter balance itself.

[@dtaro3319]

I would like to know about your opinion on Buddhist philosophy. Specially "Abhi Dharma"

[@marcopederzoli4939]

even if there wasn't a universe, or time, or dimensions: why and how reality alone does exist?

[@drewb1263]

This is the question I ponder too...the Universe is just part of the question but why is there even existence?

[@deathstarHQ]

When dreaming up such questions, instead of attempting to create an answer that makes no sense to even yourself. Come up with a question about the question, asking what possible benefits would come from creating an answer that has a degree of acceptability?

[@victore929]

Dude, glad I subbed lol 😝.

[@saulremihernandez314]

Stephen Wolfram created WolframAlpha.com, one of the most powerful computational platforms online, probably the most powerful. He's also a world renowned author. These are just two of his credits. He was a child prodigy from very young and never stopped achieving. Great job Lex, you're really bringing in some great guests.

[@jeff-onedayatatime.2870]

My father the physicist, who knew Feynman but was not his friend, also quoted Godel to say there was always one assumption to any system...so the answer to why the universe exists is the one assumption...because it does. Rather unsatisfying, yes, but it is what it is. :)

[@Aerojet01]

My dad used to say the biggest problem with scientists they think using mainstream science. Based on our limited understanding, we have to accept things can come from nothing.

[@tinytinytimyall]

I grew up blocks away from the Wolfram Research headquarters, and never was I told about how brilliant this man is. I feel cheated...

[@nerad1994]

I think our journeys go far beyond this one life time, but rather our individual lifetime is the culmination of infinite amounts of other lifetimes and phenomena. And after our deaths, our journeys will continue into the unkown

[@marselluswallace6]

Jesus this podcast is so fucking fascinating. When lex is on rogan its not that great. But when lex runs the show and interviews its so deep and intellectually profound. He lets the guest talk and asks great questions.

[@ikoukas]

Probably consciousness belongs to that category of questions as well that can't be answered within our universe but it is an inevitability

[@roarblast7332]

Can someone explain this to me? What does he mean we will be computationally equivalent?

[@theminesweeper1]

If the universe's existence is undecidable from inside, why would that explain the existence of the universe?

[@zid-ziddy-zid6821]

I’ll be up at night thinking what does the universe exist now

[@jediknight73]

Why things need reasons? Just be my friends.

[@TheSushiPlant]

I’ve been wondering the same thing

[@peacerespect98]

Interesting discussions. However, one can say computational model is just a model, not the real reality. Universe is the reality and more complex than we know. Even though models can predict the universe existence, however models are limited in its predictions of exit of universe. As humans and AI are both involved in evolution of universe.

[@fahimzahir2085]

Him mentioning that the objects within the universe cannot explain the existence of the universe is a very amazing observation. In monotheism, God, exists outside the universe and therefore since he isnt within the Universe you could say "God created the Universe" and although you cannot prove it, I like the idea that it could be a possible answer because it complies with the incompleteness theorem.

[@TheEmergingPattern]

Totally agree with this gut feeling we humans are highly complex enough in order to agree we can almost grasp anything to describe the universe. A super super intelligence would only reach a bit further.

[@usautoexports]

Stephen Wolfram needs to have full DMT experience to be able to have answers to this question.

[@davidwalker5054]

This is not a question for humans to answer. Anybody who tries is arrogant and presumptuous. They are trying to run before they can walk

[@anonanon9880]

Sometime it hurts my brain when I think too deeply about this. Get a feeling of existential crisis. Anyone else?

[@brianscheffer1007]

So the universe is mathematical and can be unfolded as such, but the idea that something created it with these rules is crazy? All code and language has an author

[@jafrost1328]

yeah nah im lost af

[@onlyrick]

The people who maintain we're in a simulation would say you have to be outside the simulation to view or understand it.

[@rjam3810]

I'm concerned about the universe's expansion. It's speeding up how? Is a force pulling it? And into what? Is there a limit to the expansion?

[@tonyattardo9350]

That’s always fucked with me too. Not so much the force, but expanding into what exactly? The idea of three dimensional space without and edge is so bizarre.

[@leeoreilly6797]

This is THE question.

[@MMJJBB]

Can anyone else here the crickets or ringing in the background ?

[@lightbright1113]

A sentient being is contributing decorative harmonics to the discussion. An audio engineer's discomfort. The monad emanates into the Wild West as individual beings. Desire, discomfort and eventually compassion for the entire operation.

[@tanxyrogue847]

I liked this

[@thomaspappas8946]

3:53 stroke time We are in a sense the... we are more important by virtue of the fact that... in a sense.. it it's not like there is...there is no ultimate, you know... its like we are important because, because you know, we are here so to speak and we are not... it's not like there is a thing where we are saying... uhm you know... we are just but one sort of intelligence out of these other intelligences

[@joewright9879]

Thomas Pappas thank you for transcribing this bit. He went on to say, “we’re it”. If I thought that “we’re it” I could not crawl out of bed in the morning. Or I could kill my neighbor for no other reason than that he was available to be killed. Or I could get married and raise a family for no reason. I could do any number of things with my short life for no reason. Heck, I could study physics for no reason. Or not.

[@TheEmergingPattern]

There is a glitch in his "making a point"

[@mylesfranco3545]

@@joewright9879 Man, you need some better philosophy. You could kill your neighbor for no reason? You mean just be evil because there is no omnipresent 3rd party mediator to stop you or punish you? Try having some more respect for this life.

[@petercollins1982]

THANK you, that bit at the end sounded like total gibberish to me. Plus, dude we aren’t special get over yourself...

[@Patchaddictedpolymath]

@@mylesfranco3545 Marcus Aurelius could help this guy a lot

[@theistthinker7345]

Three of the most popular answers I think can be given are as follows. Keep in mind that I'm working with modal semantics, so by contingent, I just mean "could be otherwise" and "could fail to exist" and by necessary I mean "could not be otherwise" and "could not fail to exist". The first is that the Universe or some part of it is just a contingent brute fact. It could have been the case that the Universe did not exist, but it does exist and there is no explanation. By far the least satisfying. The next explanation is that the Universe or some part of it is Necessary. The explanation can go no further because at some level it is axiomatically the case that the Universe must exist. This seems to be the view put forth in this video. It is popular among many contemporary Naturalist Philosophers like Dr. Graham Oppy. The final answer is that the Universe is contingent, and something outside the totality explains it's existence. And this thing is likely to be a Necessarily existing thing which explains the contingent universe. This is a popular way of viewing Theistic explanations, whereby there is something akin to a Necessary Being which brings about the Universe. Ultimately, the view we end up going with is going to have to be the one with the most explanatory scope and least theoretical costs. 😌

[@MrRickkramer]

If he had only paused a few more seconds around 14s the crickets timing would have been perfect. Too bad that’s not how the probability waves collapsed...

[@gregj4754]

There was a super annoying beeping in the video

[@lilmarkxlilclip7216]

So what’s after death

[@solodolotrevino]

Death may just be an illusion.

[@AJScraps]

In my view I cannot imagine our simulations run as a 1:1 analogous representation of what the universe truly is. There are so many unpredictable and unknown variables we haven’t even considered yet 😓

[@wildbillbill2249]

I will start this post with the prerequisite that I am not religious, at least not in the standard definition of religious. From a theoretical perspective maybe the origin of the universe is that god or the singularity was frightened or confused by it’s own consciousness and subsequent loneliness it generated a hazy, rough “beginning” to explain its own origins to itself and now all conscious beings in the universe are fragments of the greater being trying to come to terms with its own existence? Just a thought 🤔😉

[@Woke-Fact-checked]

The universe exists for consciousness to become aware of itself - multiple peoples DMT experiences

[@SatisfyingWhirlpools]

✨L E G E N D A R Y✨

[@chromakey84]

The self is the answer to every question. The self is the only thing that exists. All of the universe passes through the I am, the self. Objective and subjective collapse and are one.

[@heraclitus9721]

I don't believe it's unanswerable, maybe different form of logic, but still answerable for us.

[@zane4575]

Having this guy explain something is torture

[@iamparadox1750]

The way to prove that we are living in a simulation is to write a story in which the character tries to prove that it was created by you. Humans can write any kind of story and make their characters do what ever they want like time travel, blow up a planet etc etc. But I my opinion there is not a way in which the character that you created can prove that it was created by you. If you think that your character can prove that it was created by you. Then that is the way to prove that we are living in a simulation. If not then there might be no other way to prove that we are living in a simulation.

[@maximthefox]

No one can have anything to say of relevance on this topic. You might as well ask what's the colour of sweetness, or the sound of spice.

[@jerryiuliano871]

Thinking from the energy released in the Big Bang everything has been fits and starts entropy wise, supernovas, pulsars , neutron stars, black holes, etc. , for example. It seems that life energies at the biological scales are at the end of this recyclable fractalness of energy recycling. Does life biological energies recycle convergently, entropy (ends,finite) or diverges (forever,infinite) non-entropy. To be or not to be, that is the question, (W. Shakespear)

[@BuntysTube]

The Universe exists because it can not not exists ... It is ONE

[@thedustdevil303]

"The Ricks Must Be Crazy" episode 6 season 2

[@contessa.adella]

For the universe to exist as we know it, requires certain laws of nature with specific values. Any universe that sprang into existence without those would instantly no longer exist. Since time sprang forth (with space), there was no ‘before’ and those infinitely brief non-starter universes happened infinite times until....click...one worked. So in fact our universe was....inevitable. It is as if nature rolled the dice infinite times in a blink until one set of conditions worked.

[@r-saint]

The Universe exists because of random fluctuations in Planck's fabric of reality. There could be many Universes (bubbles) randomly appearing in it. The simplified answer is "because it can". It's just my opinion, and I'm humanities/liberal arts kind of guy.

[@stevenguevara2184]

I got a feeling the question is left unanswered

[@ROCKVIDEOMONTHLY]

Are you in this universe? Is there a universe separate from you? Is the universe in you? Who are you? Is there a you? Is the universe pretending that there's a you? Does this all happen as a dream and there is no dreamer, but only a self aware dream?

[@SatisfyingWhirlpools]

My brain hates this question.

[@JivvyE]

Is Lex wearing a CHECKED shirt!

[@DakumaMusic]

It exists because it would be impossible for it to not exist. The fact that all matter exists is also impossible, so, yeah.

[@terrancesmith5389]

If the universe didn't exist where then would people poop?

[@cybervigilante]

What color is Thursday? How high is running fast? How many sunrises are in breakfast?

[@ericm1462]

I would need to know how many eggs you had to answer that question

[@trenken]

When i look at things like atoms that exist within their host organism, each one of us is a universe unto itself. There are levels to existence from all the way down to the molecular level, and all the way up to universal scales. We are each born because our parents made it so. And i believe this is also reflected up to the universal scale. Stars are born and die, entire galaxies are born and die. The universe was born and will die. Everything isna reflection of itself and everything around us. From small to large, it’s essentially all the same. But WHAT gave birth to the universe is something nothing within it will ever be able to answer. Maybe it was an accidental birth. Maybe it was purposeful. Anything is possible. When i think about the immense distances between objects in the universe, basically comically large, it makes me think its very possible that the universe isnt actually that big at all relative to something else outside of the known universe. There is this issue of the observable universe. We have no clue whats beyond what we can see. Maybe we are just a bubble in a much larger ocean.

[@jonathanchampagne7683]

Why not?

[@swidgen4318]

Looks like the same room where Epstien didn’t kill himself

[@livelifelovelife7787]

In other words, no one can answer this question ….please accept this as a Human Being… If they are trying to answer it, they start with something arbitrary or assumptions But how can we say those assumptions are true???

[@raminoeil3233]

This guy should start reading Aquinas to know who actualized the potential of the universe

[@roejogan8247]

Why is there a model?

[@ivorysteele]

The question that everyone who thinks they are cannot answer.

[@erichvonmolder9310]

So, no idea then.

[@gabrielhutcheson9913]

So either Wolfram is incapable of feeling awe, or lying, because everything to him is someohow "computationally equivalent." And if when he says "computationally equivalent," by the way, he means both a thing equals itself and everything is computation, then I say so what to HIM. Forever. He's lying or he hasn't lived.

[@vlastami]

I have a more emotionally satisfying answer. Nothing exists equals everything exists ...from math point of view. You need 0 bits to describe either one of them. And we just perceive some part of the existence of everything. Or similarly: If math exists as a concept, a subset of it may appear as the universe we see to the parts of the universe we are. Confused yet?

[@monoo9508]

Joe Rogan: ...But have you tried DMT?

[@jorgeo6099]

Why should there be nothingness over something/the universe?

[@raptorman48]

The fact that there are ghosts or spirits says we live with multiple dimensions all around us and even jesus once said the kingdom of Heaven is all around us so that could mean that Hell is closer than we think also!!!

[@CircuitMage]

If you are a subroutine in a complex program, there is no way to understand the totality of the program.

[@kumarsatyam3314]

We are it !! We are Brahman !!

[@sethreynolds4186]

Meaning is a human concept. Who’s to say there is no meaning for life?

[@Bheem161]

50% of the conversation were just like... you know its... he got it right because.. you know words just... some things cant be expressed

[@kevinlang9792]

Why does the universe exist at all? I don’t know. That’s all that you should’ve said because that’s all that you can say.

[@CMVMic]

Existence is a brute fact

[@xxnotmuchxx]

What if the universe and everything exist bc if it didnt it would cause contradictions? Kinda like math i would say

[@sashas3362]

Perhaps all possible universes exist. Maybe this is only one of an infinite number.

[@RahulJain-uo5ol]

Definitely not a good communicator, but still, good discussion 👍