# There are only four things **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 28, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980 "2026-07-28T14:57:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/1 "2026-07-28T14:57:48Z")
Saw this in a YouTube video and found it interesting. There are only four things in the Universe: Atoms Energy Information Intelligence Energy manipulates Atoms and Intelligence manipulates Information. That’s all there is. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/2 "2026-07-28T15:07:55Z")
The list is either too long or two short. For a start, not all matter is atoms. In fact, most of it isn’t. Now, you could lump all of the non-atom matter in as “energy”, but then, you can do that with the atoms, too. I would group it as just “energy” and “information”, but even there, if you go abstract enough, you can call those the same thing, too. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/3 "2026-07-28T15:10:35Z")
“Well, art is art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh… now you tell me what you know.” – Groucho Marx There’s not enough in the OP to form a meaningful opinion. Without definitions it’s just random words that can mean anything. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/4 "2026-07-28T15:13:35Z")
There’s only things that are purple and things that aren’t purple. That’s about as meaningful as the OP. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/5 "2026-07-28T15:49:04Z")
The purple things aren’t really purple, either ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/6 "2026-07-28T15:59:54Z")
Since E=MC^2 I think you are right in saying everything is energy. As for information what are we talking about? Spin of an atom? Polarity of energy? Doesn’t seem a lot of information to be had but I guess it counts. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/7 "2026-07-28T16:14:01Z")
I think the main problem with the OP’s list is that there’s a lot of overlap. A multidimensional Venn diagram is what’s neded. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/8 "2026-07-28T16:27:34Z")
But only two things come from Texas… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/9 "2026-07-28T21:50:01Z")
I notice your Avatar has horns. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/10 "2026-07-28T22:41:30Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > There’s only things that are purple and things that aren’t purple. And these two books contain sum total of all human knowledge. [![](https://i.imgur.com/oEXYFZw.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/oEXYFZw.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/11 "2026-07-29T02:09:57Z")
It’s a digital world. There is only 1 and 0 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/12 "2026-07-29T02:19:20Z")
There is only one thing in the Universe; the Universe. Everything else is just a part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Rangerdanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/67e7ee/32.png) [@Rangerdanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rangerdanger)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/13 "2026-07-29T02:46:39Z")
Theology and reality come together: As far as i have seen so far, there are only 4. Things (elements), directions, seasons, and members of a string quartet. 4s abound. Praise 4s and Duck! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/14 "2026-07-29T10:51:42Z")
There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary, and those who don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/15 "2026-07-29T12:37:21Z")
There are 2 kinds of people: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data ---
**Author:** ![Rangerdanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/67e7ee/32.png) [@Rangerdanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rangerdanger)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/16 "2026-07-30T21:44:29Z")
Can’t edit the prior post, but how could i forget March Fourth? The concert in Hey Lee!, ID on Wednesday was fun enough to prove the point. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/17 "2026-07-30T21:59:48Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > There’s only things that are purple and things that aren’t purple. _“You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/18 "2026-07-30T22:05:16Z")
The haves and the have nots. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/19 "2026-07-30T23:44:23Z")
Tacos, Beer, Money and … damn… that other thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980/20 "2026-07-31T00:14:43Z")
The thing that goes with the broccoli, tortilla, and chicken? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-four-things/1031980.md?page=2)