Nothing - Definition and Overview

For the mathematics of nothing, see zero.

Nothing is the lack or absence of anything. "Nothing" and "zero" are closely related but not identical concepts. The term "nothing" is rarely used mathematically, though it could be said that a set contains nothing if and only if it is the empty set, in which case its cardinality (or size) is zero.

The concept of "nothing" has been studied throughout history by philosophers and theologians; many have found that careful consideration of the notion can easily lead to the logical fallacy of reification. The understanding of "nothing" varies widely between cultures, especially between Western and Eastern cultures and philosophical traditions, though existentialism, and in particular Heidegger have brought the understandings closer together.

Informally, a person, event or object might be said to be nothing if particularly unimpressive.

Quotes

• "Nothing is too wonderful to be true."

  — Michael Faraday

• What is greater than God,
  More evil than the Devil,
  The poor have it,
  The rich need it,
  And if you eat it, you'll die?
  
  Nothing.

  — popular riddle which appeared in an email chain letter

See also

• Being and Nothingness
• existentialism
• nihilism
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• vacuous truth
• void

External link

• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nothingness/

Nothing Records is the name of a record label founded by Trent Reznor and John Malm, Jr. in 1992. Among the artists managed by the label are Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Autechre.

Nothing is the name of a 1995 album by Dwight Yoakam and a 1996 album by Velocity Girl.

Nothing, Arizona is a small town in Arizona with a population of only four people.