Amie Thomasson is Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College and author of three books;Ontology made Easy, Ordinary Objects and Fiction and Metaphysics.
In this episode of the Philosophy for our Times podcast, Amie and Rupert are joined by Templeton prize winning cosmologist George Ellis to discuss the fundamental problem of philosophy, as argued by Heidegger: why is there something rather than nothing? In a world where some scientists claim that even the vacuum of space is filled with virtual particles or quantum foam, have we misunderstood the very idea of nothing? Is this little more than a logical mistake, or might understanding nothing just be the key to explaining the universe?
Why is There Something Rather Than Nothing
Philosophy for our Times features debates and talks with the world’s leading thinkers on today’s biggest ideas. This live recording podcast is brought to you by the Institute of Art and Ideas – described by Total Politics as “Europe’s answer to TED” and host to the annual philosophy and music festival HowTheLightGetsIn.
This talk was produced in association with the New College of the Humanities.
