Peter,
Hi. I used to post here a long time ago, but thought I'd try it again. I agree with your post that to answer the question "Why is there something rather than nothing?", we have to start with the supposed "absolute lack-of-all" and can't presuppose the laws of math, etc. I also agree that absolute "nothing" can't exist, but my reasoning is a little different. My view is that: o The question "Why is there something rather than nothing?" is kind of built on a misunderstanding. That is, that the situation we've always considered to be "nothing" (e.g. no space/volume, time, matter, energy, abstract concepts, laws of math/physics, no information, and no minds to think about this "lack of all") isn't really the lack of all existent entities. I think and try to show that this situation meets a definition of what it means to be an existent entity. That's also why I put "nothing" and the "absolute lack-of-all" in quotes to try and highlight this. o Before going into why I think it's an existent entity, I just wanted to say that I think it's okay to talk about and name the supposed "absolute lack-of-all" because we have to do that just to consider the question. And, our talking about it and naming it won't determine whether or not the "absolute lack-of-all" itself (and not our mind's conception of the "absolute lack-of-all") is or isn't an existent entity because neither we nor our talk would be there in the case of the "absolute lack-of-all". Also, it's real important to distinguish between our mind's conception of the "absolute lack-of-all" and the "absolute lack-of-all" itself. o For why I think what we've traditionally considered to be the "absolute lack-of-all" is actually itself an existent entity, my reasoning is as follows: First, I propose that a thing exists if it is a grouping or relationship present defining what is contained within. This grouping/relationship is equivalent to a surface, edge or boundary defining what is contained within and giving "substance" and existence to the thing. Then, what we've traditionally thought of as “the absolute lack-of-all” (no energy, matter, volume, space, time, thoughts, concepts, mathematical truths, etc.; and no minds to think about this “absolute lack-of-all”), and not our mind's conception of “the absolute lack-of-all”, is one and the same as the entirety, or whole amount, of all that is present. That's it; that's everything; there's nothing else; it is everything that is present. It is the all. An entirety or whole amount is a grouping defining what is contained within and is therefore a surface, an edge and an existent entity. In other words, because the absolute lack-of-all is the entirety of all that is present, it functions as both what is contained within and the grouping defining what is contained within. 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. The grouping/edge of the absolute lack-of-all is not some separate thing; it is just the "entirety", "the all" relationship, inherent in this absolute lack-of-all, that defines what is contained within. If anyone is interested, there's more detail at my websites at: sites.google.com/site/whydoesanythingexist (summary) sites.google.com/site/ralphthewebsite (click on 3rd link, more detail) Roger On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 4:33:50 AM UTC-4, Peter Sas wrote: > > Hi guys, > > Here is a blog piece I wrote about nothing as the ultimate source of being: > > > http://critique-of-pure-interest.blogspot.nl/2014/09/why-is-there-something-rather-than.html > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.