Adam Fitchett Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Is there such a thing as the concept 'nothing'? If so, what are its referents? It seems to me like a sort of metaphor, a short hand for other things. e.g. 'There's nothing in the cookie jar' is shorthand for 'I do not see anything from the intuitively relevant set of items in the cookie jar. There is air and microorganisms and crumbs, but these are not worth mentioning'. Is this always the case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Is there such a thing as the concept 'nothing'? If so, what are its referents? It seems to me like a sort of metaphor, a short hand for other things. e.g. 'There's nothing in the cookie jar' is shorthand for 'I do not see anything from the intuitively relevant set of items in the cookie jar. There is air and microorganisms and crumbs, but these are not worth mentioning'. Is this always the case?Well, yes, but the relevant set of items CAN be "everything withing our context of knowledge". But that's as far as we can go: when we say there is "nothing" there, we refer strictly to things we know exist, that aren't there. Like all our concepts, "nothing" can only be defined within the context of our knowledge. It can't be (rationally) used to mean non-existence. Here's more on that: http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/zero,_reification_of.html Harrison Danneskjold 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A is A Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 (edited) Is there such a thing as the concept 'nothing'? If so, what are its referents? It seems to me like a sort of metaphor, a short hand for other things. e.g. 'There's nothing in the cookie jar' is shorthand for 'I do not see anything from the intuitively relevant set of items in the cookie jar. There is air and microorganisms and crumbs, but these are not worth mentioning'. Is this always the case? Basically, yes. This question has been addressed throughout the Obectivist literature. I'd suggest reading Galt's speech, or Atlas Shrugged if you haven't, or ITOE, or OPAR. Edited September 15, 2014 by A is A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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