SKU: 10076536781

Why Does The World Exist?: One Man's Quest For The Big Answer

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Why Does The World Exist?: One Man's Quest For The Big AnswerWhy Does The World Exist?: One Man's Quest For The Big Answer An irreverent sleuth tackles the riddle of existence that has puzzled man since the dawn of time 'Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?' remains the most curious and most enduring of all metaphysical mysteries. Moving away from the narrower paths of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking, the celebrated essayist Jim Holt now enters this fascinating debate with

Why Does The World Exist?: One Man's Quest For The Big Answer

An irreverent sleuth tackles the riddle of existence that has puzzled man since the dawn of time

'Why is there a world rather than nothing at all?' remains the most curious and most enduring of all metaphysical mysteries. Moving away from the narrower paths of Christopher Hitchens, Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking, the celebrated essayist Jim Holt now enters this fascinating debate with his broad, lively and deeply informed narrative that traces all our efforts to grasp the origins of the universe.With sly humour and a highly original personal approach Holt takes on the role of cosmological detective. Suggesting that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God and the Big Bang, he tracks down, among others, an eccentric Oxford philosopher, a Nobel Laureate physicist, a French Buddhist monk, and John Updike just before he died, to pursue this cosmic puzzle from every angle. As he pieces together a solution - while offering useful insights into time, consciousness, and eternity - he sheds fascinating new light on the meaning of existence.A New York Times bestseller on first publication, this new paperback edition provides a much-needed new take on history's greatest conundrum, in the vein of previous bestsellers like Michael Brooks' 13 Things that Don't Make Sense.

'There is no more entertaining, sure-footed, and witty guide to the big questions that we must all ponder than Jim Holt. Join him' - Daily Beast

'Praise for Stop Me If You've Heard This: 'Sweet, witty and intelligent ... I only wish that, unlike a good joke, it was longer.' - Guardian

'If Jim Holt's deft and consuming 'Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story' has anything to tell us, it's that such a comment is less about literary riffing than deep philosophy.' - LA Times

'Holt brings both complexity and clarity to his subject ... it does what real science writing should: It helps us feel the fullness of the problem.' - Vulture

'There is no more entertaining, sure-footed, and witty guide to the big questions that we must all ponder than Jim Holt. Join him.' - The Daily Beast

'Humorous yet deeply profound' - New Scientist

'There's no denying the pleasures to be had from tagging along as Holt soars away into the heavens of our cosmic enigmas ... a wonderful book' - Daily Express

'What is special about Why Does the World Exist? is that Holt and the experts he talks to apply humour, good sense and a dose of incredulity and wonder to the problem' - Independent

'An eclectic mix of theology, cutting-edge science (of the cosmological and particle-physics variety) and extremely abstract philosophising, rendered (mostly) accessible by Mr Holt's facility with analogies and clear, witty language' - Economist

SPECIFICATIONS:

Author:Jim Holt - Джим Холт

Publisher:Profile Books

Language:English

Publication Date:2013

Number of pages:320 pst

Format:Paperback

Width:130 mm / 5,1'

Height:196 mm / 7,7'

Weight:220 g

ISBN:9781846682452

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SKU: 10076536781

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4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 13 reviews
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SusanM
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 4
Toy provides much fun and hilarity, seam rips.
Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant, Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant
So, I kind of bought this on a whim. But our dogs absolutely love this toy, and it provides many moments of hilarity as watching our medium sized dogs tote this giant toy around, whipping it back and forth, hitting themselves with it, is constant entertainment. The squeaker is still working nearly 6 months later, which is amazing. I only took off one star because I have had to perform surgery on this toy multiple times due to the seam coming open, letting the stuffing out, which is a major issue. I have to take it away from them (which they hate) then find time to sew it up until the next spot opens up. If I was smart, I'd just have reinforced the entire seam the first time, but no one said I was smart.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2025
J
Verified Purchase
JimSack
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
He loves them
Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant, Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Eggplant
Our Dog absolutely loves this little toy. Have a stock pile because, like all dog toys, they need replacing.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026
V
Verified Purchase
V. Locke
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Great dog toy
Size: One Size, Pattern Name: Corn
My dog loves this toy. It is sturdy and great squeaker.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
ana
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 3
Cute but red fur does chew off 😜
Size: 20 x 4 x 4 in, Pattern Name: Pepper
My dog loves this hot pepper. It's our 2nd but the red fur does come off so don't leave your pet unattended with it for an extended amount of time.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
AmazonBob407
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
This worm, pretty sure it’s a worm and not a snake, can take a lot of abuse.
Size: X-Large (Pack of 1), Color: Blue Snake, Size: X-Large (Pack of 1), Color: Blue Snake
Snake, worm, whatever, my dog doesn’t care, she loves it all the same. My little friend can be kinda rough with her toys. This is no exception. The pictures are from roughly one month of giving it to her and include playing with it at least every other day or so. The top is holding up well, but the bottom has taken some damage, and two of the squeakers have long since been destroyed. Despite this, my dog still loves playing with it. We normally play tug of war together, but on her own she chews at it to get to the squeakers inside, which she promptly destroys, which I’m totally fine with, as quiet toys are much preferred, by me, not her. I believe there are 4 in the XL size that we got. We’ve had a few of these in the past. We tend to get about 6 months out of them. After she “lovingly” removes the squeakers, she doesn’t chew on it much, and we just use it for tug of war, but at that point she’s done enough damage to the underside that its time is limited. But, as it’s pretty low priced, for the time and enjoyment we do get out of it, it’s very much worth it. I do need to clarify, the durability is actually quite good, I don’t fault the product as at all, it’s just my dog is equally as good with destruction, but it should be noted this toy does last much longer than most of her victims. The color, (we got the blue and green) is also very vivid and nice, as is the texture. We’ll be purchasing again.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024

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