What a treat. As Rebecca Goldstein says in her review, “Why Does the World Exist? is more fun than a book this serious has any right to be.” And it’s true. Holt’s book was an absolute joy to read. His effortless writing, sense of adventure, and gripping subject matter makes for a wonderful book filled with deep existential questions (and answers?). Holt goes on a whirlwind tour of the many answers to the question, ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’ With philosophical rigor and an infectious joy for knowledge, Holt tells his journey of coming to understand the question and even seeing what the great thinkers of today (and years past) thought of the question. While on his quest for answers, Holt visits some of the deepest thinkers of our time, from physicists Steven Weinberg and Sir Roger Penrose, Philosophers Adolph Grunbaum, Derek Parfit, and Richard Swinburne, to novelist John Updike. He attempts to find out where these thinkers stand on the question and see their answers to it (if any). Along the way, Holt traverses the history of philosophy, science, and mathematics to try and tease out exactly what nothing is and how we could get something from nothing. Holt truly brings the mystery of the question to light and makes the reader feel the deep existential quandary of existence. This was truly a fantastic book. I’d find myself reading it for hours without even noticing. If you’ve ever pondered life and its existence, consider picking up “Why Does the World Exist?”

Want this in audio.