Nothingness?

Question

I discovered at a young age that the concept of nothingness is an impossibilty except on a grammatical level where it is just the negation of 'something.' Does anyone out there have a theory as to how 'nothing' can exist? I am fascinated by this question.

Answer 1

I understand your question completely and I agree with you. Nothingness is a concept that exists only in the mind and not in reality.

In reality, there is only that which "is". Also, using words to describe reality, is problematic due to the limitations of words. As Lao Tse, in his book, "The Tao Te Ching", states in the first sentence, "The name that can be named, is not the eternal name".

Speaking in words, Even supposedly empty space is something; it is empty space.

Thank you for asking this interesting question. You must be VERY smart to have seen at a young age, that "nothingness", is an impossibility except in the grammatical sense.

Answer 2

You must be ready for some paradoxes. There is no other way to TRY to express in words that which is inexpressible, and even that will fail. The only success that can be hoped for is precisely that of showing that this is indeed so.

You yourself have set the ball rolling with your question "....as to how 'nothing' can exist?" How can 'nothing' exist? What is the point of questioning the existence of the non- existent? How 'there can be' won't do either. 'Has anybody out there a theory about the concepts that come to mind with the word 'nothing' is a slight improvement. Only slight, for here again, how can 'nothing' give rise to anything, in this case, to concepts?

We normally think of 'nothing' -(the thinker and the thought of 'nothing'' still are there) - in conrast with, and as the negation of, the All. The idea of the 'All' comes in. Conversely, when we think of the All, we think of it as excluding nothing, that is,
all that there is ,is there, and beyond the All, there can not even be a 'nothing' in the sense of a 'void', for that space containing nothing will be inside the All too, for how would the All be infinte (which is what is really meant by the'All') if it excludes something, even if that something be this 'nothing' beyond?

I have been trying for half-an hour now since I finished with the previous paragraph, and for the last 40 years or so, to put this in a sentence to my own satisfaction. I have failed. I am sorry I cannot therefore tell you what my theory is.

Answer 3

Nothingness is a mental concept. The concept gives it an existence as an idea which is the lack of something. There is no way it can ever have a physical existence because it is a lack of existence. Properties of objects also lack an existence. Red, big, round, bright all lack an existence if they have no connection to a physical object.

Answer 4

Deep space is the nearest I can think of that equates to nothingness in the physical world.

Other than that, sit in a doctors waiting room for longer than ten minutes and the feeling of nothingness you get is overwhelming.

Answer 5

Hello,

(ANS) The word "nothing" or "nothingness" is I feel not very helpful, its word play or purely a semantic device. Personally I like the word & concept of the "void" far more. Its a concept that I can relate to more easily.

**I'm an atheist and to me, the void (it comes from Tibetan Buddhism & the shamanic belief system of the "Bon Po" that came before Buddhism thousands of years ago). is a central concept the holds great meaning for me.

**To me literally very thing, that is ALL life & matter & creation and death & destruction comes from & returns to the primal void. Given that I don't believe in any kind of a god or deity and that I don't believe in religions per say.

**The void is beyond any real human understanding, its scale is a sheer mystery, our minds cannot grasp how vast the void is. Its like trying to understand just how big the sun is or how big our cosmos is.

Ivan

Answer 6

Nothingness is a plate of egg and chips, or Mount Everest.

Answer 7

You always require a subject for existence, even the existence of nothingness, which is that which does not exist, but which cannot not exist without something existing as the opposite of what it is not in itself, but only through what it is not, which, in this case is, while itself is not, though itself is not an it, but a not it, thus it exist as an idea, which without it cannot exist, as for it to be not being, being is required, which in itself requires not being.

(nothingness exist within the context of being)

Answer 8

? there are 2 opposite sides for every matter. If there is 'something', there is 'nothing'. Even if the thing is something we have not (yet) seen or discovered, we already have it in our mind and we use language to describe it. This in return help us to contemplate, learn and discover more in the universe.

Answer 9

The only way i think of nothingness is after death, i don't see that there is any thing after you die, once the body has gone, that's it.

Answer 10

I don't know about true total nothingness,but,there is close to it.Almost nothingness.