A thread about "nothing"

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I have long been fascinated by the philosophy of "nothing." Obviously something exists--the universe. But can you imagine what the "situation" (for lack of a better word) would be if there was nothing? No space, no matter, and no time. Literally nothing. I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as nothing because the idea of absolutely nothing is a self-defeating proposition. In order for their to be nothing there must be something. If there was truly nothing, there wouldn't really be nothing because nothing would be, including nothing itself. Am I right? Or do I need the Morpheus meme: What if I told you... that there is no such thing as nothing.

Years ago I thought along similiar lines.

Einstein showed that matter and energy were the same.

My idea is that empty space is actually a 'thing' in itsself.

At the edge of the universe not only does matter and energy peter out, but empty space also comes to an abrupt end. There is no matter, no energy, nor is there empty space.

But space is expanding rapidly. Every second there's more space in the universe than there was before. Space can also expand faster than the speed of light. I think there is a hierarchy of "dimensions" that must end somewhere. Our universe is just one layer and the "multiverse" is another. There is an explanation that makes sense but I think that human brains just are not capable of fathoming it any more than my dog can appreciate Zeno's paradoxes.

"Nothing" is a useful concept to have, like mathematical zero.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was discovered one day that the sum total of the universe is nothing. Much in the same way you could say that 0 = +1 + -1.

Same as the sum of the total amount of energy.

I say there is no nothing because nothing cannot be more than it already is.

Last edited by GGPViper on 04 Dec 2013, 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If I came from nothing, did I come from something?

Because nothing is something?

I've spent considerable chunks of time contemplating the concept.
It's a complete paradox.
Even the idea of it is something.
It's the one thing that isn't.
A true "null" value.
not positive,
not negative,
not zero,
not light,
not dark,
not empty or full,
it can't even be imagined, because once it is imagined, it's isn't what you are trying to imagine.
The mind can only dance around the perimeter of it, or does it dance around the perimeter of the mind?

Much ado about...

There is a nothing. It is the absence of all measurable time, space, energy, and matter. It is what the universe is expanding "into." It is pretty tough to explain unless you have some heavy modern physics knowledge. I couldn't explain it with an explanation that wasn't mostly calculations and derivations, but I assure you that "nothingness" has been mathematically proven.

I agree with your analysis and I think you articulate the problem of nothing very well.

There is such a thing? Can you give me directions to go to find it?

ruveyn

Mathematically, maybe. But what about physically?