NOTHINGNESS OR NOT-SOMETHINGNESS: A PARADOX

Author: Barry Chametzky, PhD

ABSTRACT

I have nothing. I do not have something. At first glance, these two sentences imply a lack; in colloquial speech, depending on the situation, the meanings of the two sentences may also be similar. However, the idea of nothing and something is an important subtlety that must be explained. What does the concept of nothing mean? And, does such a concept exist? Is nothing the opposite of something? These seemingly ontological, philosophical, and metaphysical questions are at the heart of everything we do, read, and say in life. To understand the idea of nothingness in a more nuanced perspective for readers and interlocutors, there is great value in unpacking these questions further. Thus, the objective of this research is to understand the idea of nothingness and what is not stated in a more nuanced perspective.

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