Why Objects Don’t Really Exist || Leonard Susskind

Описание: We move through the world as if it were neatly divided into things: chairs, trees, phones, people. Language trains us to slice reality into objects with clear boundaries, giving us the comforting sense that the world is made of stable, independent units. But this way of seeing is less a mirror of reality and more a mental shortcut. Objects feel obvious because our brains are very good at grouping patterns and giving them names—not because nature itself comes pre-packaged into “things.”

When you look closer, those solid objects begin to blur. A chair is wood, but wood is made of cells, which are made of molecules, which are made of atoms, which are mostly empty space and moving energy. At no level do you find a sharp line where the chair truly “begins” or “ends.” Even its shape and function depend on context: the same object can be a chair, a ladder, or firewood. What we call an object is really a temporary arrangement of processes, not a fixed entity.

Physics pushes this idea even further. At the quantum level, particles behave less like tiny objects and more like probabilities and relationships. Modern science describes reality in terms of fields, interactions, and forces rather than solid things. What appears to be a stable object is actually a constantly changing event—an ongoing negotiation between energy, matter, and the observer measuring it.

This doesn’t mean objects are useless illusions. They are practical stories we tell to navigate the world efficiently. Saying “this is a cup” helps us drink water, even if the cup has no ultimate, independent existence. Understanding that objects don’t really exist invites us to see reality as fluid and interconnected, where boundaries are flexible and meaning depends on perspective. In letting go of rigid “things,” we gain a deeper appreciation of the dynamic web that makes up everything we experience.