January 22, 2025

Monique Nguyen 

11th Grade

Fountain Valley High School

Introduction

The most common understanding of the concept of “nothingness” has always been something devoid of some life, matter, or existence. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the term akin to an emptiness of some sort where there is nothing present. However, such a definition is contradictory. In mathematics, the number zero is typically associated with nothingness, while some would define the term as a void from a more scientific point of view. Technically speaking though, the number zero is similar to a placeholder between positive and negative values with a value and position in existence, which contradicts the idea of absolute nothingness, where there should be no type of existence whatsoever. What about a definition related to a vacuum? The American scientist Edward Tyron believed that an energy vacuum was the source of a universe with zero energy, which is ironic for something to emerge from nothing. These contradictions are part of the debate about nothingness, a conceptual entity with multiple obscure relationships to other concepts and many debated definitions. 

Debates

From a STEAM perspective, there have been many opinions on how to relate the concept of nothingness to something. Physicists and scientists had gathered to debate “The Existence of Nothing” in March of 2013 at the American Museum of Natural History, where thinkers began to come up with restraints and counterarguments on defining the idea. Some proposed that absolute nothingness was something devoid of any space, time, particles, fields, or scientific laws, going beyond a surface-level understanding. Some argued that a black hole, or a point in space in time where both dimensions collapse beyond what humans can explain currently, fits the definition. A theoretical physicist saw nothing based on the quantum field theory, where a field could lack dimensions, while a mathematician argued that nothing could be a null or empty set, which is a numerical set where the number zero is removed. Metaphysicians, who study what exists, have contemplated the existence of an empty world in a more philosophical approach. Applying even more specific lenses and relating nothingness to other broad concepts, such as energy, space, and the universe, develops complicated theories beyond common understandings.

There are additionally further minute aspects to consider, essentially the “nitty-gritty” of the concept. Does the idea of emptiness correspond with the concept of nothingness? Metaphysicians have argued that nothing is technically something if there is no anything. Theoretically speaking, emptiness suggests the possibility of the existence of something in the future; for example, the idea of modern constructs not existing at a time would not be akin to being part of absolute nothing. Even in the past, the debate of nothingness was always an integral part of human existence. The most prominent example would be the Egyptians' aversion to the idea of zero despite it being necessary for their scientific advancements, likely as humans tend to have an aversion to ideas that are abstract, uncertain, and hard to define. It is strange to try to understand something that is not tangible and cannot be experienced in any way with none of any constructs of reality that humans are familiar with. But, according to the principle of relevance of oppositions, there must be a relationship between the opposite ideas of nothingness and existence, and since existence is possible, then nothingness must be possible. So, if nothingness is possible, some question whether it is impossible for nothingness to exist in a different state or at the same time as existence as well, especially as complicated theories like equilibrium and superposition can be explained. Really, defining nothingness becomes an endless rabbit hole of food for the mind as a conceptual challenge above all.

Conclusion

Some debate whether nothingness actually exists or whether anything in the world can truly be absolute, and if not, there is no absolute nothingness. The idea of nothing can be argued as a human construct as well; there is no definitive proof for nothing to exist or not exist. In the end, it is such a difficult idea to conceptualize, even for the most renowned scientific thinkers of the era. So, it would possibly be more reasonable to say the concept of nothing has multiple definitions, or perhaps the term is designed to fit one's own understanding of nothingness. As humans gain a deeper awareness of how to understand and explain reality as they know it, new definitions of nothingness can always be contradicted. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “Maybe nothing will never be resolved.”