Everything that exists must be either matter or spirit. Matter is that which has parts and can, in principle, be divided into smaller components. Spirit, if it exists, is conceived as an entity without parts. Materialists deny the existence of spirit and assert that all reality is material. Therefore, the universe must have originated either from matter or from spirit.
The argument that “There is a spirit world, therefore it is not all regularities and laws and brute facts” is flawed. Even if a spirit world exists, its non-physical nature does not entail lawlessness or arbitrariness. It could operate according to consistent principles and regularities just as rigorous as those in the material universe. Existence outside the physical does not imply the absence of order or intelligible structure.
Many explanations have been proposed for the existence of the universe and its properties. Each explanation faces objections, and none can be confirmed with absolute certainty. A rational approach is to prefer the explanation that has the fewest unresolved or internally inconsistent objections. Explanations invoking spirit are inherently untestable: they cannot be verified or falsified. Invoking spirit to explain natural phenomena adds no predictive or causal value and functions as a placeholder rather than a true explanation. For example, attributing the effects of medicine to an immaterial spirit does not improve understanding of cause and effect. Religion often invokes the spirit hypothesis selectively, for instance, to explain the origin of the universe, which undermines its reliability as an explanatory framework.
Science cannot assume the existence of spirit. It can only recognize that certain phenomena currently lack natural explanations. Claims that spirit must exist or created the universe are therefore not scientifically justified. It is unreasonable to assert that everything originates from spirit.
Religious arguments sometimes claim that an infinite intelligence (spirit) must exist to organize matter, which is composed of parts ad infinitum. However, this reasoning is flawed. If spirit is truly without parts, it cannot possess multiple distinct powers such as intelligence and creative ability, because distinct powers imply internal divisions. To claim that a partless spirit could create the universe is logically incoherent. A partless spirit could at most exist; it cannot act, create, or know. Attributes like intelligence, love, or justice are forms of power that presuppose composition, and thus cannot be ascribed to a truly partless entity.
Matter, on the other hand, can exist and operate according to natural laws without invoking spirit. Particles may be composed of smaller particles indefinitely. While philosophers may ask for an ultimate or first particle, this demand is unnecessary; infinite regress does not prevent existence. Seeking a “final reason” is analogous to looking for the last number in an infinite series—it is conceptually meaningless. Our difficulty in comprehending infinity does not negate its possibility.
Interactions among particles can create self-sustaining structures. For example, if Particle A is composed of Particles B, which are composed of Particles C, which in turn influence A, the system can maintain stability without needing an external designer. Suggesting that such a loop requires a “maker” is like claiming an apple must have been designed because it is beautiful—an unnecessary inference. Physics also suggests that near the Big Bang, time may not behave in the familiar linear fashion; it could become effectively “eternal” or reversible, similar to space in some respects. This opens the possibility that matter may exist without a beginning or external cause, arising naturally from the laws of physics and self-organizing interactions.
From this perspective, the universe can be self-existing. Matter can produce matter according to natural processes, including phenomena like Big Bangs and particle interactions. Claims that atheists assert everything comes from nothing are misleading; if matter arises from prior matter, there is no need to invoke a deity to create the universe ex nihilo.
While humans do not fully understand matter or spirit, empirical evidence confirms the existence of matter. There is no verified evidence that spirit exists. Invoking spirit to explain mysteries merely substitutes one unknown with another and adds no explanatory power.
In conclusion, the most coherent and logically consistent explanation for the universe is that matter exists and can produce matter. Explanations invoking spirit involve logical contradictions, untestable assumptions, and do not provide causal understanding. Science and reason rely on observation, evidence, and logical inference. The universe, in all its complexity, can be understood as a manifestation of matter and natural processes rather than as the product of a partless, omnipotent spirit.
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