The suggestion that the laws of physics could have been different is just a hypothesis, and that class of hypotheses usually involves some form of a multiverse scenario in which all the possibilities are realized in different universes. The idea that there is one universe, and something caused it to have these laws instead of laws which lead to nothingness, is a terribly contrived dilemma.
From an empirical point of view, we observe the laws of physics, and speculation about other laws is unjustified. From a philosophical point of view, it makes much more sense to think that we observe whatever universe in which we can exist.
If I ask you why the laws of chemistry are what they are you can avoid answering by talking about how we observed the laws of chemistry and speculating about other laws of chemistry would be unjustified. But that is not nearly as satisfying as producing an actual answer, by applying quantum mechanics to collections of electrons, protons, and nuetrons, and deriving chemistry from lower level physics.
In the same way, you are avoiding answering the “why is there something rather than nothing?”, not actually answering it. And while I don’t know how to answer that question, and see no reason why you should be expected to know how either, it is better to honestly avoid answering it with “I don’t know”.
I don’t see that as the same kind of question. The laws of chemistry are a higher-level approximation of quantum mechanics. Maybe the laws of quantum mechanics are a higher-level approximation of something else, too. Talking about that is different than talking about alternative versions of the laws.
I’m not avoiding answering the question; I’m rejecting the premise of the question. I don’t think there is an answer, any more than there’s an answer to the question “What is the smell of the color green?”. We can construct the question linguistically and imagine scenarios in which it’s valid, but that doesn’t mean it applies to reality.
Talking about that is different than talking about alternative versions of the laws.
No. Quantum mechanics explains why we have the observed laws of chemistry and not alternative laws of chemistry. The issue of alternatives is a distraction. Remove it and the question of why we have the laws of physics we observe still remains.
The suggestion that the laws of physics could have been different is just a hypothesis, and that class of hypotheses usually involves some form of a multiverse scenario in which all the possibilities are realized in different universes. The idea that there is one universe, and something caused it to have these laws instead of laws which lead to nothingness, is a terribly contrived dilemma.
From an empirical point of view, we observe the laws of physics, and speculation about other laws is unjustified. From a philosophical point of view, it makes much more sense to think that we observe whatever universe in which we can exist.
If I ask you why the laws of chemistry are what they are you can avoid answering by talking about how we observed the laws of chemistry and speculating about other laws of chemistry would be unjustified. But that is not nearly as satisfying as producing an actual answer, by applying quantum mechanics to collections of electrons, protons, and nuetrons, and deriving chemistry from lower level physics.
In the same way, you are avoiding answering the “why is there something rather than nothing?”, not actually answering it. And while I don’t know how to answer that question, and see no reason why you should be expected to know how either, it is better to honestly avoid answering it with “I don’t know”.
I don’t see that as the same kind of question. The laws of chemistry are a higher-level approximation of quantum mechanics. Maybe the laws of quantum mechanics are a higher-level approximation of something else, too. Talking about that is different than talking about alternative versions of the laws.
I’m not avoiding answering the question; I’m rejecting the premise of the question. I don’t think there is an answer, any more than there’s an answer to the question “What is the smell of the color green?”. We can construct the question linguistically and imagine scenarios in which it’s valid, but that doesn’t mean it applies to reality.
No. Quantum mechanics explains why we have the observed laws of chemistry and not alternative laws of chemistry. The issue of alternatives is a distraction. Remove it and the question of why we have the laws of physics we observe still remains.
Yes, I agree. The question of how things work is what’s important.