--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no logical impossibility in the…" description: "\"There is no logical impossibility in the hypothesis that the world sprang into being five minutes ago, exactly as it then was, with a population that \"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_there-is-no-logical-impossibility-in-the_1565095.jpg" --- # There is no logical impossibility in the hypothesis that… ![“There is no logical impossibility in the hypothesis that the world sprang into being five minutes ago, exactly as it then was, with a population that "remembered" a wholly unreal past. There is no logically necessary connection between events at different times; therefore nothing that is happening…” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_there-is-no-logical-impossibility-in-the_1565095.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_there-is-no-logical-impossibility-in-the_1565095.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/bertrand-russell-69_atheism_there-is-no-logical-impossibility-in-the_1565095.jpg) > “There is no logical impossibility in the hypothesis that the world sprang into being five minutes ago, exactly as it then was, with a population that "remembered" a wholly unreal past. There is no logically necessary connection between events at different times; therefore nothing that is happening now or will happen in the future can disprove the hypothesis that the world began five minutes ago.” [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The hypothesis that the world began five minutes ago is logically possible, highlighting limits of empirical evidence. **In simple terms:** We can’t prove the world isn’t brand‑new. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about evidence and reality. Themes philosophy epistemology logic Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - debates on cosmology - philosophical discussions - science education Key Concepts skepticism temporal ontology Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would you need to reject the hypothesis? - How does this thought experiment affect belief in scientific knowledge? A Different Perspective It challenges practical reasoning about history. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Impossibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossibility/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Winter passed, and the world around began to wake. 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One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/everything-in-the-world-began-with-a-yes-one-molecule-said-yes-to/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“Grandma, he had often wanted to say, Is this where the world began? 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Do not fear the future, Nothing lasts forever. If you dwell on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/do-not-look-back-no-one-knows-how-the-world-ever-began-do-not-fear/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Has any man ever obtained inner harmony by simply reading about the experiences of others? Not since the world began has it ever happened.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-douglas/has-any-man-ever-obtained-inner-harmony-by-simply-reading-about-the/) [Norman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-douglas/) > [All the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born. But before prehistory there was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/all-the-world-began-with-a-yes-one-molecule-said-yes-to-another/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“We are unable to discount the hypotheses that the world began three years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagaru-tanigawa/we-are-unable-to-discount-the-hypotheses-that-the-world-began-three/) [Nagaru Tanigawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagaru-tanigawa/) > [“It didn't matter what I wore, or how much sleep I'd had or not had, he always looked at me as if his world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-harvey-berrick/it-didn-t-matter-what-i-wore-or-how-much-sleep-i-d-had-or-not-had-he/) [Jane Harvey-Berrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-harvey-berrick/) ## More by Bertrand Russell > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. 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