My reference to dark energy in my account of Stenger's ideas may have misled you. I don't think it is an essential part of his scheme. The only actual book I've read of his is "God the Failed Hypothesis", though I've also read several articles online. I'd like to read "The Comprehensible Cosmos" some time. - I don't think the use of complex numbers in quantum theory is an essential part of it. It just happened to be available to formulate the equations in a simple manner. There is a readable account in Atkins' book on chemistry. - Edit: On this page there is a PDF just below "Where do the laws of physics come from" that explains a great deal very succinctly. - http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/nothing.html