Because ‘something rather than nothing’ is an essential property of consciousness, and the question ‘why’ presupposes consciousness. ‘Something rather than nothing’ is therefore presupposed by the question. This possibly makes the question logically inconsistent: implies that the implied term is not implied, or that a logically necessary term is not logically necessary.
EDIT: there is something rather than nothing because consciousness necessitates something rather than nothing.
1. Consciousness is self-evident and implies that there is something rather than nothing.
2. Therefore, we know that there is something rather than nothing.
3. All identifiable existence consists in the idea of its identity as an existent, therefore existence is internal to consciousness, otherwise contradiction (an idea that is not an idea).
4. Knowing that there is something rather than nothing is a sufficient reason that there is something rather than nothing.
5. There is something rather than nothing because consciousness.
6. Consciousness is timeless and has no cause, because time and causality are internal to consciousness, otherwise contradiction (an idea that is not an idea).
but WHY is there something rather than nothing?
Because ‘something rather than nothing’ is an essential property of consciousness, and the question ‘why’ presupposes consciousness. ‘Something rather than nothing’ is therefore presupposed by the question. This possibly makes the question logically inconsistent: implies that the implied term is not implied, or that a logically necessary term is not logically necessary.
EDIT: there is something rather than nothing because consciousness necessitates something rather than nothing.
I propose an alternative explanation:
1. Consciousness is self-evident and implies that there is something rather than nothing.
2. Therefore, we know that there is something rather than nothing.
3. All identifiable existence consists in the idea of its identity as an existent, therefore existence is internal to consciousness, otherwise contradiction (an idea that is not an idea).
4. Knowing that there is something rather than nothing is a sufficient reason that there is something rather than nothing.
5. There is something rather than nothing because consciousness.
6. Consciousness is timeless and has no cause, because time and causality are internal to consciousness, otherwise contradiction (an idea that is not an idea).