Hi. I’m new to this site and stumbled across it via searching for the “Why is there something rather than nothing?” question. My own thinking about this question makes me think that the statement “The universe exists AND the universe doesn’t exist” can be true. I think that the thing we often think of as “nothing” (the lack of all matter, energy, space/volume, time, abstract concepts, laws of physics/math/logic, “possibilities” and the lack of all minds to consider this supposed lack of all) is, when thought of from another angle, a “something”. That is, asking how you go from “nothing” to “something” in the question “Why is there something rather than nothing?” is like saying that you start with a 0 (e.g., “nothing”) and end up with a 1 (e.g., “something”). Because there’s no mechanism in 0 to change it to a 1, the only way you can do this is if the 0 is really a 1 in disguise, and it just looks like a 0 from the one perspective we’ve always looked at it from.
How can “nothing” be seen as a “something”? To answer this, I think we first have to answer why does any “normal” thing, like a book, exist? That is, why is a book a “something”? I think that a thing exists if it is a grouping. Groupings unite things together into a single unit whole and define what is contained within the whole. This grouping together is visually seen and physically present as a surface, or boundary, that defines what is contained within and that gives “substance” and existence to the thing. Some examples are 1.) the definition of what elements are contained within a set groups those previously individual elements together into a new unit whole called the set, which is visualized as the curly braces surrounding the set and 2.) the grouping together of previously unrelated paper and ink atoms into a new unit whole called a book, which can be visually seen as the surface of the book.
Next, in regard to the question “Why is there something rather than nothing?”, when we get rid of all existent entities including matter, energy, space/volume, time, abstract concepts, laws or constructs of physics and math as well as minds to consider this supposed lack of all, we think what is left is the lack of all existent entities, or “absolute nothing” (here, I don’t mean our mind’s conception of this supposed “absolute nothing”, I mean the supposed “absolute nothing” itself, in which all minds would be gone). This situation is very hard to visualize because the mind is trying to imagine a situation in which it doesn’t exist. But, once everything is gone, and the mind is gone, this situation, this “absolute lack-of-all”, would be it; it would be the everything. It would be the entirety, or whole amount, of all that is present. By its very nature, it defines exactly all that is present (e.g., nothing). Is there anything else besides that “absolute nothing”? No. It is “nothing”, and it is the all. An entirety, whole amount or “the all” is a grouping that defines what is contained within (e.g., everything), which means that the situation we previously considered to be “absolute nothing” is itself an existent entity. Said another way, by its very nature, “absolute nothing”/”the all” is a grouping. It defines itself and is therefore the beginning point in the chain of being able to define existent entities in terms of other existent entities.
So, I don’t think all contradictions are true, so I don’t support the problem due to explosion argument. I just think this one contradiction is true. In fact, it’s not even really a contradiction. It’s just that we’re thinking of the statement incorrectly in thinking that nothing and something are mutually exclusive.
In regard to the liar’s paradox, “this sentence is false”, I think the reasoning about a thing exists if it’s a grouping argument applies here, too. This argument would also say that a thing doesn’t exist until it’s a grouping. In the sentence, “this sentence is false.” the words “this sentence” refer to a point in the future when the whole sentence (“this sentence is false.”) has been said. Only after the whole sentence has actually been said (or read) does it become a grouping of all 4 words and only then does it come into existence. Once the sentence exists (only after all 4 words have been said or read), you can’t then go back and retroactively assume that just the two words “this sentence” are the same as the whole sentence because the sentence didn’t even exist until after those two words were said/read.
Anyways, thanks for listening. This is a very interesting website.
Hi. I’m new to this site and stumbled across it via searching for the “Why is there something rather than nothing?” question. My own thinking about this question makes me think that the statement “The universe exists AND the universe doesn’t exist” can be true. I think that the thing we often think of as “nothing” (the lack of all matter, energy, space/volume, time, abstract concepts, laws of physics/math/logic, “possibilities” and the lack of all minds to consider this supposed lack of all) is, when thought of from another angle, a “something”. That is, asking how you go from “nothing” to “something” in the question “Why is there something rather than nothing?” is like saying that you start with a 0 (e.g., “nothing”) and end up with a 1 (e.g., “something”). Because there’s no mechanism in 0 to change it to a 1, the only way you can do this is if the 0 is really a 1 in disguise, and it just looks like a 0 from the one perspective we’ve always looked at it from.
How can “nothing” be seen as a “something”? To answer this, I think we first have to answer why does any “normal” thing, like a book, exist? That is, why is a book a “something”? I think that a thing exists if it is a grouping. Groupings unite things together into a single unit whole and define what is contained within the whole. This grouping together is visually seen and physically present as a surface, or boundary, that defines what is contained within and that gives “substance” and existence to the thing. Some examples are 1.) the definition of what elements are contained within a set groups those previously individual elements together into a new unit whole called the set, which is visualized as the curly braces surrounding the set and 2.) the grouping together of previously unrelated paper and ink atoms into a new unit whole called a book, which can be visually seen as the surface of the book.
Next, in regard to the question “Why is there something rather than nothing?”, when we get rid of all existent entities including matter, energy, space/volume, time, abstract concepts, laws or constructs of physics and math as well as minds to consider this supposed lack of all, we think what is left is the lack of all existent entities, or “absolute nothing” (here, I don’t mean our mind’s conception of this supposed “absolute nothing”, I mean the supposed “absolute nothing” itself, in which all minds would be gone). This situation is very hard to visualize because the mind is trying to imagine a situation in which it doesn’t exist. But, once everything is gone, and the mind is gone, this situation, this “absolute lack-of-all”, would be it; it would be the everything. It would be the entirety, or whole amount, of all that is present. By its very nature, it defines exactly all that is present (e.g., nothing). Is there anything else besides that “absolute nothing”? No. It is “nothing”, and it is the all. An entirety, whole amount or “the all” is a grouping that defines what is contained within (e.g., everything), which means that the situation we previously considered to be “absolute nothing” is itself an existent entity. Said another way, by its very nature, “absolute nothing”/”the all” is a grouping. It defines itself and is therefore the beginning point in the chain of being able to define existent entities in terms of other existent entities.
So, I don’t think all contradictions are true, so I don’t support the problem due to explosion argument. I just think this one contradiction is true. In fact, it’s not even really a contradiction. It’s just that we’re thinking of the statement incorrectly in thinking that nothing and something are mutually exclusive.
In regard to the liar’s paradox, “this sentence is false”, I think the reasoning about a thing exists if it’s a grouping argument applies here, too. This argument would also say that a thing doesn’t exist until it’s a grouping. In the sentence, “this sentence is false.” the words “this sentence” refer to a point in the future when the whole sentence (“this sentence is false.”) has been said. Only after the whole sentence has actually been said (or read) does it become a grouping of all 4 words and only then does it come into existence. Once the sentence exists (only after all 4 words have been said or read), you can’t then go back and retroactively assume that just the two words “this sentence” are the same as the whole sentence because the sentence didn’t even exist until after those two words were said/read.
Anyways, thanks for listening. This is a very interesting website.