God Particle and Ex Nihilo

HIGGS BOSON has been in the reports around the globe these days. Expectedly, our local journalists, displayed their scientific prowess or lack of it, were quick to write about it. Fascinated by the term “God particle”, one journalist was inclined to look at it as an explanatory discovery about the origin of the universe, or at least as a non-religious explanation of why God made the earth. The scientific community, however, does not really look at the recent discovery as a normative and definitive explanation of the origin of the world. The other was more fascinated by the dancing scientists using rap to explain the scientific discovery to the public, especially the youth. He quickly suggested in using the video to explain this scientific discovery to the high school students. He also talked about how “religious terms” are being used by scientists in explaining their discoveries, but did not venture to comment how scientists moved from their domain into a totally different domain by making philosophical and theological interpretation of their research like the assertion that there's no God. The third one was more interesting because aside from talking about the Higgs boson, he introduced the controversial book of Lawrence Krauss, “A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing”. As expected the popular journalist was quick to praise the book that “gives whole new meanings to the phrase ‘Nothing’ makes sense.” 

Lawrence Krauss, however, confessed in the interview: “I don’t think I argued that physics has definitively shown how something could come from nothing; physics has shown how plausible physical mechanisms might cause this to happen." There’s no suggestion which give an impression that his findings is definitive as to answer the old philosophical problem of creation ex initio. So, why titled his book that would suggest that something comes from nothing?  He further said, “I don’t really give a damn about what ‘nothing’ means to philosophers; I care about the ‘nothing’ of reality. And if the ‘nothing’ of reality is full of stuff, then I’ll go with that.” Even a non-professional philosopher will laugh at his “nothing” which is “full of stuff” argument. 

The interviewer, Ross Andersen, insisted, “when I read the title of your book, I read it as ‘questions about origins are over.’” This time, Krauss put his cards on the table, confessing his “magic science” or his fraudulent little trick: “Well, if that hook gets you into the book that’s great. But in all seriousness, I never make that claim. ... If I’d just titled the book ‘A Marvelous Universe,’ not as many people would have been attracted to it.”