The Universe from Nothing? I cannot find any discussion as to whether or not the mathematical proof has withstood scrutiny by peers. But it's been out for 5 years, and I can't find any refutation of the proof either. Nor is there discussion of how or why "the rules" of our universe.
Scott,
Keep in mind Lawrence Krauss is a Theoretical Physicist, so his job is to generate the ideas that experimental physicist test. The book and lectures were an extension of his peer reviewed work. So yes, it's been peer reviewed, and I'm not aware of any demonstrated inconsistencies with the current standard model. However, at this point I'm not aware of any experimental evidence confirming this hypothesis either.
As for the question why, well, that's going to take a whole lot more sciencing;....
