Why anything? Why this?

Abstract

The existence and fundamental nature of reality may be understood by evaluating cosmic possibilities against potential “Selectors”—special features such as simplicity, goodness, or maximality that explain why one possibility is actualized over others. This framework distinguishes between the Brute Fact View, where reality is randomly selected without explanation, and various explanatory hypotheses where specific features determine actuality. While the anthropic principle accounts for the observation of a life-allowing world within a Many Worlds model, the existence of simple, elegant, or universal laws suggests the influence of Effective Selectors. Although any explanatory hierarchy must eventually terminate in a highest-level principle that obtains as a brute fact, the location of this brute fact is significant; a highest-level explanatory law provides more intellectual consistency and predictive power than a brute fact at the level of initial physical existence. Logic necessitates that reality be some way or another, making a selection inevitable. By identifying credible Selectors, it is possible to reduce the conceptual arbitrariness of the universe’s existence and move toward a more intelligible account of its deepest features. – AI-generated abstract.