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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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sylvia
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
Good pillow case
Color: Dark Grey, Size: 1 Pack Body(20x54)-Regular
It’s a nice soft pillow case. Fits perfectly on my body pillow
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2026
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MJ
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 4
Cooling and comfortable against your skin
Color: Navy Blue, Size: 1 Pack Body(20x54)-Regular
Fits perfectly and feels nice against your skin. Just wish it had a zipper on the end. That would have made it perfect.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2026
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LegoDude
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
I am stunned
Color: Black, Size: Queen(20x30)
I had no idea what to expect from these. But for as cheap as they were I was willing to just write it off of they weren't that good. I had already picked up a new memory foam pillow to replace my previous memory foam pillow that didn't do well with dissipating heat. This new pillow was fine by itself, but when I put my pillowcase on it, the properties that made it cooling were negated. I'd get a bit of sweat on the side of my head or my neck where it was against the pillow all night. The pillow was supposed to be a cool one, but the pillowcase was not. So I grabbed this set. Smooth, no loose threads anywhere, stitching and seams are all spot on. And it's smooth to the touch. Got it on the pillow, and as soon as I laid my head down on it, I could tell immediately that this was going to be a different result that my other one. Not nearly as warm even after laying on it for a while. No heat buildup, no bits of moisture on the skin after being on it all night. This definitely works well, especially with my cool sleep pillow. Now I can have a far more comfortable nights sleep. For the price, it's a steal. I have no idea what longevity will be, but with two of them, I'm sure I'll get more than my money's worth.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2023
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Mary Hales
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
Soft and cooling
Color: Dark Grey, Size: 2 Pack Queen(20x30)-Regular
Soft, not too thick and wash very well. Feels great against my skin and doesn’t make my hair frizzy. Color was perfect.
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Issyr
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 3
Not soft, not wrinkle free
Color: Light Grey, Size: 2 Pack King(20x36)-Regular, Color: Light Grey, Size: 2 Pack King(20x36)-Regular
Not as soft as expected. Major WRINKLED after washer/dryer. Always use max heat on dryer. Not as described. Money wasted.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2026

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