Quantum fluctuations - something from nothing?

Some late night musings on a classic philosophical question, given a new spin by quantum physics...



Can something come from nothing? In a vacuum, quantum fluctuations mean that energetic particles appear and disappear from nothing. Some atheists argue that this means we don't need God to explain why the universe exists.



But even a vacuum isn't really nothing: it's like an empty bank account - no money, but it still has rules governing how things can be put in and out of it. Absolute no...