Ask Ethan: Why does something exist instead of nothing?

"Perhaps the most remarkable fact about the Universe, if you think about it on a truly fundamental level, is that it exists at all. And yet, not only does it exist, but there's matter within it, which obeys the same rules everywhere and at all times, and assembles according to the physical laws governing reality to create, among other things: atomic nuclei, neutral atoms, molecules, stars and planets, galaxies, and a large-scale cosmic web."

"Not only that, but in at least one relatively unremarkable corner of this Universe, a planet arose some 4.5 billion years ago where life survived and thrived, eventually giving rise to an intelligent, self-aware species that can ask deep questions about the Universe they inhabit. In doing so, we're also asking fundamental, deep questions about our own selves, as we're just as much a part of this Universe as any inanimate objects that exist."

"Although there's a lot we can say about this question, we face fundamental limitations by the very nature of the scientific enterprise. How did we get to be here? There's an enormous difference between a "why" question, which science isn't really well-equipped to answer, with a "how" question, which is the bread-and-butter of what science is good for. If we were to ask the question of why we're all here, there isn't a scientific way to approach this question:"

An existing Universe contains matter that follows uniform physical laws and assembles into atomic nuclei, atoms, molecules, stars, planets, galaxies, and a large-scale cosmic web. On at least one planet, life emerged about 4.5 billion years ago and evolved intelligence capable of posing fundamental questions about existence. One such question is why there is something rather than nothing. Science lacks a satisfactory answer to that question and may never achieve one because the scientific method addresses testable "how" questions, not metaphysical "why" questions. Fundamental limitations inherent to scientific inquiry prevent formulation of testable hypotheses for such why questions.

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