Lawrence Krauss: A Universe from Nothing? More Like a Universe from Explicitly Something

A common assertion that arises is that the universe came from “nothing.” This thought seems, at first, quite fascinating. Could it really be that the universe emerged from the depths of nothingness? How strange, beautiful, dreadful, and mysterious may that be? The idea that life was a mistake, sprung out of blind indifference, genuinely excites some people. But once we get past the poetic mist, the question becomes a thoroughly flawed one. What really is nothingness then? Most of us understand nothing as black empty space, I would imagine. It may surprise you to hear, however, that black empty space is, in fact, very much something. Nothingness, properly understood, is literally the absence of all things — matter, energy, space, potential, and even causal states altogether. If a person genuinely believes that something comes from nothing, then that person is affirming that states of affairs are capable of coming into existence without matter, energy, space, potential, or prior causal states. But is this belief reasonable? After all, science itself is predicated on the principle of sufficient reason (PSR), which states that everything must have a cause or reason for its existence. If this principle holds true, then how could the universe emerge from sheer nothingness without some prior state of existence? It seems…